General Congregation 31 (1966)

The 31st General Congregation held its first session in the summer of 1965, towards the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council. It held a second session a year later, after the council had formally closed, after which time it promulgated its decrees. The congregation’s first decree sought to define and, in the end, to encourage a revitalization of the Society’s mission in a “new age” in which “our Society, along with the whole Catholic Church, finds the conditions of human history profoundly changed.” The decree closes with the delegates’ statement that the congregation has “striven with all its power so to promote a renewal that those things may be removed from our body which could constrict its life and hinder it from fully attaining its end, and that in this way its internal dynamic freedom may be made strong and vigorous, and ready for every form of the service of God.”

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. On the Life and Mission of the Society in This New Era

1. In this “new age” in which the human race now finds itself the Society of Jesus, according to the spirit of the whole Church, which is itself in process of renewal, recognizes the difficulties with regard to its goal and plan of life which are arising from the changes that have taken place in man’s way of living and thinking. At the same time it recognizes the opportunities which arise from the new developments in our world and those which flow from the renewal of the Church that has been begun by the Council. It intends, therefore, to take a very dose look at its own nature and mission in order that, faithful to its own vocation, it can renew itself and adapt its life and its activities to the exigencies of the Church and the needs of contemporary man.

2. The nature and the special grace of our vocation are to be discovered above all in the dynamic development of the Society from its earliest historical beginnings.

2. The Origin of the Society in the Experience of the Spiritual Exercises

3. For this history has its beginnings in the Spiritual Exercises which our holy Father Ignatius and his companions went through. Led by this spiritual experience, they formed an apostolic group rooted in charity, and in which, after they had taken the vows of chastity and poverty and had been raised to the priesthood, they would offer themselves as a holocaust to God for whose praise and honor they had given up all that they had.

4. They had heard the invitation of Christ the King and had followed it; for that reason they not only dedicated themselves entirely to labor, but desiring to become outstanding in every service of their king, they made offerings of greater worth and importance; so that they would be sent under the banner of Christ by Him into the entire world, spreading His teachings among all degrees and conditions of men.

3. The “Mission” under the Roman Pontiff

5. In this spirit they had offered and dedicated themselves and their lives to Christ our Lord and to His true and legitimate vicar on earth; so that he as Vicar of Christ might dispose of them and might send them where he judged that they could bear greater fruit.

6. But the first mission entrusted to them by Pope Paul III was one that was likely to scatter the group of Fathers in all directions. Therefore, alter many deliberations in which they tried to distinguish between various spiritual inspirations and weigh the reasons for each side carefully, these first Fathers decided that they should not break up “a society united in God,” but rather gradually strengthen it and stabilize it by making themselves into a unified body. Indeed they judged it more expedient to give their obedience to one of their number that they might more successfully and perfectly carry out their first desire of fulfilling the divine will in all things. Thus also the Society would be more securely preserved.

4. The “Missionary” Constitution of the Society of Jesus

7. Thus it came about that the promise made to God of obeying the Roman Pontiff with regard to all missions turned out to be “our beginning and first foundation.”

8. Such an offering expressed the consummation of that knowledge of Christ which they had acquired in the Exercises, and united and drew that first apostolic band together in one body. It was in order to fulfill this offering more completely that the Society, as a mode of life, had its beginning under the Constitutions.

9. The first steps of the Society were directed by Ignatius himself in the way of the Lord by his spiritual experience, in accordance with which he interpreted the course of events in the light of their relation to God. The result was that Ignatius founded the Society as an organization which would continually renew itself in the Church through the inner vigor of the Exercises and under the vitalizing impulse of the Spirit to fulfill those things which its vocation and its mission to promote the divine glory and the greater service of souls demanded.

5. New Developments in the History of Man

10. The history of four centuries, with its fluctuations between honor and humiliation, has cast a rather penetrating light upon the nature of the Society and its originating idea. With whatever degree of fidelity to its vocation and mission the apostolic works of the Society were begun and carried on, nonetheless on the one hand they show an internal dynamism in the attitude of universality and flexibility, while on the other hand the limitations and deficiencies of its individual members stand revealed.

11. Today, however, our Society, along with the whole Church, finds the conditions of human history profoundly changed. The members themselves share in the contemporary “social and cultural transformation” and the new ways of living which arise from socialization, urbanization, industrialization, and ever widening communication among men, and they do not fail to participate in the changed ways of thinking and feeling and weighing the values of human life. They experience also the fact that a keener sense of liberty has developed and that there is a more universal desire for the “full and free life”; they realize therefore at the same time that the conditions which affect religious life have been changed.

12. For they are conscious on the one hand of that purifying of the religious life which, according to the Second Vatican Council, flows from the “more critical faculty of judging” which has grown up in our day. They are conscious as well of the grave problems which can be found among many, even among Christians, arising from the crisis to which the Gospel itself and the Church’s doctrine have been exposed because of modem criticism and contemporary philosophy. And they cannot avoid hearing the widespread criticism that the teaching and life of the Christian estrange him from the world and its struggles, while at the same time great multitudes are still compelled to live a life unworthy of the human person and the human race itself remains without any true unity.

13. They are also acutely aware that they are surrounded by various sorts of atheistic teachings and especially by that humanism which contends that “liberty consists in this, that man is to be an end unto himself the sole artisan and creator of his own history” and that “this freedom cannot be reconciled with the affirmation of God.” Often, too, they feel in themselves also that ambivalent desire of their contemporaries to perfect themselves as men.

6. The Need for Revitalizing the Mission of the Society

14. But all the members of the Society, firmly grounded in faith, in company with all other Christians, lift their eyes to Christ, in whom they find that absolute perfection of self-giving and undivided love which alone completely reconciles man to God and to himself For unless men adhere to Christ and follow the way which He shows, they desire and seek in vain for that full realization of themselves which they long for in their undertakings.

15. From this love for Christ, the Society offers itself completely to the Church in these needs, so that the Supreme Pontiff, as the Vicar of Christ, may “send” all its members into the vineyard of the Lord.

16. Thus the Society will try to be of assistance to the Church according to the measure of the grace of its vocation, while the Church itself is helping the world so that the kingdom of God may come and the salvation of the human race may be achieved. Our Lord, with whose name our Society has been signed and under the standard of whose cross it desires to serve the kingdom of His love, is Himself the goal of human history, the point to which the desires of history and civilization converge, the center of the human race, the joy of all hearts and the fulfillment of all seeking. Enlivened and united in His Spirit, we journey toward the consummation of human history, one which fully accords with the counsel of God’s love: “To re-establish all things in Christ, both those in the heavens and those on the earth.”

7. The Need of Renewal and Adaptation in the Society

17. In order that our Society may more aptly fulfill in this new age its mission under the Roman Pontiff, the 31st General Congregation has striven with all its power so to promote a renewal that those things may be removed from our body which could constrict its life and hinder it from fully attaining its end, and that in this way its internal dynamic freedom may be made strong and vigorous, and ready for every form of the service of God.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 1, “The Mission of the Society of Jesus Today,” pg. 47–50 [1–17].

The delegates of the 31st General Congregation promulgated the following decree, which recognizes both the limitations of the reforms encouraged by the Second Vatican Council and Paul VI’s Magno gaudio (1964) as well as the need for change nonetheless. The decree concludes that “the entire government of the Society must be adapted to modern necessities and ways of living.”

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. The adaptation and renewal of our way of living and acting extends itself, as it should, even to the body of laws which contain the spirit and end of the Society and also describe its structures and govern its apostolic action. Although the Council and the post-Conciliar documents invite us to this renewal, they carefully and clearly distinguish between fundamental or permanent elements of the Institute (whether this is understood as a way of living or as a collection of laws), and elements which are contingent and therefore changeable in response to the circumstances and needs of various times.

2. The former, since they flow either from the very nature of the evangelical counsels, or constitute the specific nature of our Institute, are to be conserved as having a perennial value. At the same time, however, they are to be renewed by a continuous return to the sources of all Christian life, to the spirit of the founder, and to the originating inspiration of the Institute. Contingent elements, however, should be so skillfully adapted that the religious life is purified of foreign elements and freed from those that are obsolete. Indeed, with a view to this end experiments in matters at variance with our own law may be instituted prudently by legitimate authority, or even in matters at variance with the common law, insofar as the Holy See, in suitable cases, will permit.

3. The 31st General Congregation has approached the task of adapting and renewing the Society in this manner, called by our mother the Church and under her guidance, and in a certain continuing tension between the faithful desire of retaining what is permanent and ought to remain as fundamental, and the vital necessity of adapting the Institute to those circumstances in which its life is led and its mission is carried out.

Thus it has determined that the entire government of the Society must be adapted to modern necessities and ways of living; that our whole training in spirituality and in studies must be changed; that religious and apostolic life itself is to be renewed; that our ministries are to be weighed in relation to the pastoral spirit of the Council according to the criterion of the greater and more universal service of God in the modern world; and that the very spiritual heritage of our Institute, containing both new and old elements, is to be purified and enriched anew according to the necessities of our times.

4. Finally, since every true law seeks to enunciate the will of God, and since this will can be manifested under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through subjects as well as through superiors and congregations, the Holy See properly urges full and free consultation of all members as a means of helping and directing the work of the congregation. Indeed, as much as time and the circumstances of its convocation permitted, our present Congregation has enjoyed this help.

But since a suitable renovation cannot be made once and for all but must be continually promoted, consultation can be employed even more extensively in the future, both with a view to the preparation of future general congregations, and in order that the Superior General together with his council may make use of it for carrying on the renewal of the Society in virtue of the faculties granted him by the Holy See until the next congregation.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 2, “The Renewal of Our Vows,” pg. 51–52 [18–23].

Pope John VI opened the 31st General Congregation by noting the “fearful danger of atheism threatening human society.” Through the Jesuit delegates gathered for the congregation, the pontiff gave to the entire Society of Jesus (the “champion of the Church and holy religion in adversity”) a special task: “the charge of making a stout, united stand against atheism, under the leadership, and with the help of St. Michael, prince of the heavenly host.” The delegates responded, in part, by promulgating the following decree. The document notes some of the causes of atheism, some of the motives of atheists, the apostolic reasons for dealing with “difficulties which are raised against faith,” and how Jesuits might adapt their ministries to the pontiff’s mandate that they resist atheism.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. The Spread of Atheism and the Mandate of the Holy Father

1. The glory of God, as the goal of all creation, and man’s own good require that he acknowledge, reverence, and serve God. Hence, the danger of atheism which faces so many men today should greatly stimulate the companions of Jesus to offer a purer witness of religious life and a more zealous devotion to apostolic work. The denial of God is no longer, as in former centuries, an isolated phenomenon; it has become widespread, affecting entire social groups and nations. In some countries, atheism is systematically spread by public authority, thereby violating the rights of man to the free investigation of truth and the practice of religion. In many more regions, the denial of God or indifference to religion has directly or indirectly infected the cultural and social life. The Supreme Pontiff Paul VI, on the occasion of the gathering of the Fathers for the 31st General Congregation, committed to the Society, in view of its special vow of obedience, the task of resisting atheism “with forces united.” Each Jesuit, therefore, earnestly though humbly, should take part in this task by prayer and action, and each should be grateful that he can thus better serve “his Lord alone and the Church, His spouse, under the guidance of the Roman Pontiff, the Vicar of Christ on earth.”

2. The Understanding of Atheism and Its Causes and of the Motives of Atheists

2. All Jesuits, whatever their particular apostolic work, should give more attention to atheists and try to reach a better understanding of atheism and of indifference to religion. They should examine the different kinds of atheism, both systematic and practical, and should understand them as well as possible.

3. They should also distinguish its causes, such as the relationship which the modern denial of God has to all the changes taking place in the material and social condition of mankind; or those “complex and multiple” causes which may exist “in the minds of atheists, so that one should be cautious in passing judgment on them”; or those social injustices which, especially in developing countries, incline many men to accept the atheistic doctrines which are connected with programs of social revolution.

3. Some Difficulties Urges Against Belief in God and How to Deal with Them

4. To overcome the difficulties which are raised against faith, often even among believers, Jesuits should take appropriate action, not for any political reasons, but purely from apostolic motives.

5. Many difficulties arise from this, that “there is a demand that the world of divine realities be presented in a higher and purer way than has been the custom in some imperfect forms of speech and worship.” Jesuits should therefore try to purify the presentations of God and to promote a truly personal adherence to the faith among believers.

6. There are also some atheists, “gifted with a greatness of spirit,” who are motivated by impatience with “the mediocrity and desire of personal advantage which infect so many parts of human society in our times.” Jesuits therefore should make every effort to see that faith may always lead to a genuine love of neighbor, a love that is practical and social-minded.

7. On the other hand, the legitimate aspiration toward the autonomy of the sciences and of human enterprise is often carried to such a point that it arouses objections against the acknowledgement of God; indeed, some men present abandonment of religion as man’s path to freedom. Therefore, our aim must be to let faith penetrate the concrete totality of life. It should be made clear that the Christian life does not turn away from developing the world. In fact, human values, cultivated without pride, and the universe itself, cleansed of the corruption of sin, illuminated and transfigured, will have their place “in that eternal and universal kingdom” which Christ will restore to the Father at the end of time.

4. The Character of Our Way of Life

8. These means should be applied by members of the Society first of all in their own lives. Each should constantly cultivate an awareness of God who is living, working, and loving, an awareness which the Exercises of St. Ignatius impart through the meditation on the Foundation and the Contemplation for Obtaining Love. And, as far as possible, what God is should be made evident in the entirety of the Jesuit way of living and acting, namely, by taking on that basic attitude which the incarnate Word of God revealed throughout His life and especially in His supreme sacrifice, the attitude which the Exercises aim at, beginning with the contemplation on the Kingdom of Christ.

9. Because atheists, estranged as they are from the environment of the religious world, will mainly judge us by our lives and actions, our way of living and acting must be entirely sincere and free from all appearance of pride or pretense.

5. The Formation of Jesuits

10. The formation of Jesuits should be adapted so as to establish and promote this kind of spiritual life and a sincere and fraternal manner of acting. Scholastics should also be trained to understand the mentality of atheists and their theories, and they should be furnished with appropriate information, especially in the scholarly disciplines dealing with man, presented in modern terms. Care should also be taken that, as far as this is possible, those especially who come from an entirely Christian environment can, in good time, have some personal contacts with atheists.

6. The Right Order of Our Ministries and Their Adaptation to the Task Commissioned by the Holy Father

11. The mandate of resisting atheism should permeate all the accepted forms of our apostolate so that we may cultivate among believers true faith and an authentic awareness of God. But we must also direct a greater part of our efforts, more than we have in the past, to nonbelievers, and we must search for and experiment with new ways for coming into closer and more frequent contact with atheists themselves, whether they belong to those parts of society which are most in need or to those which are culturally more advanced.

12. With regard to the areas where atheism is being spread, we should concentrate on aiding the developing regions, where religious life is liable to greater and more abrupt disturbances because of the faster rate of change.

13. In the light of the principal causes of atheism, it is clear that we must emphasize both the social and the university apostolates, either at our own or in secular universities.

14. The vigorous intellectual efforts of all our scientists, philosophers, and theologians are also called for, and there should be a continuing cooperation among Jesuit scholars in various disciplines, especially the sciences dealing with man.

15. In our schools, the modern atheistic positions should be explained and subjected to careful evaluation, not by indulging in empty polemics, but by promoting the most accurate critical understanding of the atheists’ arguments and ways of thinking.

16. Jesuits should approach atheists with the firm conviction that the divine law is written in the hearts of all men and with the belief that the Holy Spirit moves all men to the service they owe to God their creator. Both by a style of proclamation adapted to each person, combined with religious respect, and by a brotherly witness borne in the concrete details of living and acting, Jesuits should work to remove obstacles and to help atheists find and acknowledge God.

17. All superiors should see to it that our apostolate is constantly adapted to this end. It is especially recommended to Father General that in conversation with the Holy Father he try to obtain a clear knowledge of his mind with regard to the task he has committed to us and that, with the advice of experts, he direct the entire apostolate of the Society in carrying out that mission as effectively as possible.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 3, “The Task of the Society Regarding Atheism,” pg. 53–56 [24–40].

The delegates at the 31st General Congregation issued the following decree to indicate changes to the Jesuits’ Collection of Decrees, done so with the desire to “provide the juridical principles for the adaptation of our body of laws.” The decree defines the “Institute of the Society” as “both our way of living and working, and the written documents in which this way is authentically and legitimately proposed.” Further, the Spiritual Exercises are recognized here as “both as a perennial source of those interior gifts upon which depends our effectiveness in reaching the goal set before us, and as the living expression of the Ignatian spirit which must temper and interpret all our laws.”

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. Introduction

Since “the most important work to which the General Chapters should devote their chief attention consists in carefully adapting the laws of their Institute to the changed condition of the times…but in such wise…that the specific nature and discipline of the Institute is preserved intact,” the General Congregation, heartily desiring to open up the road, and provide the juridical principles for the adaptation of our body of laws, as mentioned in the Introductory Decree, determines and decrees the following changes in the Collection of Decrees.

2. On the Institute and Its Parts

This new decree is to be inserted at the beginning of the Prooemium of the Collection of Decrees:

The term “Institute of the Society” means both our way of living and working, and the written documents in which this way is authentically and legitimately proposed. Among these documents some are laws properly so called; others set forth the legitimate traditions of the Society.

To maintain faithfully the grace of our vocation as described in the Institute, the Spiritual Exercises of our holy founder stand in first place, both as a perennial source of those interior gifts upon which depends our effectiveness in reaching the goal set before us, and as the living expression of the Ignatian spirit which must temper and interpret all our laws.

§1. The Formula of the Institute, or fundamental Rule of the Society has primacy of dignity and authority in the Institute.7 It was set down first by Paul III, then more exactly and in greater detail by Julius III, was approved in forma specifica by many of his successors, and has obtained in a special way the status of pontifical law.

§2. There are also other laws of the Institute which have obtained the status of pontifical law, but not all have been approved by the Holy See in the same way; hence they enjoy varying degrees of dignity and authority.

§3. Apostolic Letters, rescripts, and indults issued for the Society also pertain to the pontifical law specific to the Society.

3. On the Preservation and Renewal of the Institute

In the Collection of Decrees decrees 12-16 are to be changed in this way:

Decree 12—§1. The substantials, or fundamentals, of our Institute are, first, the matters contained in the Formula of Julius III. For the Formula exhibits the fundamental structure of the Society, based, with the help of grace, on Gospel principles and the experience and wisdom of our holy Father Ignatius and his companions. Accordingly, as the Formula itself recommends, all Jesuits should strive to keep before their eyes this image of their Institute, which is a way to God, as long as life lasts.

§2. Secondly, among the substantials are included also those matters without which the substantials of the Formula can be preserved with great difficulty or not at all. General congregations have the power to declare which matters are substantial, and have done so at times; moreover the General has the same power, to be exercised in matters of practice on a temporary basis.

Decree 13 is abrogated.

Decree 14—§1. The general congregation can declare the meaning of the substantials of the Formula of the Institute, but cannot change them on its own authority.

§2. Let substantials outside the Formula of the Institute continue to have the same stability they have previously enjoyed, except perhaps where the general congregation shall have determined that the connection of any one of them with the Formula has been notably weakened.

§3. In matters which are not substantial, the Constitutions can and sometimes should be changed by the general congregation, but such a change should not be decreed definitively without a previous experiment or without a very clear reason.

§4. Decrees of general congregations, as well as rules and ordinations drawn up by the generals, even if inserted in the Collection of the Institute, not only may be changed by the aforesaid authorities in accordance with the competence of each, but it is their duty to provide for the continuing adaptation of them to the needs of the times.

§5. Every adaptation of the Institute should aim at always establishing whatever seems to contribute most, all things considered, to the knowledge, love, praise, and service of God, and to the salvation of souls. For our holy Father Ignatius laid down as the foundation, or first criterion, of all our laws the greater glory of God and the help of souls.

Decree 15—§1. It is permitted to the provincial congregations to treat of the substantials of the Institute, provided there are serious reasons, and in accordance with the norms laid down in the Formula of the Provincial Congregation.

§2. In sending postulata to the general or provincial congregation, all Jesuits should bear in mind the above decrees; and let each, with due love of the patrimony of the Society and with due regard for his own responsibility, propose what he desires for the renewal and adaptation of the Institute, realizing, moreover, that the light necessary for making such postulata will be obtained not only from dialogue but most of all from prayer.

Decree 16—Customs contrary to our law are not permitted in the Society.

4. On the Censures and Precepts Pertaining to the Preservation of the Institute

The 31st General Congregation abrogates the precept of holy obedience in No. 306 of the Collection of Decrees; and commissions Father General to petition the Holy See, insofar as this is necessary, to revoke the penalties in No. 305 of the Collection of Decrees. For it is the desire of the Congregation that a love and longing for all perfection may lead all Jesuits to the genuine preservation and increase not only of the body but also of the spirit of the Society.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 4, “The Preservation and Renewal of the Institute,” pg. 59–62 [41–60].

In their fifth decree, the delegates of the 31st General Congregation addressed what historian John Padberg describes as “one of the most serious and one of the most lengthily treated questions in the Congregation” (see the congregation’s historical preface in Jesuit Life & Mission Today (2009), pg. 16–17). The topic of conversation was grades within the Society of Jesus, or the distinctions between professed and spiritual coadjutors. Due to the contentiousness of the topic, the delegates voted by secret ballot to not suppress the grade of spiritual coadjutors but rather to establish a commission to investigate the future of the position within the Society of Jesus. More on the spiritual coadjutor is found in an essay in the Autumn 2015 issue of Studies in the Spirituality of Jesuits: “Unfinished Business: The Spiritual Coadjutor in the Society of Jesus Today,” by Mark Lewis.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. The General Congregation decrees that, immediately after the close of the 31st General Congregation, a commission should be set up which will study the whole matter of suppressing the grade of spiritual coadjutor, either in law or in practice, and which will report on it to the next congregation, either of provincials or of procurators, in order that it may decide whether a general congregation should be summoned to deal with this matter.

2. The General Congregation recommends that the commission which is to study the entire problem of the distinction of grades should extend its study to include the advantages and disadvantages involved in granting solemn profession also to the temporal coadjutors.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 5, “The Distinction of Grades,” pg. 62 [61–62].

In advance of the 31st General Congregation, Jesuits from around the world submitted postulata (or petitions) for perpetual deacons to be allowed in the Society of Jesus. The delegates at the congregation, after considering the matter, approved the following decree. Rather than introducing the permanent deaconate to the Society of Jesus, the decree, first, removes any obstacles to its creation and, second, entrusts the matter to the “prudent experimentation” of the new superior general.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. Gladly complying with the will of the Church which orders the restoration of the permanent diaconate in Eastern Churches where it has fallen into disuse and also in the Western Church, where, in the judgment of the bishops and with the approbation of the Holy See, such a restoration may tend to the good of souls, the 31st General Congregation declares that there is no obstacle preventing our Society, as far as it depends on us, from being helped in the future by certain members who would work permanently in the sacred order of the diaconate for the service of the Church.

