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Decree 7: “The Jesuit Brother,” General Congregation 34 (1995)

Ignatius accepted men at different grades when they were admitted into the Society of Jesus. Traditionally, the status of a “brother” was the most popular alternative to the priestly status. The delegates of the 34th General Congregation responded to “a substantial number of” requests from their Jesuit confreres and depicted the Jesuit brother’s role with […]

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Decree 6: “The Jesuit Priest: Ministerial Priesthood and Jesuit Identity,” General Congregation 34 (1995)

The delegates at the 34th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus undertook a “specific consideration of the priestly dimension of Jesuit life.” In the decree below, they conclude that, despite the continuing reverberations of the Second Vatican Council, “it remains important that Jesuits continue to have confidence in the value of the apostolic service

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Decree 5: “Our Mission and Interreligious Dialogue,” General Congregation 34 (1995)

In the decree below, the Jesuit delegates attending the 34th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus argue, given the worldwide religious diversity and division, that it is “imperative that we collaborate with others to achieve common goals.” The decree offers guidelines for how Jesuits can foster dialogue within the Catholic Church and between different

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Decree 4: “Our Mission and Culture,” General Congregation 34 (1995)

The delegates of the 34th General Congregation recognized the challenges facing the fulfillment of the Jesuits’ mission in “critical postmodern culture,” and yet, in the following decree, they maintain an insistence “on the inseparability of justice, dialogue, and the evangelization of culture.” To pursue the Jesuits’ mission, the delegates articulate some guidelines “to further the

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Decree 1: “United with Christ on Mission,” General Congregation 34 (1995)

The following decree, the first promulgated by the 34th General Congregation, explains that the congregation’s “major work” is the “revision of our law and the orientation of our mission for today.” The delegates went about this work by calling for an “annotated text of the Constitutions,” which would include complementary norms “to enable Jesuits to

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Decree 1: “Companions of Jesus Sent into Today’s World,” General Congregation 33 (1983)

Appearing below, the first decree promulgated by the 33rd General Congregation (an event convoked to accept the resignation of the Jesuits’ superior general) presents the views of the congregation’s delegates on the state of the Society of Jesus “in today’s world.” It consists of a brief introduction and conclusion but is primarily divided into two,

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Decree 11: “Union of Hearts and Minds in the Society,” General Congregation 32 (1975)

This lengthy decree is the response of the delegates to the 32nd General Congregation to the “rather large number of postulta” (or petitions) they received on the “spiritual life”—especially prayer and obedience—and on common “spiritual discernment,” notes historian John Padberg (see the congregation’s historical preface in Jesuit Life & Mission Today (2009), pg. 274–276). The decree

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Decree 6: “The Formation of Jesuits,” General Congregation 32 (1975)

The delegates to the 32nd General Congregation approved the following decree, a lengthy statement on the process of Jesuit formation in light of the “many changes in the world at large.” The influence of those changes meant that “constant adaptation is required in order to be sure of achieving the essential purpose of our formation.”

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