2. But the General Congregation entrusts this matter of permanent deacons to Father General for prudent experimentation, according to the mind of the Church, where it is needed for the good of souls, as, for example, in our houses of the eastern rites in which it is not permitted for a priest to exercise the functions of a deacon in the celebration of liturgical offices.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 6, “The Permanent Diaconate,” pg. 63 [63–64].

The delegates of the 31st General Congregation used their seventh decree to address the matter of temporal adjuators, or brothers, within the Society of Jesus. The delegates were responding both to the declining numbers of brothers over the last several decades but also to postulata (or petitions) that requested both a clarification of the brothers’ status and even a statement of esteem for that position. “Brothers,” the following decree states,” “have a full share in the special apostolic nature of the Society.” After noting brothers engage in those “tasks for which they may have a God-given talent and in which they may be of assistance and example “for the help of souls,” the decree encourages that Jesuits avoid “every social distinction in community life,” that they all share “in common domestic tasks,” and that they allow brothers’ “progressive participation” in discussions.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. Since it is of the greatest moment that all Jesuits truly understand the nature of the Jesuit brothers’ vocation in order that they may be properly integrated into the life of the Society, it seemed clear to the 31st General Congregation that the principal task to be accomplished with respect to the brothers was clearly to state the nature of their vocation and the practical applications which flow from it. The result will be that all members of the Society, even at the cost of a complete change of mind, may be truly of “one heart and one mind,” and all, enjoying one and the same vocation apart from the priesthood, may together and in the spirit of our founder dedicate themselves totally to the mission of the Church.

2. Since apostolic activity belongs to the very nature of the religious life in Institutes devoted to the apostolate, the whole life of a brother must be called apostolic by reason of the specific consecration which they make to God through vows in the body of the Society. But beyond that, the brothers have a full share in the special apostolic nature of the Society, which pertains to all its members. For that reason their activity in the Society is to be defined by the same principles which define the apostolic service of the whole Society, namely, through its attention to the greater service of God and the universal good. Thus it is that, through various talents and activities—all its members being united in one spirit by the bonds of love and obedience—the Society is to enjoy the presence of Christ, perform His tasks, and manifest His coming.

3. Those offices and functions of the brothers which are described in the Institute have a true apostolic value and are to be performed in a spirit of cooperation. It is by works such as these that the religious intimacy and calm of the Society’s houses, the fraternal union in the service of Christ, the dedication of scholastics to their studies, and especially the mobility and freedom of priests in the ministries are more perfectly maintained. Such offices are to be committed to the brothers with the fullest possible responsibility.

Furthermore, in the service of the Society, administrative offices may be given them, even in our communities and with respect to other Jesuits, always excluding, of course, the power of jurisdiction.

4. Moreover, following precedents in both the old and the restored Society, in addition to the offices mentioned above and in accordance with the judgment of superiors, brothers properly undertake those other tasks for which they may have a God-given talent and in which they may be of assistance and example “for the help of souls.” Among such tasks are teaching, practicing the liberal and technical arts, laboring in the fields of science and in whatever other areas their work, according to circumstances and places, may prove more useful in attaining the end of the Society.

In all the above mentioned ways the brothers, as men consecrated to God, show that only in the spirit of the beatitudes can the world be transfigured and offered to God; and in the Society they make a great contribution to the good of the Church.

5. Since the Society wishes that the brothers be brought closely into both the social and liturgical life of the community as well as into its works, as befits companions who live the religious life in the same family, fraternal union and communication are to be fostered more and more among Jesuits by all the means which a discerning love may dictate.

6. To this end the following will also be conducive: (a) the avoidance of every social distinction in community life; (b) the sharing, on the part of all Jesuits, in common domestic tasks, always with consideration for the greater service of God and the help of souls; (c) progressive participation on the part of the brothers in consultations; (d) the observance of the decisions of the 31st General Congregation regarding their participation in congregations.

7. The formation of brothers is to be entrusted to men who are carefully selected and diligently prepared. They are to be taught especially to devote their lives to the service of the Church in the following of Christ. In order, however, that they may fulfill their duties and perform their functions more perfectly in the circumstances of modern life, their formation is to be spiritual, doctrinal, and technical, even confirmed with suitable degrees. This formation is to be carried out in suitable houses and is to be continued throughout life in accordance with each one’s abilities. The diversity which can result from this will contribute greatly to all the varied and necessary ministries which are to be carried on with one and the same spirit, supposing, of course, the preservation of indifference and availability for any offices whatsoever. “There are varieties of graces but one and the same Spirit.”

8. In order that all this may be conveniently put into execution, Father General is to establish a commission of experts. It will be their function: (a) to study more profoundly and to propound the theology of the vocation of the religious who is not destined for the priesthood in the Society; (b) to advise Father General on practical experiments to effect the application of this decree; (c) to propose general guidelines for the formation of brothers, which ought to be adapted by provincials for their respective areas; (d) to revise the rules and regulations concerning the brothers according to the spirit of this decree.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 7, “The Brothers,” pg. 64–66 [65–74].

According to historian John Padberg’s historical account of the congregation, Jesuits sent more than 160 postulata (or petitions) on the topic their brethren’s spiritual formation for consideration at the 31st General Congregation (see Jesuit Life & Mission Today (2009), pg. 18–19). That formation, the following decree observes, “is the work of divine grace,” helping Jesuits in particular to “grow in faith, hope and love, to follow Christ ever more closely and become ever more intimately confirmed to him according to the grace of our vocation.” The decree seeks to help that spiritual progress by issuing several general norms (“all should have high regard to the account of conscience to superiors;” “Jesuits do well to cultivate sincerity, which is not genuine unless it be combined with loyalty to those norms given to us by the Church and the Society”). The decree also considers the formation that should take place at and following the novitiate and at tertianship, along with the process of “continuing formation.”

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

To all Jesuits the General Congregation fraternally proposes the following norms as a kind of spiritual pedagogy, ardently desiring that each Jesuit may become that instrument joined to God which is demanded by our religious and apostolic vocation.

I. General Norms

1. Since all spiritual progress is the work of divine grace, it is essential that each one should dispose himself to implore that grace by humble prayer and to respond to it with docile obedience in all his actions.

2. Spiritual formation will assist Jesuits, as they grow in faith, hope, and love, to follow Christ ever more closely and become ever more intimately conformed to him according to the grace of our vocation. But since, though called to perfect love, we are still sinners, our following of Christ must take the form of continual conversion to him.

This progressive conformity to Christ can take place only on condition that we humbly listen to his word in Scripture, continually draw life from his sacraments, and follow him as present in the Church.

3. Our following of Christ will be more genuine and intimate the more intent each Jesuit is on adopting that manner of serving Christ peculiar to this Society, which precisely “desires to be distinguished by the name of Jesus.” Let all, then, learn to esteem this vocation as God’s gift and adhere to it loyally. And let those attitudes of mind be cultivated which St. Ignatius held most dear: personal love for the poor and humble Christ, filial devotion to our Lady His mother, sincere zeal for souls, fortitude in undertaking even more difficult enterprises for God’s glory, a readiness for service founded on obedience and self-denial, the ability to find God in all things, development of skill in the discernment of spirits, ease in initiating spiritual conversation with others, a concern for thinking with the Church. . . .

4. The Society’s apostolic objective is to be considered the principle which regulates the entire formation of our members. It should, therefore, inspire their formation in prayer, the aim of which is to fashion men who will seek God in everything, as well as that formation in the religious and apostolic life whereby Jesuits are trained to become “prompt and diligent” in sharing Christ’s redemptive mission in the Church with a magnanimity that embraces ever greater tasks and bears every adversity with steady cheerfulness.

5. For the sake of each one’s spiritual growth, we should all cooperate actively in a spirit of fraternal love, bearing one another’s burdens according to the measure of each one’s grace and the work entrusted to each one by the Society. All should therefore have high regard for the account of conscience to superiors, which has been held in such honor by the Society’s long tradition, for conversation with the spiritual father, and also for fraternal gatherings which, if they promote a common seeking of God’s will, bring spiritual joy, encouragement, and apostolic fruitfulness to all.

6. It should not be forgotten that the process of formation, a progressive and never completed work, is to take the form of an organic development in the various stages of formation, such that the spiritual life is never split off from the affective, intellectual, or apostolic life. Let us rather be directed by that discerning charity which St. Ignatius teaches us and seek to be able to recognize and choose the will of God in every situation.

7. Following the pedagogy of the Exercises, spiritual formation should fashion men who have true freedom and maturity of spirit, who feel themselves to be freer, the closer they are dedicated through obedience to the will of God. This divine will is concretely revealed to us especially by the inner promptings of grace and the direction of superiors, as well as by the example of our brothers, by the demands of our apostolic work, of common life, and of our rules, and by the contingencies of our own life and the spiritual needs of our time.

This objective is unattainable apart from the constant cultivation of a spirit of initiative and responsibility within obedience, and of self-denial in working together at a common task. This, as St. Ignatius rightly perceived, can be obtained only through experience, which makes it necessary during the time of formation to provide opportunity for all to advance in freedom and maturity.

8. Since St. Ignatius so strongly recommends to us a right intention, Jesuits do well to cultivate sincerity, which is not genuine unless it be combined with loyalty to those norms given us by the Church and the Society in accordance with the promises we have freely made. Thus all should be convinced that subjective sincerity must find its complement in objective loyalty.

9. Since conditions in the modem world demand firmer foundations for the spiritual life, it is necessary that from the very beginning the scholastics and brothers be educated continually and progressively to a deeper knowledge of the mystery of Christ based on Holy Scripture and the liturgy, as well as on the Society’s traditional devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and on the teaching concerning the Church and other theological themes, always with the same purpose in view, that faith, hope, and love be together nourished and strengthened.

In mission lands it will help to enlist their rich heritage of sound morality and ascetical and mystical aspiration for the spiritual formation of Jesuits.

10. Human virtues are to be held in high esteem because they make the apostolate more fruitful and religious life happier; among these virtues are “goodness of heart, sincerity, strength of mind and constancy, diligent care for justice, politeness, and other virtues which the Apostle Paul commends.”

11. As other general congregations have already declared, special care must be paid to the selection of superiors and those who serve as fathers and masters of the spiritual life, so that the most capable men may be chosen for these offices which are more important than any other whatsoever. It is vitally important to be sure that, over and above knowledge and virtue, they are especially endowed with those human and spiritual gifts whereby they can inspire communities, foster fraternal cooperation, and help all towards greater spiritual maturity in discerning God’s ways. What must be looked for, therefore, is openness of spirit, ease in dialogue, and abundant talent in these men whose essential task is to stimulate and attract their brethren by means of new things and old

12. For any spiritual pedagogy to be fruitful it has to be adapted to those for whom it is meant to be used. Hence it will be up to the superiors and those groups in provinces and regions which care for the formation of Jesuits to seek, under Father General’s direction, those means which are better accommodated to different situations. Throughout the indications set forth in the following chapters, this continued quest for adaptation is always presupposed.

II. The Novitiate

The content of this chapter pertains alike to the scholastics’ and the brothers’ novitiate. It will only be necessary to introduce such differences of method as are required by the different modes of one and the same service to which all are called. Whether the scholastics and brothers have the same master or different ones, care must be had to obtain a common formation.

This initial stage of formation is defined by its twofold purpose: it is a time at once of probation and of formation, during which the grace of vocation should be cultivated and during which it should already manifest its fruitfulness.

13. To this end, sufficient human maturity is a requirement for candidates. Experience has shown, however, that in our own time affective maturity has become more difficult for adolescents. Deficiencies in this regard are difficult to detect, especially in candidates who in other respects are mature and intellectually gifted. According to circumstances, opportune provision must be made for this serious difficulty:

—by instituting a more searching examination of candidates, adapting the instructions given by St. Ignatius to our own times and having recourse when necessary to the recommendations of men skilled in psychology. The secrecy of consultation, the candidate’s freedom, and the norms established by the Church are, however, to be strictly safeguarded;

—by postponing, when it seems advisable, the time of admission. In such cases the applicants can be recommended to certain selected fathers who will help them towards obtaining maturity in their vocation while they prepare for entrance into the novitiate by means of studies and apostolic experiments.

14. A vocation is then to be tested by various experiments which, in St. Ignatius’ view, constitute the specific characteristic of the Society’s novitiate. To achieve their purpose, however, these must place the novices in those circumstances wherein they can give evidence of “what they really are” and show how they have made their own the spiritual attitudes proper to our vocation. New experiments, therefore, which fulfill this purpose today, ought to be prudently and boldly pursued.

15. The primacy in the novices’ formation should be given to the Spiritual Exercises, since of all the experiments they are the chief and fundamental one. Let them, therefore, be well prepared for, made at the most advantageous time, and presented in all their force and spiritual vigor. For it is by means of them that the novices are introduced into the heart, as it were, of their vocation, so perceiving its distinctive grace that they are able to bear witness to it.

16. Education towards familiarity with God in prayer should be carried out in the apostolic atmosphere of the Exercises. The daily exercises of piety should tend to arouse personal love for Christ and teach the seeking of familiar communion with God in all things. Care should also be taken that the novices clearly understand how the different means presented in the Constitutions themselves (examinations of conscience, prayer, meditation, reading…) serve to complement one another. These modes of prayer ought to be nourished by assiduous reading of Sacred Scripture and participation in the sacred liturgy. The novices will thus be introduced more deeply into the common prayer of the People of God and each one’s sacramental life will be more abundantly fruitful. Primacy in this sacramental life belongs to the Eucharist, which from the start should be made our life’s vital center. The sacrament of penance, moreover, should be cultivated in such a way that it retains its theological and ecclesial value and exerts its full effect on spiritual progress in the way of the Lord.

17. This familiarity with God depends on self-denial, a spirit of recollection, and peace of mind. In these times it not infrequently happens that conditions of life are such as to engender, even unconsciously, a certain disquiet or anxiety of mind which makes a life of prayer more difficult despite good will. All therefore need to understand how, in addition to a living faith, emotional balance, humble acceptance of oneself, trust in others, and freedom of mind constitute for each one virtually fundamental conditions for the enjoyment of true and familiar converse with God.

18. The practice of community life should both develop the brotherhood of our members and benefit the affective maturity of the novices. This supposes that the novitiate community is already a brotherhood in the Spirit, which imparts to true friendship that perfection of charity to which the vow of chastity is itself ordered. The more fraternal is community life, the more will the novices grasp its meaning and its demands and feel themselves to be a part of the whole Society.

In the same spirit a suitable sharing of life and work should be fostered between the scholastic and coadjutor novices, whereby they can be familiarly known and helped in esteeming and realizing their own vocation. In external matters such as food, clothing, and lodging, there should be complete equality.

19. Education towards a discerning charity by means of spiritual direction and obedience supposes that complete trust and freedom prevail between Father Master and the novices. A further necessity is that the novitiate’s way of life be not so rigidly determined that the novices, lacking in all initiative, can hardly ever practice spiritual discernment, or even obedience itself, except in the form of a passive and impersonal submission.

20. Formation in self-denial will be more authentic the more closely the novices follow in the footsteps of Christ who took the form of a servant. Self-denial will be exercised primarily, humbly and simply, in the everyday demands of our vocation. Particular mortifications should, however, be undertaken, under the guidance of obedience, as indicated by the individual’s requirements, the Church’s call, and the world’s needs. Let the novices learn, in theory and by practice, so to shape their life by austerity and sobriety that, being “really and spiritually poor,” they may be that sign “highly esteemed today” which the Church desires.

21. During the time of novitiate, the doctrinal elements referred to in No. 9 comprise both a deeper initiation into the mystery of Christ and a fuller knowledge of the sources of the Society’s spiritual doctrine and manner of life, chiefly to be drawn from the Society’s history and the examples of its saints. Faults and deficiencies should not, however, be systematically overlooked, in order that the novices may be more ready to follow in the footsteps of our better members and more aware of their responsibility to the Society.

Instruction should be given from the outset to the scholastic novices concerning the priestly character of their vocation, and to the novice brothers concerning the religious and apostolic character of their vocation and the meaning and value of work in accordance with the decree on the brothers.

22. Although entrance into the novitiate should entail a real separation from the life previously led in the world, superiors should nevertheless provide that the novices, while consistently maintaining a spirit of recollection, should have sufficient social contact with their contemporaries (both within and outside the Society). Likewise the necessary separation from parents and friends should take place in such a way that genuine progress in affective balance and supernatural love is not impeded.

For this purpose the novitiate should, as far as possible, be located in a place where the novices’ probation can be conducted according to the manner of life proper to the Society.

23. Since spiritual progress requires living conditions which stimulate rather than crush human virtues, care must be taken to prevent the novitiate’s being so remote from reality that novices’ difficulties are there overlooked rather than solved. The more the novices are stimulated to assume responsibilities with prudent and discerning charity, the more successfully will they acquire spiritual maturity and the more freely will they adhere to their vocation.

24. Since human development does not proceed at the same pace in everyone, if, when the time of noviceship is ended, some of the novices, well endowed with the qualities requisite for this vocation, still have not shown sufficient maturity, major superiors should not hesitate to use the faculty given them by our law and postpone the taking of first vows or even extend the noviceship for a time by the introduction of some longer experiment.

25. It will benefit the spiritual, intellectual, and affective formation of the novices if they are associated with some other selected men besides Father Master who at certain times can assist him in his work, in order to provide the novices with a richer and fuller image of the Ignatian vocation.

26. The master of novices is to be assisted in acquiring ever better knowledge of the mentality of the candidates, so that he can adapt to it his spiritual pedagogy and the structural features of the novitiate. It is especially the provincial’s role to help him in this task, providing him with the collaboration of experts and fostering meetings between masters of novices and those who, within or outside the Society, are devoted to the formation of youth.

III. The Brothers’ Spiritual Formation after the Novitiate

27. After the completion of the noviceship, the brothers’ formation should be continued until tertianship, both in the juniorate and afterwards with various experiments and assignments. Thus the technical, cultural, and doctrinal formation which renders them more apt for the service of God will be closely conjoined with spiritual development.

28. Where it has not been done already there should be instituted during the time of juniorate a complete and well-adapted course in theology as a principal discipline. There should also be among the other disciplines suitable instruction concerning “ways and habits of thought and opinion in contemporary social life.”

29. After the juniorate the brothers should be sent to those houses where their progressive spiritual training can be provided for more easily. The superior of the house should have the greatest care for their formation and should provide them with appropriate means for developing their personal spiritual life at the same time that he entrusts them with increasing responsibility. He should especially urge their active and conscious participation in liturgical celebrations, particularly of the Eucharist.

They should have a qualified spiritual father who is seriously devoted to their care. Under his direction they should receive spiritual instruction by way of rather frequent conversations and private reading.

30. A short course or program on spiritual and doctrinal formation should be set up each year especially for those brothers who have not yet completed tertianship. On such occasions, following a closely integrated program, lectures are to be offered on Sacred Scripture, liturgy, theology, or social doctrine.

IV. The Scholastics’ Spiritual Formation after the Novitiate

31. The vocation tested and strengthened during the novitiate should continue its growth throughout the whole time of formation. Accordingly it is necessary for there to be an appropriate transition and continuity between the noviceship and subsequent formation, and between various stages of the latter. Intellectual formation and the genuine integration of human values can assume full meaning and importance only if they are accompanied by deeper knowledge and love of Christ, so as to bring about a unification of the whole personality.

32. All ought therefore to read carefully what is said of formation in general in the decree on the training of scholastics especially in studies (Chapter I) and strive to put it faithfully into effect. Moreover, the scholastics should persuade themselves that the best way to union with God and the proper preparation for the priesthood are to be found in seriously striving to live the spirit of our vocation.

33. Wise and competent spiritual fathers are to be chosen, who can offer fraternal help to the scholastics during their time of study to achieve a true discernment of spirits.

All the fathers who reside in houses of formation should also feel that each in proportion to his office shares in the task of providing for the scholastics’ spiritual growth and their apostolic preparation. Indeed, everyone in the province should be ready to offer generous help to the formation of our men.

It is further to be hoped that in particular regions meetings will be held, either independently or in collaboration with groups concerned with intellectual and pastoral formation, to develop an organized survey of spiritual training for the whole program of formation.

34. Throughout all of their formation the scholastics should keep in view the priestly character of our vocation, with the result that study, prayer, and all other activities may be imbued with a desire of serving God and the Church with priestly love for men. Especially before they come to theology, they should be provided with opportunity to secure a deeper understanding of their priestly calling.

35. A life of prayer should be cultivated which is suitable for a time of study. Each one should therefore earnestly seek, with the spiritual father’s help, a way of prayer which has vitality for him. To this end they should carefully search out among the different ways of prayer proposed by the Exercises, namely, meditation, contemplation, lectio divina, liturgical and vocal prayer, those which best lead them to God. This personal effort, pursued with constancy, will be a great help to the scholastics in acquiring familiarity with God.

The annual Spiritual Exercises are to be regarded as the spirit which animates our formation and brings us to fuller awareness of our vocation. The scholastics should learn to apply the rules and principles of the Exercises to those difficulties which are likely to arise during the time of studies. The scholastics should be permitted on occasion during their formation to make the Spiritual Exercises alone under the direction of an experienced spiritual father so as to have freer and more fruitful communion with God and respond with fuller and more ready availability to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

36. The scholastics should recall that the virtues required by intellectual labor, such as attention, humility, readiness to serve, constancy, patience and tolerance of adversity, and love of truth, open up to them a most fitting way of finding God in studies.

It should also be kept in mind that the time of studies, undertaken according to the spirit of our vocation, provides valuable opportunities for obedience joined to personal initiative, for affective maturity and charity, and for a life that is poor and devoted to labor. The life of a scholastic should, therefore, be so arranged that occasions are not lacking for the truly responsible exercise of these virtues, so that Jesuits may personally experience the meaning of the evangelical counsels.

37. At the same time that the scholastics, impelled by an apostolic spirit, seek to know the world with its aspirations and values, which today are so often alien to faith, let them earnestly nourish their own faith and each day shape their intellect more to the mystery of Christ, lest otherwise there should gradually develop a most serious divorce of human wisdom from faith. “Above all, let Sacred Scripture be daily in their hands, so that from reading and meditating the divine Scriptures they may learn ‘the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ’ (Phil. 3:8).”

38. Finally, scholastics, who are greatly affected by the aspirations and movements of our time, must respond to them as spiritual men, with humble loyalty to the Society. Thus by their vigor and alertness they will make a much desired contribution to the Society’s renewal and adaptation.

39. During the time of teaching or experiments, treated in the decree on the training of scholastics especially in studies (No. 30), care is to be taken that the scholastics’ spiritual life not only does not thereby suffer damage, but on the contrary that it derive therefrom a proper growth. For inasmuch as such experiments represent at once testing and formation, their particular circumstances should contribute to that full apostolic and religious maturity to which the entire education of Jesuits is directed.

40. The scholastics should therefore be seriously concerned to seek their own spiritual growth and to adapt it more closely to the particular conditions of an apostolic life. If in the process they experience greater difficulties in prayer and work, let them learn to overcome these with magnanimity and patience in the Lord.

41. Superiors should take care that only those apostolic works are entrusted to the scholastics which are consistent with their spiritual progress. Let them provide the spiritual help which such a time most requires. Thus superiors should see to it that the scholastics are accepted in a brotherly spirit into the community of members already formed, and that they are assisted by some suitable spiritual father so that these experiments strengthen them in their vocation.

Scholastics are not, however, to be sent to such experiments before they have acquired the doctrinal formation which will enable them to fulfill them profitably. Special care should be taken of those destined for secular studies that they may secure a doctrinal formation adapted to their particular studies and requirements.

V. Tertianship

Since the General Congregation has already promulgated a decree on tertianship, urging instructors to undertake experiments with a view to rendering it more profitable, only its place and importance in the organic process of the fathers’ and brothers’ formation are treated here.

42. Tertianship aims at perfecting the formation of the affections and testing whether the tertian, imbued with the Society’s spirit, shows promise of continuing to make progress himself and of helping others in the Lord.

43. The expression school of affection characterizes that institution in which members of the Society are so “filled with love of the true doctrine of Christ” that they “progress in the Spirit and seriously follow Christ our Lord” and “love and ardently desire to put on the Lord’s own clothing and insignia for his love and reverence.” This schooling consists in concrete and personal contact with the things of the Society, consisting on the one hand in a vital confrontation with the Institute both in documents and in religious and community life itself, and on the other hand in actively participating in various experiments, first in the Spiritual Exercises, so as to develop a deeper practice of prayer (and in it “to seek God and direct all their affection towards the Creator”), and then in other experiments, which in the case of the priests should be of a pastoral nature, so that they may be practiced in the discernment of spirits while working in the varied circumstances of the world.

44. To bring this about it will help most if the tertians have an instructor who is in the first place a genuine spiritual teacher and who will examine the experiences undergone in the course of formation and help each one by means of the rules of the discernment of spirits to find his own way to greater progress.

45. The greatest benefit is rightly expected from this final probation, namely, for each one to bring to completion the desired synthesis of spiritual, apostolic, and intellectual formation which makes for the fuller integration in the Lord of the whole personality, in keeping with the Society’s objective as St. Ignatius described it: “that, since they themselves have made progress, they may better help others to make spiritual progress to the glory of God and of our Lord.”

VI. Continuing Formation

46. Closely following the Church, which, in liturgical renewal, biblical and theological reflection, and attention to the changing conditions of the times, is led by the Holy Spirit to complement the wisdom of antiquity by means of new developments, all, even those who have already completed their formation, should strive constantly to draw from these sources renewal for their own spiritual lives. Their apostolic activity will thus be enabled to answer more effectively the needs of the Church and of men.

47. The means commended by our Institute are therefore to be carefully preserved (the annual Exercises, recollections, etc.). Prudently adapted to the requirements of age or spiritual condition, these means are purged of all taint of formalism and exert their proper effect. Those new means should also be adopted (special courses, meetings, etc.) which commonly serve to promote renewal in the contemporary Church. It will be up to superiors to provide opportunities for these, especially for those men who are usually kept from them by duties and occupations.

48. It is likewise desirable that for the Society as a whole as well as for its particular regions, the tools necessary for spiritual formation may be made available also in vernacular languages, as, for example, St. Ignatius’ works and the texts of our spiritual tradition, theological writings of outstanding worth, news about enterprises undertaken in other regions, etc. Thus will the whole Society be enabled to accomplish in common the study and discernment of the will of God, which is the principle and goal of all spiritual growth, so that all “may learn to live in close and familiar fellowship with the Father through his Son Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit.”

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 8, “The Spiritual Formation of Jesuits,” pg. 69–80 [75–140].

Academic formation of young Jesuits proved a popular topic in advance of the 31st General Congregation, as historian John Padberg notes that some 600 postulta (or petitions) were received from across the Society of Jesus (see Jesuit Life & Mission Today (2009), pg. 19–20). The delegates responded with the following decree, which begins with the statement that “the training of scholastics should be apostolic in its orientation.” Critical to the apostolic quality is the scholastics’ acquisition of a “breadth and excellence in learning which are required for our vocation to achieve its end.” The decree also recommends a revision of “the entire Ratio studiorum” and that scholastics have a “sufficient” knowledge of Latin and have “suitable opportunities” to access audio-visual media. The decree outlines the requirements in the study of philosophy and theology and offers examples of “special studies” for a Jesuit’s specialized work.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

I. Training in General

1. The training of the scholastics should be apostolic in its orientation; namely, that Jesuits may be able “with the help of God to benefit both their own souls and those of their neighbor.” Therefore, the scholastics, called by Christ our Lord to serve the universal Church as future priests, should prepare themselves, with the help of divine grace, “for the defense and propagation of the faith and the growth of souls in Christian life and doctrine.” The result should be that, living in close familiarity with God, through a profound understanding of the faith and a vital knowledge of men, they will become true ministers of Christ, who make the presence of God felt in the modern world.

2. There should be an organic unity in the whole training of the scholastics. Thus, beginning with the novitiate and throughout the entire course of studies there should be a close integration of spiritual formation, the work of study, and apostolic activity. All who have charge of the training of Jesuits, either in government or in teaching, should diligently and harmoniously work together for this integration.

3. The scholastics should base their lives on the principles of the spirituality of the Society, as explained in the decrees on the spiritual life. They should strive for the fullness of Christian life in charity. They should practice a true self-denial, especially in faithful application to study, should come to an intimate knowledge and a generous observance of the Constitutions, and should continuously foster, in intimate prayer and the mysteries of the sacred liturgy, a personal union with Christ their Lord, who calls them to share in his priesthood.

4. In the whole course of training, apostolic experiments of a suitable nature should be undertaken. These experiments should be carefully directed by experts, who are themselves so filled with the priestly and pastoral spirit that the training, both spiritual and intellectual, will be filled with that same spirit. An additional help to this end will be frequent meetings with those who are already working in the apostolate.

5. Provision should be made in each stage of the training for personal maturity, especially of the emotions; the advice of trained psychologists should be used when it is necessary. In this way, the balanced development of the spiritual, intellectual and affective life will be secured, and the true maturity of the whole person will be achieved.

6. The scholastics, in their whole course of studies, should try to develop a sense of genuine and sober responsibility, rejecting every form of immaturity which would make them unable to face the difficulties of life. Therefore, frequent occasions should be given them for exercising responsibility, in leading the spiritual and intellectual life more actively and spontaneously, in doing some work in the house, and in vigorously carrying on various apostolic experiments as well.

7. Great care should be taken that each scholastic be directed according to his own gifts, both natural and supernatural. At the same time a sense of solidarity and collaboration should be fostered in the whole period of training, so that every trace of that egoism which is rightly criticized may be removed from our training.

8. The discipline of common life is to be embraced from the inner law of love, as a necessary element in our training; namely, to follow the divine will faithfully in daily life, to promote solid personal maturity, to practice the duties of charity toward fellow religious. Let the practice of this discipline be such that the scholastics, following Christ their Lord and Master in humble reverence and obedience, may enjoy the true freedom of the children of God in the Holy Spirit.

9. Care is to be taken that the number of scholastics in the houses of formation be not too large, so that mutual relations can be spiritual and fraternal, the discipline may be that of a family, and the government truly paternal.

10. True dialogue should exist between superiors, professors, and scholastics. It should be possible for all to express opinions and make suggestions with openness and candor. Thus in the final decision, which belongs to the superior, there will be closer consensus and obedience, and a filial spirit and fraternal communion of mind will grow continuously within the community.

11. The scholastics should have suitable contacts with outside university groups, with clerics and religious, and also with laymen both of their own and of other nations. This, of course, should be arranged with prudence. In this way, ridding themselves of nationalism and every other form of particularism, they will acquire the universality of mind and openness toward different forms of culture and diverse civilizations and mentalities which our apostolic vocation demands.

12. The entire training of the scholastics should be inspired by the spirit of the Second Vatican Council as manifested in its constitutions and decrees, namely in the constitutions on the Church and the Sacred Liturgy and in the decrees on priestly formation, on the appropriate renewal of the religious life and on ecumenism.

II. On Studies

13. The purpose of studies in the Society is apostolic, as is the purpose of the entire training. Through their studies the scholastics should acquire that breadth and excellence in learning which are required for our vocation to achieve its end.

14. The education given through our studies is both general and special: the general education which is necessary for all priests in the Society; the special education which is daily more necessary for the various tasks for which Jesuits are to be prepared. Their general education should give to the minds of the scholastics that Christian vision which will illuminate the entire field of future special study and work, and also bring light to others with whom they work.

15. To insure that the intellectual formation of Jesuits is ordered to meet the needs of the times, the entire Ratio studiorum shall be revised. Considering the great diversity of regions and circumstances, this Ratio shall determine only general norms. It should have due regard both for the laws of the Church (those now in force as well as those to be passed by the Council or after the Council) and for the laws passed by the present General Congregation. The new Ratio studiorum can depart from the decrees of preceding general congregations as this is opportune, until the next general congregation makes a final decision. In the meantime, some definite experiments, with the approval of Father General, can be carried on; the results of these experiments are to be accurately reported to the commission on the Ratio studiorum.

16. In the different regions, it will be the task of the (group of) provincials to have a special Ordo Studiorum drawn up, which will adapt and fill out the general norms, considering the special circumstances of each region. These special Ordinations, which must be approved by Father General, are to be regularly revised, so that the training of Jesuits may always correspond to the apostolic needs of each region.

A. The General Curriculum of Studies

17. Before they begin philosophy and theology, the scholastics should have completed that training in letters and sciences which in each nation is required before specialization is begun. Their knowledge of Latin should be sufficient for them to understand and use with ease the sources of the sacred sciences and the documents of the Church. This training in letters and sciences, if it has not been completed before entrance into the Society, shall be completed in the novitiate; and, if necessary, in the juniorate.

18. In those provinces in which, according to their special Ordinations, higher studies are pursued in the juniorate, they should be capable of developing in the juniors a well-balanced religious and human maturity, and they should give them as well a vital knowledge of man and of the modern world. This humanistic training is to be achieved by the study of ancient and modern literature, and also of history and the sciences. Furthermore, the juniors should endeavor early to develop their aesthetic sense. It is urgently desired that the scholastics early in their studies learn one or more modern languages in addition to their own. Finally, in the entire course of studies, but especially in the juniorate, the scholastics should practice those means of expression which are suited to the people of our age. Skilled in the arts of writing and speaking, they can become better preachers of the Gospel of Christ.

19. Since in modern civilization, the audio-visual media are most effective in moving the souls of every class of people, the scholastics shall have suitable opportunities for access to them, and also of learning how they can be used successfully in the apostolate.

20. In the novitiate or the juniorate or at least in the beginning of the course of philosophy, the scholastics shall receive an appropriate introduction to the mystery of Christ and the history of salvation; this should give them a vision of the meaning, order, and apostolic purpose of all their studies; it should likewise help to ground their own religious life in faith, and strengthen them in their vocation. The methodical reading of Holy Scripture shall be begun with a gradual initiation in the novitiate. Likewise, throughout the whole course of training they shall learn to take an active part in the liturgy, and come to understand it more deeply.

21. The courses in philosophy and theology shall be so fitted to each other, and the disciplines shall be so arranged, that all of them harmoniously work together to attain the apostolic end of our studies. This end will not be obtained in the Society unless apostolic men trained as well as possible in these studies are prepared. Therefore, as a general rule, our scholastics should work for those academic degrees in philosophy and especially in theology, which can be obtained in our course of studies and help towards our apostolic purpose.

22. All scholastics shall study philosophy for at least two years. The introduction to the mystery of Christ is to be their guiding light; the patrimony of a perennially valid philosophy is to be the foundation of their thinking. Thus they can be brought to a personal and truly philosophical reflection on human existence, and especially on Christian existence. This reflection should take account of the progress of both philosophy and science, and try to respond to the vital problems of contemporary men, especially of those who have a greater influence in the territory. Through this reflection they should gain an insight into the whole of reality according to its metaphysical structure; it should lead to a knowledge of God, and in this way prepare the way for theology.

23. The instruction in theology for all scholastics shall be given for four years. This instruction shall be pastoral, in the sense that by an accurate study of the sources and by an investigation of the meaning of the faith, the scholastics shall so deeply penetrate the richness of divine revelation, that the word of God will nourish their own personal spiritual life and will be able to be effectively communicated in the priestly ministry to the people of their own time. They shall seriously study Sacred Scripture, so that it will be the very soul of all the other disciplines, by means of accurate exegesis and a suitable doctrinal synthesis. To reach this deeper understanding of the faith, so necessary for our times, they shall reverently, without preconceived opinions, study the relation of the mysteries among themselves as well as their relation to the urgent philosophical questions of their time. In all this they shall loyally follow in the footsteps of the Fathers both of the East and of the West and of the great Doctors of the Church.

24. Separate classes for long and short course are not required in theology. Nonetheless, individual care should be given to the scholastics so that they will be better trained according to their individual aptitudes and their special future assignments.

25. The programs of the entire philosophical and theological curriculum shall be revised, so that disciplines can be taken in their entirety, the matter be distributed more systematically, unnecessary repetitions can be avoided, obsolete questions can be omitted, and those which have an influence at the present time can be treated more profoundly. New disciplines should not be lightly introduced, but rather new questions should be taken up in the appropriate places in already existing disciplines. For the social formation of the scholastics, in addition to special courses, care is to be taken that in other philosophical and theological disciplines their social aspect and dimension be developed more fully.

26. The methods of teaching shall be revised. The hours of class shall be reduced when circumstances require it; correspondingly, the active participation of the scholastics shall be increased, and encouragement shall be given to their mutual cooperation, under the personal direction of the professors, in seminars, written papers, private study, and small groups.

27. It is also desirable that each scholastic, under the direction of the prefect of studies, find some field of specialization according to his individual talent; he should work on this in the time left over from the ordinary studies; he should foster a personal interest in studies, and prepare himself remotely for his own future apostolate in the modern world.

28. Examinations should be genuine tests. According to the norms to be determined in the Ratio studiorum, they can be both oral and written; but in a principal discipline they may not be merely written. The examiners shall make a personal and free judgment; it is permissible for them to consult together after the examination. Examinations can be repeated once; but those who do not pass the second examination in a principal discipline lose the right both to a licentiate and to the profession in the Society.

29. The matter for the examen ad gradum is the whole of theology. Philosophical questions are to be included insofar as they are related to theological ones. The examination will last one hour and a half, and the candidate shall be examined by each examiner for about twenty minutes. This examination also can be repeated once. It is permissible, however, for the examiners to consult together; they can make their judgment also from knowledge they have outside the examination and can take account of the grades given through the entire course; therefore these grades should be available to the examiners.

30. Regency can be made after philosophy, or, where it seems better, deferred until after theology, or omitted, or joined with special studies. But when it is omitted, care should be taken to secure the purpose of the regency by various apostolic works. These works should be set up during the entire period of training (see No. 4), especially during the annual vacation, arranged with prudence, without harm to studies, and under the direction of a man of experience.

31. Ordination to the priesthood, especially when regency does not take place before theology, can suitably be deferred, according to the special norms to be approved by Father General for the needs of a particular region.

32. In the houses of study there should not be too many scholastics for the reasons given in No. 9. But since a sufficient number of professors, a good library and other scholarly helps are necessary for intellectual training, schools and faculties should not be multiplied; but, where this can be conveniently done, let there be several religious communities, the scholastic members of which attend the same school or faculty. Indeed, let there be concern, as far as it is possible, that our houses of study be built near university centers, so that the scholastics can also have the advantage of other professors and libraries; care should be taken, however, that their training, far from being injured thereby, become better.

B. Special Studies

33. Since it is daily more necessary that not only those who are destined to teach, but also those who exercise other ministries of the Society, have special preparation, the provincials should provide for the training of an ample number of competent men for the various tasks, keeping in mind both the needs of the apostolate and the talents and preference of the scholastics.

34. Those who are to have special studies should be chosen carefully and in good time; they should be directed by a special prefect of studies even during the period in which they are still following the general curriculum; they should devote themselves to their specialization generously and exclusively, and continue in it so that, as far as possible, they become outstanding.

35. Likewise, those who are destined for administrative functions in large houses, especially in houses of study, should have some advance preparation. This may include special studies, and, in any case, it presupposes the natural and supernatural gifts required for such offices. This is especially true for treasurers of large houses or provinces.

36. Special care should be given to the preparation of spiritual fathers of Jesuits and of externs. This can be done in special courses in Rome or elsewhere, or privately, under the direction of a trained, experienced man, or with some other suitable preparation, according to decree 40 of the 30th General Congregation. This is especially true of those destined to be masters of novices and instructors of tertians.

37. Those who are to teach the sacred sciences in major seminaries and especially in Jesuit faculties, should take special studies either in the international institutes in Rome or in other universities, as the provincial, with the advice of experts, shall think best. They are to obtain the appropriate academic degrees, especially ecclesiastical ones, and to be well prepared for teaching.

38. Scientific and technical advancement is a major factor in our times. The positive sciences exert an ever increasing influence on the mentality of men and on the very structure of our daily lives. Hence those who are destined for scientific research and for teaching the secular sciences should have special training to fit them for the scientific apostolate which is so very important. In fact, the Society should have men with doctoral degrees who become truly eminent in these fields.

39. Men skilled in pastoral work should also be trained with special studies. This will enable them to promote the proper arrangement of our ministries and their adaptation to modern times and special circumstances.

40. Those who are destined for other regions, in addition to the general preparation, should, where it is necessary, have a specialization before they go to that region, with a view to the circumstances of that region.

C. Doctrine and Teaching

41. The purpose of our studies is to train Jesuits to proclaim and transmit the truth revealed in Christ and entrusted to the Church. Our teaching therefore should faithfully adhere to what “was once given to the holy men of the faith,” and should be such that, accommodating itself to changing ways of speaking and thinking, and adapting itself to the diverse cultures of the whole world, it can continually revivify that faith in the hearts of men.

42. Let Jesuits put their trust in the strength of the divine truth, and in that inner unction of the Holy Spirit which leads the Church of Christ to all truth. Therefore let them join to their studies a close familiarity with God, and in this secure way they will be safe from timidity as well as from thoughtless innovation. Let them in all matters see that their knowledge is well-grounded, according to the norms which the Holy See has given us.

43. Professors should bear in mind that they do not teach in their own name, but that their mission is in the Church and from the Church, and that they are joined in charity in the Society of Jesus. Hence they should let themselves be guided by the mind and will of the Church, show proper respect for the teaching authority of the Church, and have regard for the building up of the faith in their students and in all the faithful. At the same time they should keep in mind those who are separated from us.

44. Let both professors and scholastics faithfully adhere to and diligently study the word of God in Scripture and Tradition. Let them also have high regard for the holy Fathers and other Doctors, and for those authors of the Society who are highly regarded in the Church. Let them follow principally the mind and principles of St. Thomas; his works should be well known to them.

45. Professors should clearly distinguish between matters of faith to be held by all and teachings approved by the consent of theologians. Probable, new, and merely personal explanations are to be proposed modestly.

46. For more secure and profitable progress in doctrine, it will be very helpful if the professors freely and sincerely communicate to their colleagues their new ideas, even before they are published. Thus, if necessary, they can be corrected, and can perhaps also be of benefit to others.

47. The scholastics during their course of studies should learn, under the direction of their teachers, to read critically and use prudently the works even of non-Catholics, especially of those who have great influence on the modern mind. Thus they should learn how to retain what is good, and correct what is unacceptable.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 9, “The Training of Scholastics Especially in Studies,” pg. 81–89 [141–187].

The delegates at the 31st General Congregation reflected on tertianship (or the third probation), not with a desire to eliminate the process but rather to renew and adapt it within the context of the Second Vatican Council. Tertianship is essentially a year of probation, when a Jesuit examines his vocation before taking final vows. In the following decree, the delegates encourage “new experiments” with the structure of the tertianship process. The decree gives leeway to provincials and instructors to “try new and suitable experiments” to achieve the long-sought desires with tertianship. For more on tertianship and the context of 31st General Congregation, see “The Origins of the Jesuit Tertianship: Meaning, Interpretation, Development,” by Antony Rehuan in Woodstock Letters 94.4 (1965): 407–426.

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1. The 31st General Congregation, having a high regard for the institution of the third probation, which is defined by our holy Father St. Ignatius in the Constitutions and praised in apostolic letters and the documents of the Society, and yet at the same time aware of the difficulties which beset the third probation, seeks its adaptation and renewal. This renewal, which should help to achieve more efficaciously the purposes intended by the founder himself, should be carried out according to the norms of the Second Vatican Council, the principles of the religious life, and the apostolic goal of the Society, which are proposed in other documents of this Congregation.

2. This renewal will be especially brought about by the particular care taken to acquire an interior knowledge and personal experience of the spirit of the Spiritual Exercises and the Constitutions, and to put this spirit into one’s own prayer and apostolic action.

3. But since many modern difficulties concern the concrete ways in which the practice of this institution of the third probation is carried out, the Congregation, considering the different circumstances in different countries, concludes that for the present new experiments are to be attempted with regard to the structure of the third probation before anything is definitively decided for the whole Society.

4. Therefore, in the different regions it shall be the duty of the provincials and instructors to try new methods and suitable experiments, with the approbation of Father General, so that the purposes set down in the Constitutions and in the Bull Ascendente Domino may be achieved again in our time. It is understood, moreover, that these purposes are to be renewed and adapted, in the light of the principles enunciated by this Congregation, to the circumstances of different regions.

5. These experiments should be carried on for three years, or longer if Father General sees fit. When this period is finished, there shall be a meeting, which will be able to judge about the results of these experiments and shall be a help to Father General in writing a new Instruction and in revising the rules of the instructor.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 10, “Tertianship,” pg. 89 [188–192].

As part of their review of the formation of Jesuits, the delegates at the 31st General Congregation considered what norms ought to be in place as a member of the Society of Jesus works towards taking his final vows. These norms took shape in the following decree, which revised existing practices.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

The General Congregation, desiring to meet requests of very many postulata that the claim to profession of four vows should be based more on the overall religious and apostolic capability of a man, supposing of course that he has suitable knowledge of theology, lays down by way of experiment the following revision of the norms for profession of four vows:

1. Decree 158 of the Collection of Decrees shall be revised to read: All who are to be advanced to final vows must be outstanding in that following of Christ proposed to us in the gospels since this is the ultimate norm of religious life; such men are those who:

1° regularly and for the most part, in ordinary matters, act according to the demands of virtue that is rooted in love of Christ, and are expected to do the same under more difficult circumstances if they occur;

2° humbly accept corrections concerning faults they have committed in religious life and generously strive to improve;

3° driven on by love, live more and more for Christ and His Body which is the Church, and in the daily practice of virtue bear witness both to their fellow Jesuits and to others of the new life that is had through the redemption of Christ.

2. Decree 160 of the Collection of Decrees shall be revised to read: In order that a man may be admitted to the solemn profession of four vows the following are required:

1° a high level of virtue in conformity with decree 158, one that is positively proved and evident to the extent that it stands out as a good example to others.” A deficiency in this regard cannot be supplied by any other endowments.

2° sound judgment and prudence in action, as well as tested and basic strength of character;

3° a more than ordinary talent for our ministries;

4° a high level of learning in conformity with decree 118 (of which §3 has been abrogated) or other outstanding endowments in conformity with Nos. 3 and 4 below;

5° the priesthood;

6° at least thirty-three years of age;

7° at least ten full years in the Society in addition to the years spent in initial studies of philosophy and theology in the Society;

8° at least three full years, after the completion of the course in theology and in addition to tertianship and to special studies, if any were made, spent in carrying out ministries or offices.

3. Decrees 161 and 162 of the Collection of Decrees and decree 36 of the 28th General Congregation are abrogated, and in their place a new decree is enacted which reads:

§1. Provided always that the requirements contained in No. 2 are kept, those men can be admitted to the solemn profession of four vows without an examination ad gradum who have a doctorate or licentiate or some other equivalent degree in the sacred sciences, or who have engaged in these sciences with success either in teaching or writing.

§2. In each individual case it is necessary that the provincial and his consultors have proof of the candidate’s high level of learning.

4. Decree 163 of the Collection of Decrees shall be revised to read:

§1. Provided always that the requirements contained above in No. 2 are kept, those men can be admitted to solemn profession without an examination ad gradum who show outstanding apostolic or ministerial capability. Such are:

1° those who have shown noteworthy talent in governing or preaching or writing;

2° men who are proficient in literature or the sciences and who have received higher academic degrees or who have taught successfully at an advanced level;

3° those who have filled any post or ministry proper to the Society in an outstanding way that has won general acclaim.

§2. In each individual case it is necessary that the provincial and his consultors have proof of the outstanding apostolic and ministerial capability of the candidate, in addition to his adequate theological learning.

5. A new decree is enacted which reads: Provincials and their consultors, when they are treating of those to be advanced to final vows, should inquire whether some spiritual coadjutors or approved scholastics deserve to be proposed to the General for the grade of the professed in conformity with Nn. 3 and 4 above. If any such are discovered, evidence of the sort specified in §2 of these decrees should be gathered, as well as all other personnel reports, so that they can be sent to the General. This can be done not only once but repeatedly.

6. Decree 165 of the Collection of Decrees shall be revised to read: No men should be admitted to the grade of formed coadjutor, whether spiritual or temporal, unless:

1° they have risen above mediocrity in virtue in conformity with decree 158;

2° they have shown sufficient talent for the works and ministries that are proper to the Society;

3° if they are brothers, they have completed ten years of religious life and thirty-three years of age; if they are approved scholastics, they have completed the time in the Society and are of the age specified in No. 2, 6°, 7° and 8° above.

7. The General Congregation recommends that:

1° the whole process for gathering personnel reports, whether for admission to theology, or for advancement to holy orders, or to final vows, or to an office of government should be thoroughly studied and reviewed;

2° the provincial and his consultors, when they are to pass on someone for advancement to the grade of professed, should have available:

a. a complete transcript of grades received in examinations throughout the course of philosophy as well as theology;

b. full information on other advanced studies, whether made in the Society or outside of it;

c. an accurate report of the ministries and works in which the candidate has engaged, along with judgments on his success, etc.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 11, “Norms for Promotion to Final Vows,” pg. 90–93 [193–200].

The last of five decrees concerning Jesuit formation, the twelfth decree from the 31st General Congregation addressed the practicalities of the ceremonies for a Jesuit’s vows. The delegates, in the following document, leave it to the newly elected superior general to draft “an Ordination for the whole Society” that would allow for “experimentation” at different vow ceremonies.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. The 31st General Congregation entrusts to Father General the task of drafting an Ordination for the whole Society, at least for the purpose of experimentation, concerning:

a. concelebration at the pronouncing of last vows;

b. the use of the vernacular in the pronouncing of first vows;

c. the presence of at least close relatives at the pronouncing of first vows, and similar details.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 12, “The Vow Ceremony,” pg. 93 [201].

The delegates of the 31st General Congregation introduced a series of decrees, historian John Padberg notes, “on the adaptive renovation of religious life in the Society” with the following statement concerning religious life in general (see the congregation’s historical preface in Jesuit Life & Mission Today (2009), pg. 21). The decree uses inspiration from some of the teachings emerging from the Second Vatican Council. It states that the “intimate connection between the religious and apostolic aspects” life within the Society of Jesus “ought to animate our whole way of living, praying, and working. The delegates followed this decree with seven others on Jesuit religious life: on prayer, on devotion to the Sacred Heart, on chastity, on obedience, on poverty, on community life and religious discipline, and on reading at the table.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. The Second Vatican Council profoundly investigated the mystery of the Church in relation to the conditions of our times. In that investigation it cast a special light upon the religious profession of the evangelical counsels both as a means of attaining sanctity by special grace and as a way of fulfilling service to God and man.

2. Inserted by baptism into the Mystical Body of Christ, strengthened by confirmation with the power of the Holy Spirit, and consecrated into a royal priesthood and a holy people, we receive a more special consecration for the divine service in the Society of Jesus by the profession of the evangelical counsels, so that we may be able to bring forth richer fruits from the grace of baptism.

3. Since the goal to which the Society directly tends is “to help our own souls and the souls of our neighbor to attain the ultimate end for which they were created,” it is necessary that our life—of priests as well as scholastics and brothers—be undividedly apostolic and religious. This intimate connection between the religious and apostolic aspects in the Society ought to animate our whole way of living, praying, and working, and impress on it an apostolic character.

4. To attain this end which the Society places before itself and “for the conservation and growth not only of the body . . . but also of the spirit of the Society . . . those means which join the instrument with God and dispose it to be rightly governed by the divine hand are more efficacious than those which dispose it towards men.”

5. For the spiritual life is a participation in the life of the most holy Trinity dwelling within us so that we may be made conformed to the image of the Son of God “so that He may be the firstborn among many brethren,” for the glory of God.

This life involves the whole man and all his activities, by which he as a Christian corresponds to every impulse received from God. It does not consist only in individual acts of devotion, but ought to animate and direct our whole life, individual and community, together with all our relations to other persons and things. It is nourished and fostered by every grace by which God turns to us and communicates Himself to us, especially by His word and the sacraments of Christ.

We for our part respond by the obedience of faith in which we give ourselves freely to God, “offering the full submission of intellect and will to God who reveals,” celebrating as the high point of our life the sacred liturgy of the Lord’s Eucharist, participating in the sacraments of Christ, and offering ourselves through love in all our actions, especially those which are apostolic, and all our hardships and joys.

6. In order to promote the adaptation and renewal of religious life among all Jesuits, the 31st General Congregation has made these decrees in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 13, “Religious Life in General,” pg. 97–98 [202–209].

In the following decree, the delegates of the 31st General Congregation assert “the importance of prayer,” while proposing “specific orientations on the manner and conditions of prayer” for members of the Society of Jesus. The decree closes with a reminder for “every Jesuit that personal daily prayer is an absolute necessity.” To that end, it makes several recommendations, including that each Jesuit conduct an examination of conscience for fifteen minutes twice a day, that the Jesuit communities share “some brief common prayer,” and that every Jesuit makes the Spiritual Exercises each year.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

Introduction

1. The Second Vatican Council, encouraging the work of renewal in the Church, wishes every Christian, and particularly all priests and religious, earnestly to advance in the spirit of prayer and in prayer itself. At the same time, difficulties and doubts, both theoretical and practical, are raised against prayer and these cause no little harm to the Society. Hence the General Congregation considers that it must recall the importance of prayer and propose specific orientations on the manner and conditions of prayer in the Society so that superiors and each individual member may be able to weigh their responsibilities in God’s presence.

2. Our entire spiritual life is in Christ Jesus. We share, of course, the adoptive sonship of God which all the faithful have through faith and baptism, but belong in a special way to God through our consecration as religious in the Society which our founder wished to bear the name of Jesus. We desire to know only Christ Jesus who, sent forth from the Father, consummated the work of saving creation by His life, death, and resurrection. Risen now and exalted by the Father, He draws all things to Himself through the Holy Spirit whom He has sent into the world, so that in Him all may be one as He and the Father are one. Thus, through the grace of our vocation, at once both religious and apostolic, we share in the salvific work of Christ, partaking more fully and intimately of Christ’s own love for the Father and for all men, for He loved us unto the end and gave Himself as a ransom for all. Here, then, is our vocation, to love the Father and His children, to work with Christ in His Church for the life of the world that the Father may receive greater glory, to strive towards our goal in the Spirit—this is the ever flowing font of the joy of our charity and the offering of our strength.

3. The Spiritual Exercises of our father St. Ignatius are both the heritage of our spirituality and the school of our prayer. They indeed open the way through which we may penetrate ever deeper into the mystery of salvation which in turn feeds our lives as apostles in the world. For it is faith, progressively encompassing all reality, that must permeate us as persons if we are to give authentic witness to the living presence of Christ the Lord. The witness is what we seek in mental prayer as we enjoy God’s presence and try, with the aid of His grace, to see all things in the light of Christ. Through mental prayer our individual lives receive clarity and meaning from the history of salvation, are set against the background of God’s speaking to us, and hopefully are enriched with that freedom and spiritual discernment so necessary for the ministry of the Gospel. These reasons apply to all religious involved in the world of today, which far too often ignores its God. For these religious, formal prayer is a precious chance to see the unity of creation and to refer creation to the Father. Our own men, conscious of our special task of challenging atheism, find further apostolic significance in prayer as it fosters in us a sense of the living God and an encouragement of our faith.

4. The Jesuit apostle goes from the Exercises, at once a school of prayer and of the apostolate, a man called by his vocation to be a contemplative in action. For the closer and more firmly we bind ourselves to Christ, denying self-love in our association with His salvific work, the more fully do we adore the Father in spirit and truth and the more effectively do we bring salvation to men. Witnesses to Christ in our apostolate, we see Him praying always to the Father, often alone through the night or in the desert. We, too, must enjoy familiar conversation with Him in continuous and in formal prayer. This very intimacy with Christ forges a union of our life of prayer and our life of apostolic work. Far from living two separate lives, we are strengthened and guided towards action in our prayer while our action in turn urges us to pray. Bringing salvation to men in word and deed through faith, hope, and love, we pray as we work and are invited to formal prayer that we may toil as true servants of God. In this interplay, praise, petition, thanksgiving, self-offering, spiritual joy, and peace join prayer and work to bring a fundamental unity into our lives. Truly this is our characteristic way of prayer, experienced by St. Ignatius through God’s special gift nourished by his own generous abnegation, fiery zeal for souls, and watchful care of his heart and senses. He found God in every thing, every word, and every deed. He relished God’s omnipresence. If the Jesuit apostle is to live this intimate marriage of prayer and action in today’s world, he must return each year to the school of the Exercises, so that, spiritually renewed, he may take up his work again with deeper faith and love.

5. The People of God, in whom Christ shows us the way to the Father, are our people. Hence the prayer of every Christian is rooted in the prayer of the Church and flowers into liturgical action. Thus the celebration of the Eucharist is the center of the life of the apostolic religious community, bringing fraternal union to its perfection and blessing every apostolic endeavor with the waters of holiness.

6. Since it has pleased the Father to speak to men both in His Son, the Word Incarnate, and in many ways in Scripture, the Bible, a treasure bestowed by the Spouse on His Church to nourish and guide all men, is truly the ever-flowing font of prayer and renewal of religious life. In each of us, as the whole tradition of the Church attests, Holy Scripture becomes our saving word only when heard in prayer that leads to the submission of faith. Lectio divina, a practice dating back to the earliest days of religious life in the Church, supposes that the reader surrenders to God who is speaking and granting him a change of heart under the action of the two-edged sword of Scripture continually challenging to conversion. Truly we can expect from prayerful reading of Scripture a renewal of our ministry of the word and of the Spiritual Exercises, both of which derive their vigor from our familiarity with the Gospel. And, since the word of God comes to us in the living tradition of the Church, our scriptural reading can never be improved apart from revived interest in the Fathers and the outstanding spiritual writers, especially those of the Society. Nor can we ever forget that spiritual reading played a key role in the conversion of St. Ignatius. Similarly, our theological studies, which ought to be continued through our entire apostolic life, should be united to prayer to lead us to an ever deeper experience of the Lord.

7. Those means which unite us to God and aid us in helping souls are mentioned in the Constitutions as “integrity and virtue, especially love, purity of intention in serving God, familiarity with God in spiritual exercises of devotion, and sincere zeal for souls for the glory of Him who created and redeemed them.” Hence our father St. Ignatius urges us to advance “in zeal for solid and perfect virtue and spiritual matters,” pointing out how vital it is for each of his men to seek that manner and kind of prayer which will better aid him progressively to find God and to treat intimately with Him. With brotherly union, each Jesuit and his superior must collaborate in this humble and oft-repeated search for the divine will.

Every one of us, therefore, must keep some time sacred in which, leaving all else aside, he strives to find God. Through prayer he must seek to develop his spiritual life. In his dialogue with God he will grow in knowledge of God’s ways with him, of the choices God desires him to make, of the apostolate God has for him, of the height and manner of perfection to which God lovingly invites him. His prayer thus becomes a truly vital activity whose progressive growth evidences increasingly the action and presence of God in him. His prayer teaches him and tries him in faith, hope, and charity through which we seek, love, and serve God progressively in all things.

Prayer, then, becomes not only a matter of obeying our religious rule, acceptable as that is to God, but also a personal reply to a divine call. Prayer is thus a faithful response to the law of charity towards God and men which the Holy Spirit has written in our hearts. The charity of Christ urges us to personal prayer and no human person can dispense us from that urgency.

8. To live his life of prayer, which in the Society is never separated from apostolic action, each of us must first deny himself so that, shedding his own personal inclinations, he may have that mind which is in Christ Jesus. For while on the one hand, prayer brings forth abnegation, since it is God who purifies man’s heart by His presence, on the other, abnegation itself prepares the way for prayer, because only the pure of heart will see God. Progress in prayer is possible for those alone who continually try to put off their misguided affections to ready themselves to receive the light and grace of God. This continual conversion of heart “to the love of the Father of mercies” is intimately related to the repeated sacramental act of penance.

Self-denial, which disposes us for prayer and is one of its fruits, is not genuine unless amid the confusion of the world we try to keep our hearts at peace, our minds tranquil, and our desires restrained. Abnegation for us will consist chiefly in fidelity as we daily live our first consecration to God and remain faithful to Him even in insignificant details. Growth in prayer and abnegation necessarily implies spiritual discernment by which a man is willing to learn from God, so that these gifts appear more clearly externally while they strike deeper roots into his inner life.

Though modern living seems to make it hard for us to provide these conditions for true prayer, with trust in God we must try courageously to actualize these aids to prayer in our own lives. Then we can truly serve our neighbor better.

9. Superiors must actually lead the way in this matter of growth in prayer, inspiring by their example, helping their men, encouraging them, and aiding their progress. If their leadership is to be truly spiritual, they must understand the consciences of their men and get to know them through dialogue which is based on mutual trust. Further, it is the superior’s function to promote the prayer life of the entire community as well as the individual’s and to provide those conditions which favor prayer. He should see that the daily order and house discipline give each enough time for his customary prayer and its preparation and aid him to pray better.

Spiritual fathers, as well as superiors, show the true charity of Christ towards those placed in their charge when they guide them and aid them in this art of prayer, at once most difficult and divine.

Decree

10. Liturgical celebrations, especially those in which the community worships as a group, and above all the celebration of the Eucharist, should mean much to us. For it is the Eucharistic sacrifice, the highest exercise of the priesthood, that continually carries out the work of our redemption, and for this reason, priests are strongly urged to celebrate Mass every day, for even if the faithful are unable to be present, it is an act of Christ and of the Church. Concelebration, by which the unity of the priesthood is appropriately manifested, is encouraged in our houses when allowed by the proper authority, while each priest shall always retain his right to celebrate Mass individually. Priests themselves extend to the different hours of the day the praise and thanksgiving of the Eucharistic celebration by reciting the divine office. Hence our priests should try to pray attentively and at a suitable time11 that wonderful song of praise which is truly the prayer of Christ and that of His Body to the Father.”

11. The General Congregation wishes to remind every Jesuit that personal daily prayer is an absolute necessity.

But the Congregation, recognizing the value of current developments in the spiritual life, does not intend to impose upon all indiscriminately a precisely defined universal norm for the manner and length of prayer. Our rule of an hour’s prayer is therefore to be adapted so that each Jesuit, guided by his superior, takes into account his particular circumstances and needs, in the light of that discerning love which St. Ignatius clearly presupposed in the Constitutions.

The Society counts on her men after their formation to be truly “spiritual men who have advanced in the way of Christ our Lord so as to run along this way,” men who in this matter of prayer are led chiefly by that “rule . . . which discerning love gives to each one,” guided by the advice of his spiritual father and the approval of his superior.

All should recall that the prayer in which God communicates Himself more intimately is the better prayer, whether mental or even vocal, whether it be in meditative reading or in an intense feeling of love and self-giving.

12. As for what concerns the approved scholastics and brothers in particular, account should be taken of the following:

1° During the entire time of their formation they should be carefully helped to grow in prayer and a sense of spiritual responsibility towards a mature interior life, in which they will know how to apply the rule of discerning love which St. Ignatius prescribed for his sons after the period of their formation.

2° To foster this growth, the Society retains the practice of an hour and a half as the time for prayer, Mass, and thanksgiving. Each man should be guided by his spiritual father as he seeks that form of prayer in which he can best advance in the Lord. The judgment of superiors is normative for each.

3° In the communities in which they live, since these are ordinarily more tightly structured and larger in numbers, the daily order should always indicate clearly a portion of the day fixed by superiors, within which prayer and preparation for it may have their time securely established.

13. The exercise of prayer known as examination of conscience, aptly designated by St. Ignatius to develop purity of heart, spiritual discernment, and union with God in the active life, should be made twice daily. The Society, following its approved tradition, recommends that it last a quarter of an hour.

14. The prayerful reading of Scripture is a spiritual exercise that all should highly esteem and faithfully perform. As we read, we should try to deepen our familiarity with the word of God, to listen carefully to His voice, to sharpen our perception of salvation history in which the mystery of Christ is foretold, fulfilled, and continued in His Church. We should truly seek and find Christ in the pages of the Fathers and of all Christian writers, especially Jesuits.

15. Insofar as their apostolic character permits it, Jesuit communities should be united daily for some brief common prayer. The particular form should be approved by the provincial according to norms to be established by Father General. The prayer should take into account the greater needs of the whole world, the Church, the Society, and the community itself. Moreover, for the faithful fulfillment of their apostolic vocation both communities and individuals should cherish daily converse with Christ the Lord in visiting the Blessed Sacrament.

16. The Spiritual Exercises should be made yearly by all, according to the method of St. Ignatius, for eight successive days. Adaptations may be allowed because of particular circumstances; the provincial is to be the judge of the merits of each case. More general adaptations which affect an entire province or assistancy are to be submitted to Father General for approval. The circumstances of the annual retreat (such as silence, recollection, a location removed from ordinary work) should be managed in such a way that the Jesuit is able truly to renew his spiritual life through frequent and uninterrupted familiar conversation with God.

17. Decrees 52, 55, 81 of the Collection of Decrees are to be modified according to Nos. 10 to 16 of the above.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 14, “Prayer,” pg. 99–105 [210–237].

The Second Vatican Council asked religious institutes to help spread the love of and the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In response on behalf of their Jesuit brethren, the delegates of the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus affirmed the Sacred Heart as “the center of our own spiritual lives.” Yet, the delegates, in the following decree, also note many of their fellow Jesuits and of the faithful did not find such devotion appealing. They use the decree to ask “our theologians, men experienced in spirituality and pastoral theology, and promoters of the apostolate of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” for “ways of presenting this devotion that are better suited to various regions and persons.” The delegates also ask the new superior general to “encourage these studies” and to lead the Society of Jesus in a “renewal of its religious and apostolic spirit.”

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. The Second Vatican Council has shed a brilliant new light upon the mystery of the Church, but this mystery is perceptible only to eyes directed in faith to the eternal love of the Incarnate Word. For Christ, who “thought with a human mind, acted by human choice, and loved with a human heart,” sacrificed Himself in human love that He might win as His bride the Church which was born from His side as He slept on the cross.

2. The Church finds a splendid symbol for this love, at once human and divine, in the wounded heart of Christ, for the blood and water which flowed from it aptly represent the inauguration and growth of the Church and solicit our response of love. Devotion to the Sacred Heart, as proposed by the Church, pays tribute to “that love which God has shown us through Jesus, and is also the exercise of the love we have for God and for our fellow-men,” effecting that interpersonal exchange of love which is the essence of Christian and religious life. This is why devotion to the Sacred Heart is regarded as an excellent and tested form of that dedication “to Christ Jesus, king and center of all hearts, which our age urgently needs, as Vatican II has insisted.” This should be the concern of the Society above all, both among its own members and in its apostolic ministry, not only because of our long and venerable tradition but also because of the very recent recommendation of the Roman Pontiff.

3. For these reasons the General Congregation readily embraces the wishes of the Supreme Pontiff; it recalls the decrees of earlier congregations concerning devotion to the heart of Christ and urges all members of the Society to “spread ever more widely a love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to show all men by word and example that the renewal of minds and morals, as well as the increased vitality and effectiveness of all religious institutes in the Church, which are called for by the Second Vatican Council, ought to draw their chief inspiration and vigor from this source.” In this way we shall more effectively make the love of Christ, which finds its symbol in the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the center of our own spiritual lives, proclaim with greater effect before all men the unfathomable riches of Christ, and foster the primacy of love in the Christian life.

4. It is no secret, however, that devotion to the Sacred Heart, at least in some places, is today less appealing to Jesuits and to the faithful in general. The reason for this is perhaps to be found in outmoded devotional practices. Therefore our theologians, men experienced in spirituality and pastoral theology, and promoters of the apostolate of the Sacred Heart of Jesus are urgently asked to search out ways of presenting this devotion that are better suited to various regions and persons. For, while preserving the essential nature of the devotion, it would seem imperative to set aside unnecessary accretions and adapt it to contemporary needs, making it more intelligible to the men of our time and more attuned to their sensibilities.

5. The General Congregation also recommends that Father General encourage these studies. He will then be in a position to assist the whole Society to a better renewal of its religious and apostolic spirit.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 15, “Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,” pg. 106–107 [238–242].

For the Jesuit delegates at the 31st General Congregation, consecrated chastity was a “gift” from God, “a sign of charity and likewise a stimulus to it.” Those delegates, nevertheless, also issued the following decree to acknowledge how contemporary attitudes and contexts have caused “new problems” on the topic. The decree urges the new superior general to appoint “experts a study on the apt assimilation of advances in the fields of theology, psychology, and pedagogy, and on their application to the direction of Jesuits, so that they may ever more surely persevere in perfect chastity.” The decree concludes with a reminder that “charity, moreover, purifies our hearts of all feeling of envy, hostility, or bitterness,” disposing Jesuits “to bear each other’s burdens and to treat one another with reverence that we may feel a generous love for one and all in the community and at the same time conduct with all a profitable and fruitful dialogue.”

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

The mental attitude of men today and the new ways in which our ministry must be fitted into their lives give rise to new problems which touch upon our consecration to God through the vow of chastity. But since these problems are not yet mature enough for a fully balanced and wise solution, the 31st General Congregation recommends to Father General that, as soon as he deems it opportune, he entrust to experts a study on the apt assimilation of advances in the fields of theology, psychology, and pedagogy, and on their application to the direction of Jesuits, so that they may ever more surely persevere in perfect chastity.

Moreover, the Congregation, after attentive study of the documents of the Second Vatican Council, and mindful of its own decrees on the spiritual life and the formation of Jesuits, proposes and enacts the following declarations and norms.

1. God, pouring forth his charity in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, confers upon some in the Church the gift of consecrated chastity, a sign of charity and likewise a stimulus to it, whereby they may more easily devote themselves with an undivided heart to Him alone and to the service of His kingdom. Therefore, chastity “for the sake of the kingdom of heaven,” to which by both His example and His calling Christ invites us, and which we as religious profess, following the lead of so many saints, should, as the Church repeatedly urges and as our founder expressly declares, be “perfectly observed” by us.

2. Our contemporaries, to whom we are sent and with whom we deal in fraternal fashion, are freshly pondering the meaning and value of human love and of the entire sexual life. To them we wish to offer the sincere, simple, and prudent testimony of our consecrated chastity.

3. For the vow of chastity, inspired by charity, in a new and wonderful way consecrates us to God, and engages us in a new and eminently human state of life, which renders the heart singularly free and inflames it with charity towards God and all men. The life of chastity consecrated to God is, moreover, a living sign of that future world in which the children of the resurrection “will neither marry nor take wives,” and likewise a most suitable means “for religious to spend themselves readily in God’s service and in works of the apostolate.”

4. Accordingly, in our Society, not only poverty and obedience, but chastity also is essentially apostolic. It is not at all to be understood as directed exclusively to our personal sanctification. For, according to the whole intent of our Institute, we embrace chastity as a special source of spiritual fruitfulness in the world. Through it, full dominion of our energies, both bodily and spiritual, is retained for a prompter love and a more total apostolic availability towards all men. Moreover, the profession of chastity for the sake of the kingdom of heaven is of itself a true preaching of the Gospel, for it reveals to all men how the kingdom of God prevails over every other earthly consideration, and it shows wonderfully at work in the Church the surpassing greatness of the force of Christ the King and the boundless power of the Holy Spirit.

5. On the other hand, chastity vowed to God through celibacy implies and requires of us a sacrifice by which we knowingly and willingly forego entrance into that family relationship wherein husband and wife, parents and children, can in many ways, even psychologically, attain mutual fulfillment. Hence, our consecration to Christ involves a certain affective renunciation and a solitude of heart which form part of the cross offered to us by Jesus as we follow His footsteps, and which closely associate us with His paschal mystery and render us sharers of the spiritual fertility which flows from it. The vow of chastity, then, on the indispensable condition that it be accepted with a humble, joyous, and firm spirit as a gift from God, and be offered as a sacrifice to God, not only does not diminish our personality nor hamper human contacts and dialogue, but rather expands affectively, unites men fraternally, and brings them to a fuller charity.

6. However, that a man may dare to enter upon this vocation of love in the Church, he will necessarily require:

a. lively faith, for only with the help of faith can the meaning and worth of that higher love be understood which, through consecration, takes up the affections of the personality of a man or woman and transcends its natural expression;

b. a sound balance in affective life, constantly becoming more perfect, whereby the conscious and subconscious impulses and motivations of the entire personality are integrated to pave the way for a fully human commitment;

c. and finally, in our days particularly, an informed choice, freely, explicitly, and magnanimously made, of the properly understood excellence and worth of chastity consecrated to Christ. For through chastity a man, by the oblation of his whole body and soul, devotes himself to the Lord, and by a genuine act of assent takes up the gift of a vocation to establish a relationship of the love of friendship and charity which goes beyond the fullness of Christian marriage.

7. Besides, in order that perseverance in one’s vocation throughout life may be obtained, and that the love once consecrated may grow unceasingly, it is necessary:

a. continually to nourish that original lively faith through familiar converse with God, though contemplation of Christ’s mysteries, and through vital assimilation to Him in the sacraments, both of penance, whereby we are made progressively more pure and at peace, and of the Eucharist, whereby we come to form one heart and one spirit with the people of God;

b. to sustain the initial resolve of persevering and growing in love, by fostering charity and the ready union of souls which flourish “when in common life true fraternal love thrives among its members”;

c. to strengthen the pristine desires of serving God in this vocation through truly responsible apostolic labor, which in the course of years should be adapted constantly, as far as possible, to the progressive development of one’s personality;

d. to protect constancy of will, both by a vigorous prudence, which leads individuals and communities “not to presume on their own resources, but to practice mortification and custody of the senses,” and by mutual confidence between subjects and superiors, which contributes wonderfully to renewal of the account of conscience, so much recommended;

e. to renew incessantly the strong desire of persevering, through humble and simple devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, who by her chaste assent obtained divine fecundity and became the mother of beautiful love.

8. Therefore, the 31st General Congregation proposes and commends the following.

a. All should cultivate close friendship with Christ and familiarity with God, for in this world, no one lives without love. But when our contemporaries question or fail to understand what our love is, we should offer them a fitting reply through the witness of a life of consecrated chastity, and at the same time with humble and persevering prayer we should beg for ourselves and our confreres the grace of personal love for Christ.

For our Father Ignatius experienced this grace, so permeating his entire personality that he bound his brethren to himself as friends and by his personal affability led countless men and women to God.

In the Spiritual Exercises he wished to urge the imploring of this grace, so that throughout the meditations and contemplations on the mysteries of the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in the application of the senses to them he would have us beg to know interiorly the Lord “who for me was made man, so that I may love Him the more, and follow Him more closely.”

b. Still, all should keep in mind that love consecrated by chastity should constantly grow and approach the mature measure of the fullness of Christ. It is, consequently, not a gift bestowed once and for all, mature and complete, at the beginning of one’s spiritual life, but such as by repeated decisions, perhaps serious ones, should steadily increase and become more perfect. Thus the heart is more and more cleansed of affections not yet sufficiently understood, until the man adheres totally to Christ through love.

Such love of Jesus our Lord impels a person likewise to genuine human love for men and to true friendship. For chastity for the sake of the kingdom of heaven is safeguarded by fraternal friendship and in turn flowers forth in it. Hence also, we should regard as the precious apostolic fruit of ever more perfect love of friendship that mature, simple, anxiety-free dealing with the men and women with whom and for whom we exercise our ministry for the building up of the body of Christ.

c. But to attain the perfect liberty of chaste love, besides the familiarity with God mentioned above, all the supernatural and natural helps available should be used. Among these, however, those contribute more to the faithful fulfillment of one’s oblation of chastity which are positive, such as probity of life, generous dedication to one’s assigned task, great desire for the glory of God, zeal for solid virtues and spiritual concerns, openness and simplicity in activity and in consulting with superiors, rich cultural attainments, spiritual joy, and above all true charity. For all these things will of their nature more easily bring a man to the really full and pure love for God and men which we earnestly desire.

d. Nevertheless, mindful of the above-mentioned solitude of heart which constitutes part of the cross embraced through our vocation to follow Christ, and of our frailty which from youth to old age necessarily accompanies the development of chaste love, we cannot forget the ascetical norms which the Church and the Society in their wide experience maintain and which dangers against chastity require today no less than in the past. So we should diligently stand firm against desires which might lessen a just and wholesome dominion over our senses and affections.

e. Finally, sustained by the grace of God and mortified at all times, we should generously and strenuously devote ourselves to apostolic labor and know how to participate with moderation in the human contacts which our ministry involves, our visits and recreations, our reading and study of problems, our attendance at shows, and use of what is pleasurable, so that the testimony of our consecration to God will shine forth inviolate.

9. As for superiors,

a. Let them know first of all that no one is to be admitted to the Society whom they consider ill-suited for consecrated chastity. Accordingly, they should study and faithfully fulfill what the Church tirelessly enjoins in this respect. Therefore, they should carefully inquire “about the free consent of the candidates, their moral fitness, physical and psychic health, and tendencies which might have been transmitted from their family.” And especially, “since the observance of total continence intimately involves the deeper inclinations of human nature, candidates should not undertake the profession of chastity nor be admitted to its profession except after a truly adequate testing period, and only if they have the needed degree of psychological and emotional maturity.” Proof of this is to be found particularly in a certain stability of spirit, in an ability to make considered decisions, and in an accurate manner of passing judgment on events and people.

b. The superiors, together with spiritual fathers thoroughly trained for their task, should see to it that Jesuits in the course of their formation be educated in the matter of sex in a suitable, positive, and prudent manner, so that they may properly know and esteem not only the meaning and superiority of virginity consecrated to Christ, but also the duties and dignity of Christian marriage. Moreover, they should be manfully armed in advance, so as to be able vigorously to surmount the various crises of maturation.

c. Likewise, superiors and spiritual fathers alike should manifest the utmost solicitude for the spiritual life of each individual, aware that they must give an account of all of them before God. Hence they should try to see fully and, as it were, to anticipate the psychological problems, the fatigue and difficulties, the wavering, weaknesses, and temptations which Jesuits, either in conversation or in any sort of contact, manifest more or less clearly. These they should perceive and evaluate accurately; what is more, they should show themselves ready to re-examine a man’s aptitude for our vocation before permitting that further steps in it be made.

d. Let superiors, exercising due firmness and putting aside a kindness which might better be called cruelty, take care that those who are unfit or doubtfully suitable be not advanced to vows or to orders. Thus, for example, someone who so lives separated from the others in the community that he raises a positive doubt about his aptitude for ready companionship with Jesuits or for apostolic contacts with his neighbors, should be directed to some other way of serving God.

And in our times, those who hold fast to a firm doubt regarding the value and worth of the vow of chastity and of celibacy are not to be judged fit for religious life and the priesthood.

e. Solicitous, attentive, and with much trust, superiors should be at the service of the recently ordained priests and brothers who are beginning to work in the vineyard of the Lord, as also of those who for a long time engage in arduous special studies, so as to make them conscious that they form a true part of their communities.

Superiors should lovingly endeavor to lead back those whom they see or sense to be drawing away from the community. And all Jesuits should be prepared to cooperate with superiors in their solicitude, discreetly but in good time making known to them the difficulties and temptations of their confreres.

Conclusion

10. Finally, with superiors taking the lead, whose duty it is to be present and available, to encourage their brethren, and to offer them solicitous care, and with the cooperation of subjects, there will reign in the community through the wholehearted efforts of everyone the fraternal charity which, with participation in the same Eucharist, will make us all one united body. That charity, moreover, purifies our hearts of all feeling of envy, hostility, or bitterness. It so disposes us to bear each other’s burdens and to treat one another with reverence that we may feel a generous love for one and all in the community and at the same time conduct with all a profitable and fruitful dialogue.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 16, “Chastity in the Society of Jesus,” pg. 108–114 [243–267].

Obedience was one of the seven topics in the “religious life” of the Society of Jesus that the delegates of the 31st General Congregation addressed with a decree. In the following document, the delegates note they are “conscious of the social change in our day which gives rise to a new awareness of the brotherhood of men and a keener sense of liberty and personal responsibility.” Obedience, though, remained a “distinctive grace conferred by God on the Society through its founder, whereby we may be united the more surely and constantly with God’s salvific will, and at the same time be made one in Christ among ourselves.” In other words, a Jesuit’s obedience is apostolic. Being obedient does not oppose “the dignity of the human person who obeys, nor to his maturity and liberty.” Instead, being obedient “strengthens such liberty and admirably fosters the progress of the human person by purification of heart and assimilation to Christ and His mother.”

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

I. Introduction

1. The General Congregation, solicitous to take into account the signs of the times according to the mind of the Church, and conscious of the social change in our day which gives rise to a new awareness of the brotherhood of men and a keener sense of liberty and personal responsibility, along with an excessively critical attitude and an overly naturalistic view of the world, has thought it necessary to express its mind on obedience, which is a hallmark of the Society and her principle of vitality. The Congregation considers this new situation “not in the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of prudence” as a fitting occasion and challenge for the Society’s renewal in the spirit and practice of obedience. It is convinced, moreover, that the way to the grace of our vocation will be opened not by natural means alone, whether philosophical, psychological, or sociological, but ultimately under the light of faith alone, “with the eyes of the mind enlightened.”

II. Obedience in the Society: Apostolic by Nature

2. Impelled by love of Christ, we embrace obedience as a distinctive grace conferred by God on the Society through its founder, whereby we may be united the more surely and constantly with God’s salvific will, and at the same time be made one in Christ among ourselves. For the Society of Jesus is a group of men who seek close union with Christ and a share in the saving mission which He realized through obedience unto death. Christ invited us to take part in such a mission when, bearing His cross, He told St. Ignatius at La Storta, “I will that you serve Us.” Through obedience, then, strengthened by vow, we follow “Jesus Christ still carrying His cross in the Church militant, to whom the eternal Father gave us as servants and friends, that we may follow Him with our cross” and be made His companions in glory. We render service to Christ as He lives and works in the Church. Nor could our Society be sealed with the name of Jesus were it not fully committed to the service of the Church, which is the society of the Son of God, Christ Jesus our Lord. Now through the vow of obedience our Society becomes a more fit instrument of Christ in His Church, unto the assistance of souls for God’s greater glory. Hence, neither our religious life nor our apostolic action can survive or be renewed unless we hold firmly to sincere obedience.

III. The Superior as Representing Christ

3. The first Fathers of the Society held the unshaken conviction that “they had no other head than Christ Jesus, whom alone they hoped to serve,” and they solemnly sanctioned this fact in the Formula of the Institute, affirming that they wanted “to serve the Lord alone.” In the same Formula, however, they already expressly declared that “they are serving the Lord alone and the Church His spouse, under the Roman Pontiff,” understanding that they offer obedience to Christ Himself when they obey the visible head of the Church. Moreover, in the deliberations of the first Fathers, all decided unanimously that they should obey not only the Vicar of Christ, but also the superior chosen from among them, “so that we can more sincerely and with greater praise and merit fulfill through all things the will of God.” St. Ignatius repeatedly states this, that every superior is to be obeyed “in the place of Christ and for the love of Christ.” For Christ, as head and shepherd of the Church, is truly present in lawful superiors. The Church is the sacrament of salvation and unity, i.e., the visible sign of His invisible presence and power. Therefore He is present in him who as Vicar of Christ “presides over the universal Church,” and by whose ministry “the whole multitude of believers…is maintained in unity.” He is likewise present in a special way in religious superiors, who under the Roman Pontiff lawfully govern the community of their brethren, and by whose ministry “the community is gathered as a true family in the name of the Lord.” For them also, then, the promise of the Lord holds good: “He who hears you, hears me,” so that in faith we can hear in their commands the voice of Christ commanding. Rightly, therefore, are we said to serve the Lord alone when we obey superiors in the Church.

IV. Authority to Be Exercised in the Spirit of Service and of Discerning Love

4. After the example of Christ, whose place he holds, the superior should exercise his authority in a spirit of service, desiring not to be ministered unto, but to serve; he should be the servant of all, set over a family of fellow servants, in order to serve by his governing. Resplendent in his ruling should be the kindness, meekness, and charity of Christ, who, bearing the likeness and authority of the Father, became the brother and companion of us all to live among us and labor with us. While he maintains sincere interior reverence, he should exercise simplicity in his way of speaking, so that the friendly concord of Christ with His apostles may come to view. And yet superiors should learn how to blend necessary rectitude and strictness with kindness and meekness, desiring more to serve their brethren than to please them. Hence government in the Society should always be spiritual, conscious before God of personal responsibility and of the obligation to rule one’s subjects as sons of God and with regard for the human personality, strong where it needs to be, open and sincere. Superiors should reckon their direction of Jesuits, both as a community and as individuals, more important than any other tasks to be done. Superiors should be appointed who, as far as possible, are gifted with true personal authority, so that they can stir subjects to voluntary obedience, and so that the subjects may willingly agree to be guided by them.

5. In the exercise of authority, however, the gift of discretion or of discerning love is most desirable. To acquire this virtue, so necessary for good government, the superior should first of all be free from ill-ordered affections and be closely united and familiar with God, so that he will be docile to the will of Christ, which he should seek out with his subjects and authoritatively make manifest to them. Besides, he ought to know thoroughly our ways of acting, according to our Institute. Keeping in view, then, our end, which is none other than the greater service of God and the good of those who engage in this course of life, he should command the things which he believes will contribute towards attaining the end proposed by God and the Society, maintaining withal due respect for persons, places, times, and other circumstances.

6. But in order that he may more easily discover the will of God, the superior should have at hand able advisers and should often consult them. He should also use the services of experts in reaching decisions on complex matters. This will the more easily enable members of the Society to be convinced that their superior knows how, wants, and is able, to govern them well in the Lord. Besides, since all who work together in God’s service are under the influence of the Holy Spirit and His grace, it will be well in the Lord to use their ideas and advice so as to understand God’s will better. Superiors in the Society should readily and often ask for and listen to the counsel of their brethren, of a few or of many, or even of all gathered together, according to the importance and nature of the matter. Superiors should gratefully welcome suggestions which their fellow Jesuits offer spontaneously, with a single desire of greater spiritual good and the better service of God, but the duty of the superior himself to decide and enjoin what ought to be done remains intact.

7. It is also advantageous to the Society that the superior leave much in his orders to the prudence of his confreres, making liberal use of the principle of subsidiarity. To the extent that they make the spirit of the Society their own, especially if they are men long proven in humility and self-denial, individuals are to be allowed suitable freedom in the Lord. And finally, the universal good itself will sometimes demand that, in the manner of urging what has been commanded, account be taken also of human frailty.

8. This truly spiritual government, whereby Jesuits are directed by superiors with discerning love rather than through external laws, supposes communication between the two which is as far as possible plain and open. The superior should endeavor to make his mind clearly known to his confreres and understood by them; and he should take care that they, according to the nature and importance of the matter and as their own talents and duties require, share more fully in his knowledge and concern both for the personal and community life of Jesuits and for their apostolic labors. The religious, for his part, should try to make himself known, with his gifts and limitations, his desires, difficulties, and ideas, through a confiding, familiar and candid colloquy, about which the superior is held to strict secrecy. In this way an account of conscience is obtained which is sincere and open in form, and not reduced to a formal, periodic inquiry about actions already performed. That kind of friendly and confidential conversation, one that is frankly spiritual and aims at promoting the apostolic objective of our vocation and the religious sanctification of the apostle, will constitute the dialogue that is fundamental and essential for the wholesome progress of our Society. Hence it is the mind of the Congregation that the account of conscience in its proper sense should remain and be strengthened as a general practice. But it is charity which should inspire it, as St. Ignatius wished, with any obligation under pain of sin always precluded.

V. Obedience to Be Offered with complete Availability in a Personal, Responsible Way

9. The Society’s members, as the Constitutions provide, should show respect and inward reverence for their superiors, and in the Lord should love them from the heart. To them they should leave the full and completely free disposal of themselves, desiring to be guided not by their own judgment and will, but by that indication of the divine will which is offered to us through obedience. Jesuits, mindful that they are part of a Society which is wholly dedicated to Christ and His Church, should for their part primarily direct their labors under the guidance of the Holy Spirit for the service of the whole Church and Society.

Obedience is to be offered by all promptly, cheerfully, and in a supernatural spirit, as to Christ. In this spirit, all should make their own the superior’s command in a personal, responsible way, and with all diligence “bring to the execution of commands and the discharge of assignments entrusted to them the resources of their minds and wills, and their gifts of nature and grace,” “realizing that they are giving service to the upbuilding of Christ’s body according to God’s design.” Hence, not just any sort of obedience is expected of us, but an obedience full and generous, of the intellect, too, insofar as possible, rendered in a spirit of faith, humility, and modesty.

10. Our holy Father St. Ignatius desired that we should all excel in the virtue of obedience. Accordingly, with all our force and energy we should strive to obey, first, the Sovereign Pontiff, and then the superiors of the Society, “not only in matters of obligation, but also in others, even at the mere hint of the superior’s will, apart from any express command.” We are to respond with perfect obedience in all things where there is not manifestly any sin. Nor may a subject refuse to obey because he thinks it would be better to do other things, or because he believes he is led along lines by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

It happens more often nowadays that a member of the Society will sincerely consider that by a dictate of conscience he is forbidden to follow the superior’s will, for he thinks that in a given case he is morally obliged to the contrary. Now it is true that no one may act against the certain dictates of his conscience. Still, conscience itself requires that in its formation attention be paid to all the factors which merit consideration in judging the morality of a decision, such as the universal good of the Church and the Society, which may be at stake, as well as the rights of others and the special obligations and values of religious life, which were freely assumed. Only a consideration of the whole reality can bring about a well-formed conscience. A member of the Society, therefore, should sincerely ponder the matter before the Lord, and present his reasons to his immediate or higher superior. It will then be the duty of the superior to weigh these reasons with an open mind, to review the case, and finally urge or withdraw the command. But if the subject cannot be induced in this way to accept with a good conscience the decision of the superior, he may request that the whole question be referred to the judgment of certain persons, even non-Jesuits, to be chosen by common consent. If after such a decision, however, no solution is reached which the Jesuit thinks he can follow without sinning, the superior, having consulted higher superiors as the case may merit, should provide for the course of action which seems more advisable in view of both the good of the whole Society and the good of the individual Jesuit’s conscience. But a man who, time after time, is unable to obey with a good conscience, should take thought regarding some other path of life in which he can serve God with greater tranquility.

11. Obedience is the ordinary means by which God’s will is made clear to the members of the Society. However, it does not take away, but rather by its very nature and perfection supposes in the subject the obligation of personal responsibility and the spirit of ever seeking what is better. Consequently the subject can, and sometimes should, set forth his own reasons and proposals to the superior. Such a way of acting is not opposed to perfect obedience, but is reasonably required by it, in order that by an effort common to both superior and subject the divine will may more easily and surely be found. For obedience of judgment does not mean that our intellect is bereft of its proper role, and that one should assent to the superior’s will against reason, rejecting the evidence of truth. For the Jesuit, employing his own intelligence, confirmed by the unction of the Holy Spirit, makes his own the will and judgment of superiors, and with his intellect endeavors to see their orders as more conformed to the will of God. He diverts his attention from a fretful consideration of the opposite reasons, and directs it solely to positive reasons intrinsic to the matter or to motives which transcend this order, namely, values of faith and charity. For practical matters are at issue, in which almost always there remains some doubt as to what is most fitting and more pleasing to God. Theoretical certitude or very high probability about the objective superiority of a given solution is not to be awaited before a superior can authoritatively impose it; nor are the reasons for a course of action always and everywhere to be given the subject that he may devote himself wholeheartedly to the goals and works assigned to him. For the final reason for religious obedience is the authority of the superior. Trust is to be placed in Christ, who by means of obedience wishes to lead the Church and the Society to the ends He proposes.

12. Thus understood, obedience is not opposed to the dignity of the human person who obeys, nor to his maturity and liberty, but rather strengthens such liberty and admirably fosters the progress of the human person by purification of heart and assimilation to Christ and His mother. For sons of the Society in the light of faith find the foundation of obedience in the example of Christ. Just as the Son of God “emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men”; just as He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross,” so also do members of the Society from love for Christ and to gain souls, “offer the full dedication of their own will as a sacrifice of self to God.” Thus they bind themselves entirely to God, beloved above all, and by a new and special title dedicate and consecrate themselves to His service and honor, bearing witness to the new freedom whereby Christ has made us free.

VI. Obedience as a Bond of Union

13. The Society “can neither be preserved nor governed, and so it cannot attain the end to which it aspires for God’s glory, unless its members be united to each other and with their head.” This will be affected mainly by “the bond of obedience, which unites individuals with their superiors, and these among themselves and with the provincials, and all with Father General.” But union and obedience are founded on charity, for “if the superior and his subjects are strongly united with God’s sovereign goodness, they will easily be united with one another.”

Impelled by the same charity, all “should show reverence and render obedience in accord with Church law to bishops because of their pastoral authority in the particular churches and for the union and harmony necessary in apostolic labor.” In this way Jesuits are proven to be true sons of the Church and contribute to the building up of the Body of Christ.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 17, “Life of Obedience,” pg. 115–122 [268–282].

The 29th and 30th General Congregations established commissions to study the topic of poverty within the Society of Jesus. The delegates at the 31st congregation, in the following document , provide extended thoughts on the purpose of poverty, especially by issuing directive norms in order to “bring about this renewal in our way of poverty.” The delegates also expand the sources of income articulated in the Constitutions to include “gain from or remuneration for work done according to the Institute” as “a legitimate source of material goods which are necessary for the life and apostolate of Jesuits.” This expansion required the approval of the Holy See, which was granted by the Cardinal Secretary of State.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

I. Introduction

1. The 31st General Congregation, having carefully considered the need of adaptation and renewal of the Institute in regard to poverty, has decreed by its own authority that it be undertaken according to the norms defined below.

II. Directive Norms on Evangelical and Religious Poverty in the Society of Jesus

2. Since the Church of the Second Vatican Council, in its desire to be “the Church of all, but in a special way the Church of the poor,” calls on all the faithful to give an authentic testimony of poverty, and since the world, infected with atheism and closed to the heavenly goods of the kingdom of God, desperately needs this sign, the Society of Jesus, avowing at the same time poverty and the apostolate, in the Church, will try to give this witness of poverty in a more perfect way.

The Society of Jesus is also impelled to this by the innate force of its vocation. For it is a community of disciples of the poor Christ, which has taken up an “apostolic life” to lead men to the kingdom of the Father by the path of poverty of spirit.

To bring about this renewal of our way of poverty, the following declarations are made.

3. The spirit of poverty has an essential value in our evangelical and religious life. For it is the spirit of Christ, who “though He was rich, became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of His poverty.” Imbued with this spirit, the companions of Jesus in a true consecration “more closely follow and more clearly show the Savior’s self-emptying by embracing poverty with the free choice of God’s sons.” At the same time, they manifest the wealth of the kingdom of God, in that they give up earthly goods and practice charity for the needy, knowing that “our Lord Jesus Christ will provide the necessities of life and dress for his servants who are seeking solely the kingdom of God.”

4. Our poverty in the Society is apostolic: our Lord has sent us “to preach in poverty.” Therefore our poverty is measured by our apostolic end, so that our entire apostolate is informed with the spirit of poverty.

5. In order that this poverty may flourish the more, the Society seeks its adaptation and renewal both by a return to the true doctrine of the Gospel and the original inspiration of the Society and by the adaptation of our law to the changed conditions of the times, in such a way that, insofar as it may be necessary, the letter of the norms may be changed, but not the spirit, which must continue undiminished.

6. This adaptation and renewal must affect the forms of our poverty as well as the juridical norms, so that these forms may truly suit the mentality, life, and apostolate of our times and give a visible witness to the Gospel. Therefore our contemporary poverty must be especially characterized by these qualities: sincerity, by which our lives are really poor; devotion to work, by which we resemble workers in the world; and charity, by which we freely devote ourselves and all we have for the service of the neighbor.

7. Our profession of poverty should be sincere, so that the manner of our life corresponds to this profession. St. Ignatius wanted us to take the criterion for the poverty of our life both from our apostolic end and from the principles of the Gospel, for we are apostles of the Gospel. But since we are apostles of this age, we must pay special attention to the social circumstances of time and place.

If, following in the footsteps of our predecessors, we would wish to give—or repeat—more concisely defined norms, assuming discernment in their application, we should have to say that the character of our poverty in regard to our way of life must be adapted to people of modest means so that our food, clothing, dwelling, and travels are such as are suited to the poor. Where we must make use of larger buildings, travel, or instruments for our work, these should really be, and as far as possible clearly appear to be, necessary instruments intended solely for our apostolate which we use in adherence to our poverty.

The Society really intends to answer the demands of this real, not pretended, poverty.

8. The witness of our poverty today most aptly shines forth in our practice and spirit of work undertaken for the kingdom of God and not for temporal gain. This poverty should be filled with activity, by which we resemble men who must earn their daily bread; it should be equitable and just, ordered in the first place to giving each one his due; finally, it should be generous, so that by our labor we may help our poorer houses, our works, and the poor.

9. Our poverty, then, should become a sign of our charity in that by our lack we enrich others. Nothing should be our own so that all things may be common in Christ. Communities themselves, renouncing their own advantage, should be united to each other by the bond of solidarity. Finally, the parts of the Society should freely become poorer so that they may serve the whole body of the Society. And the bond of charity should not be restricted only to Jesuits, for all men are related to the Mystical Body of Christ. Charity should always crown the obligations of justice by which we are bound in a special way to those who are poorer and to the common good.

10. All should remember, however, that no community form of poverty nor any outward profession of it will be genuinely Christian unless it is inspired by a highly personal sentiment of the heart, that is, by a spiritual poverty, drawn from a close and constant union with the incarnate Word of God. Therefore, there is a broad field of personal responsibility in which each can more perfectly live his calling to poverty and, within the limits of the common good, express it with discerning love by living more frugally, under the guidance of superiors.

11. The Society, facing a world in which a large part of mankind lies wounded and despoiled, moved by the love of the Good Samaritan, and conscious of its universal vocation, should subject its apostolate to examination, to see how it may more fully turn itself to those who are abandoned, “to evangelize the poor, to heal the crushed in heart.”

III. Directive Norms Concerning Common Life in the Society of Jesus

12. The General Congregation, in its concern about the obligation of religious life and the evangelical witness given by that life in all our apostolic activity, has set itself to define what “common life” means as applied to the Society’s poverty so that our communities and individual members may be more accurately guided in really practicing in an always more perfect way personal poverty and communal or collective poverty.

13. Our community poverty includes two aspects: that “common life” which St. Ignatius derived from a centuries-old tradition and current Church law still sanctions as an essential element for all religious families; and that mode of living which, in the following of Christ as He preached with the apostles, bears the mark of the special calling that ought to characterize the Society’s efforts as it works among men for the redemption of the world. Moreover, it is of the utmost importance that an apostle, always following the poor Christ, somehow accommodate himself to the manner of life of those whom he helps, becoming all things to all men. Therefore our every use of material things should be such that by the sharing of these goods in common we not only express and strengthen the unity of heart and mind of all members of the Society, but also, by the tenor of our life, signify to the world our will, both common and personal, to give a witness of evangelical poverty, humbly and fraternally serving all, especially the poor, so that we may gain all for Christ, living as poor men and in externals in a manner common to all.

IV. The Matter of the Vow Not to Relax Poverty

14. The General Congregation authentically declares the matter of the vow not to relax poverty to be completely defined in this statement: “To bring about an innovation in regard to poverty means to relax it by admitting any revenues or assets for the use of the community, whether with a view to the sacristy, maintenance, or any other purpose, apart from the case of the colleges and houses of probation.” Therefore, in virtue of the vow the solemnly professed are obliged only to this: not to grant a stable income to professed houses and independent residences, notwithstanding other more general expressions which are found in the same Declaration.

V. The Fruit of Labor

15. The General Congregation declares, that in addition to the alms and income admitted by the Constitutions, gain from or remuneration for work done according to the Institute is a legitimate source of material goods which are necessary for the life and apostolate of Jesuits. But we are to select these labors according to the obligations of obedience and the nature of our ministries, avoiding every desire of monetary gain or temporal advantage.

VI. The Gratuity of Ministries

16. The General Congregation interprets the gratuity of ministries in the Society in the following way:

a. The nature of gratuity is to be explained in the first instance from its purpose, which is both inner freedom (absence from seeking one’s own temporal advantage), outer freedom (independence from the bonds of undue obligation), and the edification of the neighbor which arises from this freedom and from the love of Christ and men.

b. This gratuity is not opposed to the acceptance of Mass stipends or alms according to the current law of the Church. But in practice account must be taken of edification and of charity to the poor both in and outside of the Society, according to norms to be established by Father General.

c. Exception being made of the special norms for parishes and for a legitimate recompense for travel and other expenses, including sustenance, Jesuits may demand no stipend for their work in spiritual ministries, especially for those mentioned in the beginning of the Formula of the Institute of Julius III; they may accept only those which are offered to them. It belongs to Father General to define the norms for this in practice.

d. The General Congregation declares that the rights of authors, emoluments, honoraria, grants, and other gifts which are considered to be the fruit of the talents and industry of Jesuits may be accepted; however, in the choice of ministries or works, let Jesuits not be influenced by the intention of making profits.

e. Tuition charges for education do not of themselves go against gratuity. Nonetheless, from the very apostolic intention of the Society in the ministry of the teaching and formation of youth and according to the mind of St. Ignatius, we are to try our best, as far as is possible according to the circumstances of time and place, to devise means by which we can return to the practice of teaching without the help of tuition.

VII. Foundations in the Law of the Society

17. The General Congregation modifies decree 188, §1, in the Collection of Decrees thus:

“It is to be understood that those revenues which, according to the Constitutions, may be accepted by a ‘house’ if they are offered by founders ‘in such a way that their disposition is not in the hands of the Society and that the Society is incompetent to institute civil action in their regard,’ may be received—either from founders of houses or churches, or from any other benefactor—not only for the purpose of maintenance but also for other similar purposes, such as for the sacristy, for the library, or even for living expenses.”

18. The General Congregation believes that it is expedient to request from the Holy See in favor of the Society the power by which Father General can establish, define, administrate, suppress, and assign non-collegiate foundations, notwithstanding the fact that the common law gives the right and duty to local ordinaries to establish and visit such foundations.

19. The General Congregation gives a mandate to Father General that, when this power has been obtained, he will by an Ordination establish the norms for setting up foundations for the good of some houses or works, and for a more precise definition of the nature and purpose of some funds which are necessary for the financial life of the Society.

VIII. Procedures

20. The General Congregation decrees that a commission shall be set up, according to the Constitutions VIII, 7, 3 [715], and the Formula of the General Congregation (Nos. 125–27), adding some prescriptions which seem appropriate, even though contrary to some of the statutes of the Formula of the General Congregation; this commission shall consist of Father General, who has the right to preside, and four definitores, on these conditions :

a. The four definitores shall be chosen by the General Congregation by a majority of secret votes, each one by a distinct vote, or, if some names shall be proposed by Father General, by a vote (or votes) containing several names; moreover, it shall be in the power of Father General, for a good reason and with the advice of the General Assistants, to accept or even to ask for the dismissal of one of the definitores and to replace him with another.

b. The definitores with Father General shall determine matters only with that power which the General Congregation gives to them.

c. Their task will be to prepare in stages a schema of adaptation and renewal, and revision of our entire law concerning poverty.

d. The schema definitively worked out by the commission of definitores shall be promulgated by Father General for use and experiment for the whole Society until the General Congregation immediately following this one.

IX. Applying to the Holy See

21. The General Congregation decides that numbers IV, V, and VI of this decree be submitted to the Holy Father for confirmation, or at least for the purpose of informing him.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 18, “Poverty,” pg. 123–128 [283–311].

This extended decree represents the thoughts on Jesuit community life by the delegates to the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus. The decree declares that “the foundation and aim of community life in the Society of Jesus” is “a community of men who are called by Christ to live with Christ, to be conformed to Christ, to fulfill the work of Christ in themselves and among men.” A healthy and flourishing community life ensures that the “whole religious life is sound,” and the decree outlines seven conditions for such a healthy community life as well as several “concrete applications.” The decree also addresses the role of discipline in the community life, noting that discipline “is not to be sought in itself and for itself” but instead provides “a dynamic resolve” for Jesuits to accomplish God’s glory.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

I. Community Life

A. The Nature of Community Life in the Society of Jesus

1. The sense of community evolved gradually in the infant Society. The first members, “friends in the Lord,” after they had offered themselves and their lives to Christ the Lord and given themselves to His vicar on earth that he might send them where they could bear more fruit, decided to associate themselves into one body so that they might make stronger and more stable every day their union and association which was begun by God, “making ourselves into one body, caring for and understanding one another for the greater good of souls.” Similarly they agreed later to give their obedience to some superior “so that they might better and more carefully fulfill their first desires to do the divine will in all things,” and gain greater internal cohesion, stability, and apostolic efficacy.

2. And so community in the Society of Jesus takes its origin from the will of the Father joining us into one, and is constituted by the active, personal, united striving of all members to fulfill the divine will, with the Holy Spirit impelling and guiding us individually through responsible obedience to a life which is apostolic in many ways. It is a community of men who are called by Christ to live with Christ, to be conformed to Christ, to fulfill the work of Christ in themselves and among men. This is the foundation and aim of community life in the Society of Jesus.

3. The union of minds of the members among themselves and with their head, leading to personal holiness and at the same time to apostolic activity, flows from a love for our God and Lord, Jesus Christ, and is sustained and governed by the same love. When it is strengthened by mutual understanding, this love gives a community a way of finding God’s will for it with certainty. For this dialogue between superiors and subjects or between the members of the Society, whether it takes place man to man or as a community effort, becomes supernaturally meaningful when it is directed towards finding the divine will, cultivating fraternal love and promoting our work as apostles.

B. The Importance of Community Life for Religious Life

4. When community life flourishes, the whole religious life is sound. Obedience, for instance, is a very clear expression of our cooperation toward common ends, and it becomes more perfect to the extent that superiors and subjects are bound to one another in trust and service. Chastity is more safely preserved, “when there is a true brotherly love in community life between the members.” Poverty, finally, means that we have made ourselves poor by surrendering ourselves and our possessions to follow the Lord. Community life aids and assists us in this surrender in a great variety of ways, and in its own unique way is the support of poverty. When the religious life is thus strengthened, unity and flexibility, universality, full personal dedication, and the freedom of the Gospels, are also strengthened for the assistance of souls in every way. And this was the intention of the first companions.

In addition, community life itself is a manifold testimony for our contemporaries, especially since by it brotherly love and unity are fostered, by which all will know that we are disciples of Christ.

C. Conditions for Community Life

5. a. The principal bond of community life is love, by which our Lord and those to whom He has entrusted His mission of salvation are loved in a single act. By this love, which contains a real offering of one’s self to others, a true brotherhood in the Lord is formed, which constantly finds human expression in personal relationships and mutual regard, service, trust, counsel, edification, and encouragement of every kind.

More concretely, the following are increasingly necessary for community life in the Society of Jesus:

b. Exchange of information in the community, by which superiors and subjects are kept informed about common works and plans, and help each other with advice.

c. Frequent consultation with experts, to share their insights, and frequent consultation among the members of the community, aimed at actively engaging everyone in the process of coordinating and promoting the apostolate, and in other things which pertain to the good of the community.

d. Delegation, by which the superior willingly gives the members greater responsibility for special missions and projects, and makes use of the principle of subsidiarity. When responsibility of this kind grows, a common burden is carried by many, and the sense of community is increased.

e. Collaboration of every kind, transcending every sort of individualism, which is more necessary in contemporary circumstances than ever before for the apostolate of the Society and a more intimate way of living together.

f. A certain order of life which is determined by the conditions of life and work proper to each community. For this is a very apt means for making more efficacious both individual and community work, for making mutual interchange among members easier, and for creating those exterior and interior conditions of silence, recollection, and peace of mind, which are so useful for personal study, reflection, and especially prayer. In addition, it is a complement of charity itself and its realistic expression, as well as a sign of religious consecration and union in the service of Christ.

g. A feeling for the whole Society on the part of the members, which transcends local and personal limits, and in many ways helps community life itself, for each individual is included “as a member of one and the same body of the Society.” Therefore, the more clearly the members recognize that they are connected with the whole life and apostolate of the Society, the more community life will become psychologically and spiritually richer.

D. More Concrete Applications

6. a. In relation to the whole Society: The sense of belonging and responsibility of each individual toward the whole Society, which was mentioned in No. 5 g, is manifested in a knowledge of our history, our saints, our works, and our men, especially of those who are facing difficulties for the sake of Christ; in maintaining Ignatian mobility and flexibility with a view to helping any region of the Society whatsoever; in the practice of a generous hospitality towards all Jesuits.

b. In relation to neighboring houses and provinces: There should be more association between the fathers and brothers of different houses and provinces, so that they can help each other by this association and by the way their experiences complement one another. They should meet more frequently to discuss the apostolate, the religious life, the teaching of the Council, and new questions of theology, in order to improve their knowledge and enable them to act in basic unity. And one house should share with another material goods “so that those which have more may help those which are in need.”

7. In the houses of those who have final vows,

a. Since common prayer, especially the celebration of Mass and devotion to the Eucharist, is very helpful for tightening the bonds of community, all should faithfully fulfill the prescriptions of No. 15 of the Decree on Prayer.

b. Our community life should at the same time be improved by our common apostolic work. So we must promote the closest possible cooperation among Jesuits, both by having all or very many in a community devoted to the same work and by making use of small groups, to whom the superior can grant the powers he judges to be helpful for meeting the needs of the apostolate (see No. 5, d). Cooperation in work begins and is sustained by previous exchange of information on the community level, by encouraging one another’s efforts, and by various forms of consultation (see No. 5, b-c) beyond those prescribed in our law.

c. Priests, brothers, and scholastics should all associate with one another easily, in sincerity, evangelical simplicity, and courtesy, as is appropriate for a real family gathered together in the name of the Lord. As far as apostolic work or other occupations for the greater glory of God permit it, all of us, “esteeming the others in their hearts as better than themselves,” should be ready to help out in the common household chores.

d. The standard of living with regard to food, clothing, and furniture should be common to all so that, poor in fact and in spirit, differences may be avoided as far as possible. This does not prevent each one from having what is necessary for his work with the permission of the superior. But while he applies himself intensely to his own work, let each one also recognize his responsibility for the spiritual help and material sustenance of other members of the community.

e. Customs which are more suitable for monastic life shall not be introduced into our community life, nor those which are proper to seculars; much less, those which manifest a worldly spirit.

Let our relationship with all other men be such as can rightly be expected from a man consecrated to God and seeking the good of souls above all things; and it should include a proper regard for genuine fellowship with all other Jesuits.

Our houses should be open in genuine hospitality even to persons not members of the Society, especially to religious and to those who work with us.

f. Keeping in mind apostolic poverty and our witness to those among whom we must live, our houses should be made suitable for apostolic work, study, prayer, relaxation of mind and a friendly spirit, so that Jesuits will feel at home in their own house.

It can be a great help to the simplicity and intimacy of community life as well as to poverty if the house or place where we live and the house or place where we work or even where we study can be conveniently separated.

g. After consultation a simple daily order should be established which will suit our apostolic activities and the common good of the members, and which can be adjusted by the superior for good reason.

h. Those norms of community life which are to be observed uniformly in the houses of any region should be proposed at a meeting of the provincials, and after the approval of Father General are to be maintained with equal vigor by all the provincials.

8. In the houses of formation,

a. Our younger members, both scholastics and brothers, are to be prepared for that community life which has been proposed in the preceding numbers as proper to those living in the apostolate. But the pedagogical nature of the years of formation, the nature of the studies or activities in these houses, and the number of members, make some suitable adaptations of community life necessary.

b. In houses of formation there should be more room for common participation in some forms of prayer, especially for active and varied participation in a community celebration of the Eucharist, and for some short common prayer every day, to symbolize and deepen the religious bond which unites us in our Lord and by our Lord with the Society, the Church, and the world.

c. Each one’s sense of community, as a necessary prerequisite for the apostolic life of the Society, should be seriously tested and formed during these years. Candidates and those in the course of training should be examined with special attention to their ability to get along with people; it is to be considered as one of the signs of vocation to the Society.

d. The scholastics and brothers should in suitable ways be initiated into their community of work, whether it be in studies or other duties or in the apostolate, maintaining a suitable balance with individual work in depth, especially in studies, a balance which modern conditions seem to make rather difficult to preserve.

At the same time attention must be paid to education for dialogue among themselves and with superiors, for cooperation and obedience, in line with the suggestions made in other decrees of this Congregation, all of which tend to form men who are capable of making the best possible choices, with the help of supernatural illumination and sufficient advice from others.

e. A communal life, which according to No. 7 b-d, is based on the evangelical spirit of service, work, and authentic poverty, is to be made more perfect by a gradual participation of the young men in offices and consultations. This will help to develop their responsibility and a realistic sense of their vocation, while it shows “who they really are.”

f. The order of the day, mentioned in No. 5 f and No. 7 g, is to be faithfully observed particularly in houses of training, in order that due regard may be had for these values: the interior spiritual life which is to be fostered even by external helps; charity, or responsibility for those conditions of silence, recollection, etc., which aid the work, quiet, and prayer of others; the efficacy of personal and community work as well as our living together; the intrinsic and formative value of a well-considered rule, and the formative value of fidelity in carrying out those things God entrusts to us by obedience.

g. In due proportion and under direction, we should foster relationships between the younger members of different nations, either for the sake of higher studies or to learn modern languages, or for apostolic experiments. This will greatly increase understanding and unity in the Society in the future.

II. Religious Discipline

9. The life of the Society, its activity, and more concretely community life in it, is a cooperation of all members flowing from love. But according to the mind of our founder and the desires of the Church, it ought to be defined and ordered by rules. Rules are a safeguard for charity and a sign of the union of members, and they also constitute a real help for human weakness, a stimulus to individual responsibility; and a means of coordinating activities for the common good.

10. These rules pertain to the whole vital spiritual range of religious obedience, and their application to individuals is subject to the living rule of the direction of a superior. Therefore what this General Congregation has said about obedience, especially in No. 8 of the Decree on the Life of Obedience in the Society, should be recalled again here, since religious discipline in the Society of Jesus ought to be marked with the characteristics of Ignatian obedience. According to the will of the Church and the Vicar of Christ, again manifested to us, rules were written and are to be written to make clear the will of God “in order to make better progress in the way of divine service upon which we have entered.” They show us a way of loving which is concrete, constant, and personal, and they give us an externally uniform way of serving others. For the rule prepares us for a closer union with Christ and the Church. It leads us to Christ like a guardian, and therefore it ought to be accepted with that filial love with which it was given and which leads to the liberty of sons.

11. Understanding the observance of rules in this way, as a movement from love to love, we must say that it is a means of sanctification for everyone, a sanctification indeed ordered toward more fruitful apostolic action.

In addition, it is a way to human perfection, for this kind of observance of rule is neither an empty formalism nor a so-called self-alienation. In fact, since it sometimes requires a renunciation and denial of real values, by which denial we are associated with Christ, it leads to solid personal maturity.

12. Therefore religious discipline in the Society supposes and produces superiors and subjects who are obedient men, mature in a Christian way.

For it is the task of superiors to seek diligently the will of God even with the help of advice from others about the most suitable means, and to decide what is to be done, and then to express their decisions clearly. It is also their duty to foster the observance of rules and to adapt them to individuals as circumstances require. The most efficacious means of obtaining this is that they stand before their subjects as living examples who will continually draw the rest to fidelity and generosity in the service of the Lord.

But their greatest duty is to lead their subjects, especially the younger ones, to an ever increasing formation in responsibility and freedom, so that they observe rules not in the spirit of fear but from an intimate personal conviction rooted in faith and charity.

Subjects, for their part, should foster a love for the rules by constant reading and meditation on the Constitutions, from which they can draw the genuine spirit which should pervade our way of life. In fact, from a familiarity with the text of our founder we can gather what importance many of the rules have for the perfection of our own vocation and for the apostolic mission of the Society, so that with hearts full of love we may set ourselves to observe them.

13. Discipline, however, is not to be sought in itself and for itself. Its purpose is “to enable us to accomplish God’s will in all things more honestly and with greater praise and merit.” A dynamic resolve to accomplish this when faced with the variety of constantly new challenges which face the Church should make all, superiors and subjects alike, attentive to the signs of the times. They must read these signs with God’s help and be ready to propose in due time suitable revisions of the rules, which will remove things which are obsolete and out of place, strengthen what is still vital, and open up paths which are perhaps new and more likely to lead us to our goal.

Rules, however, remain in force until they arc revoked or changed by competent authority.

III. Revision of the Rules

14. A revision of the rules is entrusted to Father General for completion as soon as possible, according to the principles of the Church, so that some common norms may be established for the whole Society. These will of necessity be few in number, rather general, brief, as far as possible expressed in a positive way and organically ordered, and solidly based in theology, so as to signify and bring about the union of the members. It should be left to the provincials to determine with the approbation of Father General more particular norms for individual provinces.

15. The rules of the Summary and the Common Rules are to be within the competence of the General. Therefore, in the Collection of Decrees, decree 3, §2, 3°, the words “Summary of the Constitutions” and “Common Rules” are now deleted.

16. The General is commissioned to issue Ordinations dealing with the matters presently contained in the Collection of Decrees, decrees 48; 52, §2; 61; 65–72. The power is also given to him to suspend, from the day on which he promulgates each Ordination of this sort, the related decrees, until the next congregation, with the consent of the General Assistants.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 19, “Community Life and Religious Discipline,” pg. 129–137 [312–357].

The last of the decrees of the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus to deal with Jesuits’ religious life addressed the topic of “reading at table,” the practice of having texts read aloud as members silently ate meals. Often the reading was from the Jesuits’ Constitutions (or its summary, but it also came from histories or other texts. In the following document, the delegates ask the new superior general to make “prudent arrangements” for instituting changes to the longstanding practice. Any changes would have to reflect localized differences. The delegates note, though, that the superior general’s changes would have to address the loss of the monthly readings of the summary of the Constitutions. They mandate that the superior general “take measures effectively to preserve and foster this knowledge” of the Constitutions.

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1. After careful consideration of the reasons advanced for introducing changes in the present directives for reading at table and in light of the variety of circumstances prevailing in various parts of the Society, the General Congregation turns over to Father General the task of making prudent arrangements for the practice in each province or region.

2. To prevent a decline in knowledge of the Constitutions as a consequence of discontinuing the monthly reading of the Summary of the Constitutions at table, the General Congregation recommends to Father General that he take measures effectively to preserve and foster this knowledge, either by restoring the monthly reading of the Summary, or by determining that key paragraphs of these Constitutions should be read in order at table, or by some other more suitable method.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 20, “Reading at Table,” pg. 137 [358–359].

The delegates of the 31st General Congregation assessed the apostolic works of the Society of Jesus and acknowledged that “our labors” were not yielding the desired results. The decree below credits some poor results to a failure to “renew our apostolic or missionary spirit” and a “too great scattering of our forces.” The main reason for the shortcomings, however, and the reason for the following decree was the Jesuits’ collective “failure adequately to adapt our ministries to the changed conditions of our times.” The decree is the delegates’ attempt to give reasons and parameters for such changes to Jesuit ministries. It also notes “some fields of the apostolate which today deserve special attention,” such as higher education, labor and professional groups, the education of youth, and international organizations that “aim at bringing together organically every sector of the world.” The decree closes noting the “urgency” for a “renewal and adaptation in the choice and promotion of our ministries” and calling for a commission to further study the matter (the delegates established this commission with a subsequent decree).

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1. While the 31st General Congregation recognized the hard work that our Society puts into its apostolic ministries, at the same time it notes that our labors have not produced all the results that we could rightly expect, if one considers the proportion between the efforts and the results achieved.

Part of the reason for this is our failure at times continually to renew our apostolic or missionary spirit and to maintain the union which the instrument should have with God, or our neglect of “moderation in labors of soul and body” or a too great scattering of our forces; but the principal reason is our failure adequately to adapt our ministries to the changed conditions of our times.

2. Hence, not a few doubts are being raised whether some of our works have become obsolete or are in need of a profound renewal at least in regard to the way in which they are carried on. On the other hand, new fields of apostolic labor invite us, fields which seem to be of very great importance for spreading the faith and imbuing the world with the spirit of Christ and are at the same time entirely in harmony with the particular spirit of our Society. Likewise, other apostolic forces are frequently found in the Church today which in a special way cultivate this or that field of the apostolate, so that our work in almost the same field has lost its note of urgency. Finally, we need to be more available to take on those ministries which answer the urgent pastoral needs of the modern church and the special missions of the Roman Pontiff. For these missions, in keeping with our distinctive spirit, we should be particularly ready.

3. Weighing all these points, the General Congregation judges that the Society still retains a capacity for renewal and adaptation to our time. This capacity comes from the unique flexibility given to our Institute by the Holy Spirit and from the varied and widespread experience of our men in so many fields of the apostolate. Renewal and adaptation require a continual revision of the choice and promotion of our ministries. Such a revision moreover answers the express wishes of the Fathers of Vatican II for renewal and adaptation in the religious life.

Therefore, it seems that certain more general orientations should be set down in this matter.

A. The Norms for Renewal

4. All Jesuits, especially superiors, to whom the choice of ministries belongs “as the most important task of all,” must work very hard at bringing about this renewal of our ministries. The norms for renewal are found in the Constitutions themselves. Much light is shed on these norms by the decrees of the general congregations and the Instructions of the Fathers General. While retaining their perennial validity, these norms must always be rightly applied to historical circumstances. But it is especially from a renewed and profound study of our spiritual heritage that this renewal must be drawn. The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius can pour into us the spirit of magnanimity and indifference, of firm decision and reformation, a renewal, that is to say, of our activity or of the means for reaching our goal more successfully through the light of those well-known principles: the greater service of God, the more universal good, the more pressing need, the great importance of a future good and special care of those significant ministries for which we have special talent.

B. Certain Dispositions Required for This Adaptation

5. In order to use these norms correctly and effectively, there is especially needed that union of the instrument with God which comes from faith and charity. From this union, above all else, comes the efficacy of our apostolate; and this union cannot be supplied for by other gifts of the merely natural order.

6. This familiarity with God, moreover, because of the union of our apostolate with the mission of the Incarnate Word, calls for not less, but closer involvement in this world. This demands certain dispositions of soul which will better serve this purpose.

a. The contemporary world, shaken by such rapid and profound changes, demands of us the capacity to recognize this process. This ability to recognize change is, as it were, the humility that befits us as creatures, a humility that makes us open and faithful to all creation so that, discovering the will of God in these processes, we may bring about a continual renewal and adaptation of our apostolate.

b. Besides, the closer social relations now being formed among men and nations, in a world that is on its way to becoming unified, demand of us the spirit of fraternal dialogue, mutual reverence and a sense of complementarity and collaboration in action.

c. livelier awareness of human progress and of temporal values, the abuse of which frequently leads to a denial of religion and of God Himself, is a consideration also of great importance in the apostolate. For in apostolic work, whose true goal is to announce to men the mystery of Christ who is at work in us and in the world, it is man in his entire life and concrete existence who must be reached.

C. Our Cooperation with Others in the Apostolate

7. In keeping with the mind of Vatican II in its theological and pastoral teaching, the provincials are invited to a close collaboration with those whom the Holy Spirit has placed to rule the church of God. Keeping ourselves available in the first place to the Holy See, let all Jesuits and especially superiors propose to themselves “to follow the plans, judgments and works of the hierarchy and to bring them to completion and be animated by the dynamic spirit of fellowship.” Therefore, let our works be harmonized with the pastoral programs of the bishops, especially by means of our collaboration as religious with the conferences of bishops. Let us be eager to render apostolic service to priests and to those aspiring to the priesthood.

8. Collaboration with other religious is also to be commended, keeping intact, however, the character of each order. Spiritual helps which are asked for by other religious societies are to be gladly supplied. For this purpose the conferences of major superiors will be of great service.

9. An extensive and sincere collaboration with the laity is likewise to be commended. For in the works of our Society, our own responsibility for their inspiration, orientation and direction must be shared in a certain definite way by the laity. In the expanse, moreover, of the whole Church, serious care must be fostered to help the laity to grow and become true men and Christians, fully conscious of their own responsibility toward the Church and the world. This is especially true of those lay persons (men and women) who, because of their greater importance for the universal good of the Church, deserve special spiritual attention. Finally, contacts of true friendship with the laity in secular associations and in the multiple circumstances of daily life manifest our attentive presence to the concrete existence of man, express a form of charity and constitute a real beginning of the apostolate; at the same time they will enrich us interiorly and make us more human in exercising our apostolic work.

10. With regard to the universal Church, lastly, let the Society provide cooperation in the same spirit of service, through centers that organize apostolic action.

D. Some Fields of the Apostolate Which Today Deserve Special Attention

11. The world of our day is marked by certain characteristics, namely, the progress of higher education, the advance of professional life, the increasing proportion of younger people, international organizations and the serious needs of some parts of the world. Hence it comes about that certain fields of modern life have acquired a special urgency, fields that must be considered among the other works laudably carried on by our Society:

a. the field, namely, of higher education, especially in the positive sciences through which scientific research and the technical arts are advanced;

b. the field of labor and professional groups, especially those in greater need;

c. the education of youth, especially that part which, it is foreseen, will have greater influence in the life of the Church and the world;

d. international organizations which aim at bringing together organically every sector of the world, an activity whose importance for the whole of mankind can scarcely be exaggerated;

e. certain geographical regions where the very great increase in population, the rapid evolution in social, economic and political life, hunger and many other miseries of every sort, as well as the bitter struggle between the Christian conception of life and opposed ideologies, demand strong apostolic efforts without delay;

f. in addition, in regions which are traditionally Christian, we must expend a great deal of effort on behalf of those who are called “neopagans,” those namely who are infected with either theoretical or practical atheism.

12. With great eagerness, let all Jesuits undertake those apostolic works which are calculated to implement the constitutions and decrees of Vatican II, always keeping in mind the proper character of our Institute. Missions, moreover, which the Supreme Pontiff may wish to entrust to our Society at any time and in any part of the world, we are to place in the category of the highest priority. Hence, the commission to oppose atheism which Paul VI has given to us, we should accept with grateful eagerness.

13. Let our entire Society renew its missionary spirit in keeping with the Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church (Ad Gentes), since our Society was founded to spread the faith.

14. In developing the apostolate of the Society in the world of today, the use and vitalization of the means of social communication should be promoted more every day. These mass media go far toward shaping the modern mind, and they lead us to a manner of expression which is adapted to the temper of present-day man.

15. Since experience shows that we have not lacked well-ordered norms admirably composed by the Fathers General nor the sincere wish of the whole Society nor decrees calling for an adaptation, we must now use the means that will more effectively put all these forces into operation. For this purpose, besides the awareness which must of necessity be made more sensitive in the whole Society to the urgency of renewal and adaptation in the choice and promotion of our ministries, the setting up of special commissions will be of great service to the Fathers Provincial and even to Father General in the choice of ministries and in organizing our apostolate.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 21, “The Better Choice and Promotion of Ministries,” pg. 141–145 [360–379].

Building off observations from a previous decree, the delegates of the 31st General Congregation use this following document to call for the establishment of a commission to develop “an overall review” of apostolic ministries in the Society of Jesus. The intention of the commission, according to the decree, is “to promote the better choice of ministries and some long-range planning.” The commission was to be created by the provincials, and the provincials also received the responsibility to “decide on the reorganization and promotion of ministries and to determine whether or not, if conditions have perhaps changed, further studies by the commission are needed.”

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1. To promote the better choice of ministries and some long­-range planning, a commission should be set up as an aid to the provincial and under his authority.

2. The task of this commission will be, after careful study, to advise on an overall review of ministries. This will involve making suggestions as to which ought to be kept or dropped and which ought to be renewed or begun for the first time. We should always keep in mind social conditions and pastoral programs, the supply of apostolic forces that is at hand or hoped for, the more pressing needs, and the help which ought to be given Father General for more universal works.

3. The provincial should appoint to such a commission those Jesuits who have sufficient experience in the ministries of the Society, and also experts in those special disciplines (e.g., pastoral theology and the sociology of religion) that are of greater importance for a reconsideration of the matter. If it is necessary, experts from outside the Society, even lay persons, should be called in at the right moment.

4. When the commission has in due time gathered its information, it should place before the provincial the conclusions of its investigation and deliberate on them in a meeting together with the consultors of the province at least once a year.

5. After everything has been considered in this fashion, it will be the task of the provincial to decide on the reorganization and promotion of ministries and to determine whether or not, if conditions have perhaps changed, further studies by the commission are needed.

6. In order to achieve a more effective coordination of the apostolate in a given region, boards of provincials, where they already exist or where it might seem good to set them up, can be greatly helped by a similar interprovincial commission linked with the provincial commissions. In regions that are sufficiently homogeneous, a single interprovincial commission can be instituted in place of commissions for the individual provinces.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 22, “The Commission for Promoting the Better Choice of Ministries,” pg. 146 [380–385].

The following decree of the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus responds to several postulata (or petitions) received that contained different concerns on the nature of a Jesuit’s priestly work. Many postulata, according to historian John Padberg, expressed a “fear” that “the present-day Society be too much given over to apostolic works of the temporal order,” when those works could be often done by lay people. Other postulate wished the congregation would state that works for “the good of the Church,” such as research and educating youth, could be considered priestly exercises (see the congregation’s historical preface in Jesuit Life & Mission Today (2009), pg. 25–26). In response to these conflicting opinions, the delegates issued the following the decree. It notes that “the place and role of the priest is being variously envisioned by many today” but does not attempt to enter into the theological debate o the topic. Instead, it states that God calls each priest “through his ordination to exercise his priesthood in the concrete circumstances of his life” and that through the disparate works “all Jesuits,” in fact, “share together in the one total apostolate exercised by the Society as a priestly body.”

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I. Introduction

1. From the Society’s beginning and throughout its history, Jesuit priests have always given themselves to the ministry of God’s word and Christ’s sacraments and to other works as well for the sake of churches and nations. Today, too, as members of a single body they are at work in many different fields.

But the manifold changes that mark the present age demand that the Society reassess its works, adapting them to present and, as far as possible, to future circumstances. For relationships within the Church are being profoundly transformed: the laity is assuming its proper active role; the union of priests with each other and with their bishops is coming to the fore; all are being stirred to a sense of responsibility for the good of the Church as a whole. Relationships between the Church and the world, too, are being transformed: for while the lawful autonomy of earthly values is being more expressly recognized, at the same time the intimate connection between the Gospel and the earthly progress and service of the human family is being more vividly perceived. Finally, the proportion of priests to a growing population and its increased needs is being lessened, so that a better distribution of priests is demanded.

Due to these changes, the place and role of the priest is being variously envisioned by many today. Some think the Jesuit priest should be engaged solely in directly pastoral work; others desire that he should be more fully present in the areas where man’s secular efforts are being expended. Some hope that the early vigor of the Society will be recaptured if the priestly ministry is purified of all so-called accidental forms; others believe a more universal good will emerge if no limits are placed on the scope of priestly activity.

It is not for the General Congregation to settle theological differences on the priestly role and ministry. We intend, however, to recall some principles of the Catholic faith and of the Jesuit Institute and to draw from them several criteria which may help the Society and its members to determine, according to the talent given each by the Lord of the vineyard and according to their vocation in the Church, what works our priests ought to engage in principally, and what works ought rather to be left to others.

2. Some principles pertinent to the matter under dispute and drawn from the teaching of Vatican II will help us resolve this problem.

All members of the People of God share in Christ’s priesthood and in the one mission of the Church; but different degrees or states bring different functions, though these are ordered to and complement each other.

Priests “by the power of the sacrament of orders, and in the image of Christ the eternal High Priest…are considered to preach the Gospel, shepherd the faithful, and celebrate divine worship…. They exercise this sacred function of Christ most of all in the Eucharistic liturgy…. For the penitent or ailing among the faithful, priests exercise fully the ministry of reconciliation and alleviation…. Exercising within the limits of their authority the function of Christ as Shepherd and Head, they gather together God’s family as a brotherhood all of one mind and lead them in the Spirit, through Christ, to God the Father.”

This priestly ministry, within the unity of the presbyteral order, embraces various functions: evangelization of non­believers, catechesis, parochial or supraparochial ministry, scientific research or teaching, participation in the life and toil of workers, and many other activities that are apostolic or ordered to the apostolate.

It is indeed characteristic of laymen, passing their lives as they do in the midst of the world and amid secular tasks, that they be led by the spirit of the Gospel to “work for the sanctification of the world from within, in the manner of leaven. In this way they can make Christ known to others especially by the testimony of a life resplendent in faith, hope, and charity.” Yet such an apostolate is not theirs alone; priests, too, in their own way, share it, and must, moreover, effectively help laymen in their apostolic task in the Church and the world.

Religious, finally, are called from both the clerical and the lay state to be consecrated and entirely dedicated to loving God above all, and by their special charism within the Church’s life to bear witness that “the world cannot be transfigured and offered to God without the spirit of the beatitudes,” and thus each in his own way will forward the saving mission of the Church.

3. The overall guiding norm for our own apostolate, as is clear from our holy founder’s special charism, from the Formula of the Instituteand the Constitutions, and from the Society’s living tradition, is the greater service of God and the more universal good of souls, to be striven for in the greatest possible docility to God’s will as manifested to us in the Church and the circumstances of each age, but especially through the Roman Pontiff.

The Society itself is made up of various members; “according to the grace imparted to them by the Holy Spirit and the specific quality of their vocation,” some are priests, some not. Yet all with one mind strive for the single apostolic end set before the whole body of the Society.

As for priestly functions, both the Formula of the Institute and the Constitutions clearly state that the Society’s priests are destined “above all…for every form of ministry of the word” and for the administration of the sacraments. Yet other works are not only not excluded but expressly commended to priests, “as shall be judged best for God’s glory and the common good.”

In defining more accurately the supreme norm of our apostolate, Ignatius says: “Those of the Society may devote their energies to spiritual objectives and also to corporal ones, in which, too, mercy and charity are practiced…; if both cannot be achieved simultaneously, then, other things being equal, the former are always to be preferred to the latter.” With the words “other things being equal,” St. Ignatius instructs us that the principle of the preeminence of spiritual works is itself subordinate to his supreme and fundamental norm.

4. If criteria for our activity are to be derived correctly from the principles given, the following distinctions must be kept in mind.

In dealing with the priesthood, careful distinction must be made between its essential nature as grounded in Christ’s institution, and the concrete historical forms in which that nature is, as it were, variously incarnated in divergent cultures, social structures, and patterns of custom. The nature of Christian priesthood is a matter of dogma and thus unchangeable; concrete forms, on the other hand, are to be adapted to the specific contemporary situation, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the guidance of the hierarchy, and according to the standards of prudence.

All Jesuits, scholastics and brothers included (in schools, for instance, and in other communal works), share together in the one total apostolate exercised by the Society as a priestly body. Each priest, however, is called by God through his ordination to exercise his priesthood in the concrete circumstances of his life.

To grasp this priestly vocation more fully, other distinctions must be made. A priest of the Society is a man created by God and placed amid a certain people. He is a man baptized and confirmed and therefore, as a “brother among brothers,” he shares in the priesthood common to all the faithful. Furthermore, he is a religious, and a religious of the Society: as a religious he has by vow consecrated himself to God in the Church to be “an admirable sign of the heavenly kingdom”; as a member of the Society, he lives his religious consecration in an apostolic body. He is, in addition, a priest, taken into the presbyteral order, which is in hierarchical communion with the episcopal order at whose head is Peter’s successor.

Each priest must integrate all these aspects of his life into a unified, personal, concrete spirituality; he must, with the interior help of the Holy Spirit and under the guidance of superiors, bring them to fulfillment in an organic and vital unity. In priestly activity and spirituality, then, we need to avoid all one-sided solutions and tendencies; for then some single aspect, be it humanistic, religious, or priestly, is so stressed that the others fade into the background because of this stress.

The 31st General Congregation, with the foregoing exposition of principles in mind, establishes the following.

II. Decree

5. The manifold activity of priests in the Society flows from the nature and mission of the priesthood and from the distinctive grace and overall guiding norm of our Institute.

6. Since priests by their ordination as assistants, of subordinate rank, to the episcopal order, are consecrated for the manifold ministry of the word, for the administration of the sacraments, and for the pastoral rule of the family of God, these forms of ministerial apostolate are deservedly to be held in special esteem.

7. Since, however, Christ, Head of the Church, is integrating the whole world into a kingdom for the Father, it is for the priest, as sign and minister of the Lord’s active presence, to be present in or to collaborate with all human efforts which help in establishing the kingdom.

8. Since today such collaboration is urgently needed in preparing the way for the Gospel and in establishing or extending the Church’s presence by scholarly research and teaching, especially in the sacred sciences, by social work and work in communications media, this type of collaboration ought to be regarded as a genuine apostolate for the Society’s priests. Especially indeed ought we be concerned with areas critical for the human person as a whole, such as the sciences of man and the education of youth.

9. Although the General Congregation intends to offer brothers greater opportunity for all such apostolic works and responsibilities as suit their state, and while, on the other hand, it also desires a greater collaboration with laymen in the apostolate, this does not at all imply—as is clear from what has already been said—that the Society’s priests are to be diverted from fields more proper to laymen or the brothers.

10. The choice of one or other apostolate is to be made according to the criteria set down in the Decree on the Better Choice and Promotion of Ministries, where the Ignatian guiding norm is applied to the contemporary situation with a view to reaching the best possible balance in our ministries.

11. In assigning priests to various ministries, superiors should look, as our founder did, not only to existing apostolic needs, but also to the call and particular gifts of those to be assigned. All, however, should cultivate the greatest possible docility to the divine will and thus be ready to meet the more pressing and universal needs of the Church, expressed to them through superiors.

12. Priests of the Society whose apostolate lies primarily in areas of temporal concern, united with all other priests in one total priestly ministry for the sake of men, should bring their priesthood to bear upon all their activity, especially through prayer, though the witness of their lives, and through the Holy Eucharist, which “contains the Church’s entire spiritual wealth, that is, Christ Himself,” and through which men and all created reality are brought to the Father.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 23, “The Jesuit Priestly Apostolate,” pg. 147–152 [386–413].

The following decree is the attempt of the delegates of the 31st General Congregation to explain the nature and reaffirm the purpose of Jesuit missionary work within the context of the Second Vatican Council. It attributes to Ignatius and his companions the reason why Jesuits have the “task of announcing the Gospel that God in His providence called, along with other heralds of the Gospel.” The decree also lists five means for Jesuits to “achieve fully the genuine goal of mission activity” as well as directives to ensure that the “missionary character of the whole Society” is made “evident in its works.”

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. From the “fountain of love” which is God the Father, mankind has been freely created and graciously called to form a community of sons in the Son; for by the mission of the Son, God “determined to intervene in human history in a way both new and definitive.”

The only-begotten Son has been sent by the Father to save what was lost, and through the Holy Spirit, to unite men who were redeemed by Him into one Mystical Body which is the Church.

As the Son was sent by the Father, He in turn sent the apostles as heralds of saving charity, giving them this solemn command: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them…and behold, I am with you all days, even unto the consummation of the world.”

Heeding the mandate of Christ, the Church “continues unceasingly to send heralds of the Gospel until such time as the infant churches are fully established and can themselves carry on the work of evangelizing.” Thus, “the specific purpose of this missionary activity is evangelization and the planting of the Church among those peoples and groups where she has not yet taken root.”

2. It was for this task of announcing the Gospel that God in His providence called, along with other heralds of the Gospel, our holy Father Ignatius and his companions. God set their hearts on fire with a zeal which made them desire at first to go to Jerusalem to help nonbelievers. And when this project proved impossible, this same zeal urged them to offer themselves without reservation to the Vicar of Christ so that he might show them what part of the Lord’s vineyard stood most in need of their labors.

And so the new-born Society, by this commitment to Christ’s Vicar, was established as an apostolic order for work “among believers and nonbelievers” and was made an intimate sharer in the mission mandate of the entire Church.

As part of the pilgrim Church, therefore, the Society has embraced as strongly as it can the Church’s universal mission, and is so alive with this missionary spirit that it necessarily communicates to its members a zeal for souls great enough to make both the defense of the faith and its propagation one and the same vocation. The Formula of the Institute approved by Julius III described this quite aptly: “Whoever wishes to fight under the banner of the cross in our Society…should seriously consider himself part of the Society established chiefly for this, that it especially labor for the defense and propagation of the faith….”

3. The 31st General Congregation keeps before its eyes those serious words of the Second Vatican Council: “The present historical situation is leading humanity into a new stage. As the salt of the earth and the light of the world, the Church is summoned with special urgency to save and renew every creature.” It is also aware of the large segment of mankind that is not yet Christian. Accordingly, this Congregation establishes that the following means be earnestly employed in order that Jesuits may better respond to their own mission calling and to the desires of the Church.

4. Jesuits should be convinced that activity aimed at spreading the Church among those groups and peoples where it is not yet fully established is not a work reserved merely for some Jesuits who may have received a kind of second vocation. Rather, all Jesuits, with the same zeal and for the same basic reason, should strive to respond to this mission vocation with largeness of spirit. Every Jesuit, therefore, and not only those who so petition, may be sent to the missions by reason of his vocation to the Society. Those of the Society, moreover, who were born in mission lands ought to be clearly aware of their serious responsibility for planting the Church with deep roots in their own countries. But even these men should be prepared to undertake mission service among other peoples.

Superiors, however, ought to select for the missions those who are men of solid virtue, who are clearly flexible, and who are capable not only of learning languages, but also of fitting into a new culture. Among those chosen there should be some who have the intellectual capacity to become outstanding in the intellectual apostolate, and in scientific, cultural and religious research.

5. All Jesuits dedicated to missionary activity, according to the spirit of the Second Vatican Council, should try to walk “the same road which Christ walked: a road of poverty and obedience, of service and self-sacrifice to the death, from which death He came forth a victor by His resurrection. For thus did all the apostles walk in hope.”

In order that the Society may respond more fully both to the contemporary needs of the Church and to its own essential vocation, every effort should be made to increase the proportion of members in mission work. It is especially desirable that this increase in the missionary activity of the Society develop out of the fostering of vocations in mission lands themselves. Superiors must be convinced, therefore, that this formation of members who come from the newly established churches themselves is the most important contribution to mission work that the Society can make.

6. In order to achieve fully the genuine goal of mission activity, Jesuits engaged in this work should be aware of the following:

a. It is according to the spirit of the Second Vatican Council that “the young churches, rooted in Christ and built upon the foundation of the apostles, take to themselves in a wonderful exchange all the riches of the nations which were given to Christ as an inheritance.” All Jesuits, therefore, who work among other peoples, should not only treat individual persons with charity, and the positive elements of their religions with reverence, but in everything which does not run counter to Christian faith and sensibility, they should highly esteem the culture, customs and traditions of these peoples.

b. The principal means for the work of planting the Church, and the one recommended above all others, is the preaching of the Gospel. But where the direct preaching of the Gospel is for the time being impossible, Jesuits must strive in every other method they use “to bear witness to Christ by charity and by works of mercy.”

c. The work of education “by means of different kinds of schools, which should be considered not only as an outstanding means for forming and developing Christian youth, but also as a service of supreme value to men, especially in the developing nations,” should be ranked very high. Education can, in this way, become an excellent form of preaching whereby all the human values found in the culture of those people who are not yet Christian are embraced, raised up, and offered to God the Father through the Church.

For the same reason, students who leave their native land to study abroad and who are very often in need of spiritual assistance should receive brotherly care and attention. Young people of this kind—and others too, whether they be workers or members of other classes—should be helped to fit into the social and Catholic life of the people among whom they dwell. In areas, therefore, where foreigners such as these are found, it recommended that provincials be ready and willing to assign some Jesuits to this kind of work.

d. Although no type of ministry is foreign to the Society, nevertheless, those works should be chosen first which are more urgent or more universal. Among these, special mention ought to be made of cooperation in the formation of diocesan clergy, cooperation in the formation of religious men and women, the formation of the laity for the apostolate, the use of communications media, the social apostolate, ecumenical work, by which the reason for scandal arising from the division among Christians is removed, and dialogue with non-Christian religions.

e. “For building up of the body of Christ,” cooperation with bishops is important, as is collaboration in a fraternal spirit with both diocesan and religious clergy, and participation in conferences of religious.

7. All Jesuits applied to the missions should be thoroughly prepared and sent as soon as possible, although the proper time will depend on the qualities of individuals and the conditions of the regions.

This preparation, for those who are assigned abroad or for those who come from the young churches themselves, should include, according to the needs of each one, a sufficient knowledge of the language, history, culture and religion of the people. All of these are to be kept in mind throughout their entire formation, but especially during the time of philosophy and theology.

Moreover, all Jesuits the world over should be sufficiently instructed in the theology of the missions and should try to nourish their zeal for souls by means of constant communication from the missions.

8. The missionary character of the whole Society should make itself evident in its works. For this reason:

1° a. Provinces should consider the mission works that are entrusted to them as an integral part of the province, on the same level as the other works of the province. They should help these mission works with money and men, and with a greater enthusiasm where the needs are more pressing. This applies as well to those areas that have already been erected as independent vice-provinces and provinces.

b. After assuming office, provincials should visit the mission works that are under their care in order to acquaint themselves with their needs, and they are to be liberal in extending help to these missions.

c. It is recommended that in provinces responsible for mission works there be a father who is knowledgeable in mission affairs and has the missions as his particular responsibility. He will furnish needed advice to the provincial and to the consultors in planning the apostolic works of the province.

2° Let Jesuits diligently promote the work of the missions among all the faithful, and foster missionary vocations.

3° It is very important that knowledge of the missions be more and more widely circulated by mission periodicals or even other types of periodicals.

4° Each Jesuit, according to his own ability, should help to encourage and fulfill the aspirations of those lay people who wish to be of service to the developing nations. The Society throughout the world has the opportunity to instill Christian inspiration into the social and economic endeavors undertaken by various other institutions for the good of those nations.

5° For better information, coordination, and cooperation among Jesuits and for the benefit of those engaged in mission service, the Mission Secretariat should be enlarged.

9. The 31st General Congregation desires that the Society for its part offer itself to the service of the Church in its worldwide mission, so that “the splendor of God which brightens the face of Jesus Christ may shine upon all men through the Holy Spirit.”

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 24, “Mission Service,” pg. 153–157 [414–442].

This brief decree from the 31st General Congregation is a companion to a previous decree on missionary service by Jesuits. The decree responds to requests by Jesuits that it be easier for missionaries to return to their original provinces from time to time. It notes that such returns would benefit the missionary as well as the mission. It also suggests provincials have oversight of the frequency of the travels. Such returns were not as easy in previous centuries, when a missionary’s travels were often one-way journeys.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

A return to the province of origin is considered something normal for the benefit both of the missions and of the missionaries. With regard to its frequency, the general norms to be established by Father General must be observed, their application according to the situation being left to the provincials.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 25, “Journeys by Missionaries,” pg. 158 [443].

According to historian John Padberg, the delegates of the 31st General Congregation issued the following decree in response to requests that “the spirit and work of ecumenism be promoted in the Society” (see the congregation’s historical preface in Jesuit Life & Mission Today (2009), pg. 26–27). The decree expresses the Jesuits’ “filial devotion” to the statements on ecumenism emerging from the Second Vatican Council. It also recommends training for Jesuits to, in part, “avoid prejudices and offensive modes of speech.” The decree provides several guidelines for the “practice of ecumenism.” Prior to the decree’s approval, the delegates heard remarks by Augustin Bea, a Jesuit cardinal and head of the Secretariat for the Union of Christians.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

I. Introduction

1. Together with all the faithful the Society of Jesus welcomes with filial devotion the Decree on Ecumenism (Unitatis Redintegratio), the Decree on Eastern Catholic Churches (Orientalium Ecclesiarum), and the Declaration on Religious Freedom (Dignitatis Humanae) as they come from the Second Vatican Council. The 31st General Congregation urges that through their prayer and study all members of the Society make the spirit and teaching of these decrees their own. They are to be mindful that the ecumenical frame of mind itself, as well as all ecumenical activity, is founded on the spirit of truth and sincerity, a spirit of progressive interior renewal and especially the spirit of love. They are to pursue with their holy desires and prayers that full unity which the Father Him­ self is preparing through the Holy Spirit for the Church of Christ, His Son. Let them be aware that they are now being gathered together with other Christians in a genuine form of communion, and together with them they are to realize that they are brothers as well of all who believe in God and adore Him.

2. The 31st General Congregation, humbly acknowledging the sins against unity committed by members of the Society, whether in the past or in more recent times, joins with the Council itself in recalling the witness of John: “To say that we have never sinned is to call God a liar and to show that His word is not in us.” “Thus, in humble prayer, we beg pardon of God and of our separated brethren, just as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

3. Therefore the 31st General Congregation proposes to offer certain practical directives to Jesuits. These should be applied with due account being taken of each one’s training, of local circumstances, and particularly of the directives of the hierarchy.

II. The Ecumenical Education of Jesuits

4. For a suitable training of Jesuits in the matter of ecumenism the following recommendations are offered. During the time of their studies, scholastics are to acquire a solid knowledge of the history of the separated churches and communities and of their spirituality. The course in sacred theology provided for the theologians should be in harmony with the ecumenical spirit. Where for various considerations it seems opportune, special courses are to be given in Eastern theology and in that of the Reformation. In the lectures on pastoral theology attention is also to be given to the sometimes very difficult problems which can arise in certain regions from contacts with other religions. Professors are to be sure that the facts of history and of doctrine also are interpreted with calm objectivity. And finally, all are to avoid prejudices and offensive modes of speech, and they are to eliminate entirely “words, judgments and actions which do not truly correspond with the situation of our separated brethren, since they are neither true nor fair, and thus make our relations with them more strained.”

5. An education in ecumenism is not a matter of the intellect alone, but must be part of one’s spiritual formation as well, since a truly ecumenical spirit cannot be had without a change of heart.

6. All are to be mindful that personal contact with the separated brethren is of the highest value in wiping out age-old prejudices, in coming to a better knowledge of their faith, their love of Christ, and their spiritual life, as well as the difficulties, even of conscience, which they experience in regard to the Catholic Church.

For this reason, where it can be done fruitfully, professors or ministers of other confessions are, on appropriate occasions, to be invited to give lectures. They are to be received fraternally and Jesuits are to accept their invitations willingly in return.

If, moreover, there is a seminary of another confession near our scholasticate, it can be helpful to provide for the scholastics some opportunity for contacts with their colleagues.

7. Due consideration being had for their religious formation and the offices they hold, brothers are to be informed in the matter of ecumenism so that by prayer, suitable understanding, and such personal contacts as fall to them, they too may participate in this activity of the Society.

8. Provision is to be made that some of our men are prepared as experts in ecumenical matters according to the requirements of different regions. They are to learn to grasp fully the doctrine and the spiritual life both of Catholics and of separated brethren. Thus they will be equipped to give accurate instruction to our scholastics; to be available with their counsel and collaboration for the works of the province, in the colleges, in the parishes, and the like; to take competent part in ecumenical meetings and, finally, by study and writing, to foster ecumenical theology and contribute to its advance.

III. The Practice of Ecumenism

9. A dignified and reverent celebration of the liturgy, both of the Eucharist and of the other sacraments, often contributes more to the elimination of prejudice than learned argument. Moreover, where the local bishop permits it, Jesuits are to take part with our separated brethren in some public forms of common prayer, especially prayer for the grace of union. The octave of prayer for Church unity, which is customarily celebrated annually in many places, is warmly recommended to Jesuits.

10. The study and use of Sacred Scripture is to be encouraged. Of itself this is a great contribution to the unity of Catholics with other Christians. The greater the influence of Sacred Scripture on our spirituality, liturgical worship, and theology, the closer will be the union of all believers in Christ. For then they will be drawing the water of salvation from a common spring.

11. The Society should stand ready to offer whole-hearted assistance to others within the Church who are engaged in this same work of ecumenism and likewise to receive help from them. Such collaboration is itself a sign of the unity present in the Church and at the same time a source of inspiration for promoting it further.

12. a. Ecumenical contacts, whether indirect, through books and periodicals, or direct and personal are to be fostered by Jesuits according to the special circumstances of a locality, a province, or a house.

Those who work in education are to imbue their students with the ecumenical spirit by their teaching and example. They should make efforts to establish dialogue between their students and those of the separated brethren and to initiate cooperation with them on the institutional level.

In setting up our university programs of scientific research in biblical exegesis, dogmatic theology, Church history, religious sociology, and the like, cooperation with separated brethren is to be sought wherever it seems especially profitable.

b. Those who engage in social work or dedicate themselves to works of mercy, or who collaborate in international organizations for peace and unity among nations and for the conquest of world poverty, ought to keep before their minds what a lively sense of justice and sincere love of their neighbor our separated brethren have developed out of their faith in Christ. Cooperation should be sought with them and where it already exists it is to be even further promoted.

c. Those who are occupied in the pastoral ministries through work in the parishes, in giving the Spiritual Exercises, etc., should seek to discuss parallel or mutual problems with their counterparts in other churches and communities, and to undertake cooperation with them, even where more difficult questions, such as mixed marriages or the like, are involved.

d. Mindful of the scandal given non-Christian peoples by our divisions, those who labor in the missions should foster an ecumenical spirit and cooperation so that insofar as possible, through the common witness of all believers, the light of Christ may shine more brightly among non-Christians and the scandal of division may be lessened by the sincerity of our mutual esteem and charity. On the other hand, vigilant care must be taken that the faithful not be exposed to the danger of syncretism or indifferentism. However, particularly in the case of the cultivated, such danger is to be avoided by means of a solid education in doctrine and in a training directed to a deeper love of the Church rather than through a timorous isolation from other Christians.

13. Lest they hinder rather than advance the progress of unity, Jesuits must remember that ecumenical work is no easy task and that it is not to be left to the indiscreet zeal of private individuals. “Nothing is so foreign to the spirit of ecumenism as a false conciliatory approach which harms the purity of Catholic doctrine and obscures its assured genuine meaning.”

Therefore in ecumenical activity Jesuits are faithfully to observe all the prescriptions and directives of the Holy See and of those whose duty it is to direct the ecumenical movement.

IV. Recommendations to Father General

14. Moreover, the 31st General Congregation makes the following recommendations to Father General so that in his prudence he may see to it:

1° that there be established a council on ecumenical affairs composed of experts from various nations, and at the same time appoint one of the Assistants or expert advisors as delegate for fostering the ecumenical movement;

2° that insofar as it can serve the purpose of the promotion of the ecumenical movement, there be established, either by Jesuits alone or in collaboration with others, institutes or houses of study for experts and students, and this in centers renowned for ecumenical studies;

3° that liturgical texts pertaining to the Society, or other official documents, such as the Ratio Studiorum and the like, be revised according to the ecumenical spirit, and in particular that all offensive expressions be eliminated.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 26, “Ecumenism,” pg. 158–162 [444–467].

The delegates at the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus chose to address three pastoral institutions—and how they might change, “under the present circumstances of the Church”—namely pastoral services, residences, and parishes. The following decree urges Jesuits to renew and to “energetically” promote some pastoral works and also to cease those that “cannot be adapted” to their changing contexts. It also suggests three ways to train Jesuits so that they “may be better integrated into pastoral work today.” With regards to residences (or “communities destined for pastoral work”), the decree states that they be “‘living communities,’ in which the members feel that they are working for the same goal, and, moved by a common spirit, share with each other their worries and successes.” Lastly, the decree declares that the “care of souls in a parish, in general, is no longer to be said to be contrary to the principles of the Constitutions,” though it leaves to the superior general to “judge, all things considered, whether a particular parish is to be accepted or given back.”

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

I. Pastoral Services

1. Under present circumstances in the Church, those pastoral works or services that have been begun for the greater service of God and the more effective welfare of souls in accordance with the spirit of our vocation are to be renewed and energetically promoted, provided that they still fulfill the end for which they were intended and are approved by the hierarchy. Those should be dropped that cannot be adapted. In arriving at this decision the judgment of the bishops and of lay directors should be taken into account. Jesuits should diligently look for new forms of pastoral services, according to the tradition and spirit of the Society, that answer contemporary needs. For the teaching of the Second Vatican Council on the pastoral apostolate does not imply uniformity, but rather proposes a harmonious plurality of all pastoral undertakings, according to the diversity of the Spirit’s gifts.

2. So that in this adaptation the spirit of our distinctive calling may flourish in its entirety:

1° Jesuits themselves especially are to be trained to give the Spiritual Exercises in the true and correct way, and others among the diocesan and religious priests are to be helped to do the same, so that the faithful may be led to an intimate knowledge of the Lord, to love and follow Him more.

2° All should have a high esteem for, and be keenly mindful of, the mystery of the heart of Christ in the life of the Church. It should be so much a part of their own lives that they can promote the knowledge of it among others in their apostolic activity. In this way the results of different ministries may be daily increased, “for from the side of Christ asleep on the cross there has arisen the wonderful sacrament of the entire Church.”

They should also trust in the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary in their assigned tasks and activities, and everywhere show more and more clearly the role of the mother of the Savior in the economy of salvation. For in holy Church and in our tradition the Virgin Mary “holds a place which is the highest after Christ and yet very close to us.”

3° In all their apostolate, our men in pastoral work, in accordance with the desires of the Second Vatican Council, should share with a generous and open mind in the spirit of liturgical, ecumenical and pastoral renewal as well as the introduction to the faith, and with all their strength propagate this spirit.

4° Our works should begin and be carried on under the guidance of superiors, and not in an individualistic and scattered way. Cooperation should be stressed, both among Jesuits who are working amicably and most eagerly for the same apostolic goal, and with others, religious and diocesan priests and the laity. Jesuits should willingly take part in the pastoral planning proposed by the bishops and collaborate with it in a humble and sincere desire of serving the Church.

5° In the selection and planning of ministries and pastoral services of Jesuits as well as in the determination of the places where such ministries are to be exercised, careful attention should be given to what is contained in the Decree on the Better Choice and Promotion of Ministries. In order that Jesuits may be better integrated into pastoral work today, it is necessary that men working in this field be really suitable and competent, and thus they should be trained:

a. on the one hand, by the general training in the course of studies, provision for which has already been made in the Decree on the Training of Scholastics Especially in Studies;

b. on the other hand, by special training, so that the Jesuits who are to be assigned to these ministries have a sufficient skill in some pastoral work (e.g., in preaching the word of God, in giving the Exercises, in catechetics, in spiritual guidance, in ecumenical activity, in spiritual theology, in family counseling and dealing with working men, and the like);

c. and also by institutes that are to be conducted at regular intervals in their regions, so that the priests who are already working in the ministries may be continually kept up to date in regard to new aids.

II. Residences

3. In this decree, “residences” are understood to be communities destined for pastoral work, or for any other apostolic work other than the education of youth, which according to the Constitutions belongs to another class of houses.

4. Though these residences are generically of one kind, they can have different names, structures, and ministries, according to the needs of men, times, and circumstances. In them, not only the ministries that are strictly priestly works are carried on, but also all those that, according to our situation and according to the needs of the Church of Christ in the modern world, ought to be accepted, as is set forth in the Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes.

5. Residences should be “living communities,” in which the members feel that they are working for the same goal, and, moved by a common spirit, share with each other their worries and successes. So that this can be done more easily, these communities should not be too large, and should be set up, as far as possible, according to natural grouping by works.

The community should be gathered together at regular intervals under the direction of the superior or of some expert designated by him, to review their work, to investigate in common both their methods and their results, and to study contemporary problems.

The tools needed for their labors should be found in the house, such as books, specialized periodicals, and the like.

Young men engaged in this work should be introduced to their pastoral ministries by experienced priests in a brotherly way.

6. The whole house should be so set up that the members can pray, work, and rest according to the demands of their apostolate. Under the direction of the superior, the house discipline should be adapted with the needed flexibility, in accordance with the Decree on Community Life and Religious Discipline.

7. According to our Constitutions and also according to the new dispositions of the Council, a house destined for the apostolate ought to be outstanding as a “collective” and “more effective” witness to poverty.

The members who live in the residences can live off the income from their work, in accordance with the Decree on Poverty of the 31st General Congregation, but “they should avoid every appearance of luxury, of excessive wealth and accumulation of possessions”; they should cherish the free rendering of ministries, and place their confidence in God alone. They should look for new forms of poverty with diligence and in a concrete way, each according to his fashion, and insist that there be, e.g., a more extensive practice of hospitality, a fraternal sharing of possessions, support of the poor, and so on.

8. In accordance with the spirit of the Society, and especially in accordance with the repeated wish of the Church, the General Congregation urgently requests the provincials to establish and promote residences among working men and among the more neglected groups. There, Jesuits in a special way should carry on their apostolate, in various manners, while living their life with the poor Christ.

III. Parishes

9. Decree 233 in the Collection of Decrees is abrogated.

10. A new decree should be entered in a suitable place to this effect:

1° Our Society freely embraces the wish of the Church expressed by the Second Vatican Council, that the religious who are called on by bishops in accordance with their needs “should lend helpful efforts in various pastoral ministries,” no exception being made of parishes.

2° The care of souls in a parish, in general, is no longer to be said to be contrary to the principles of the Constitutions, now that the discipline of the Church in regard to parishes committed to religious has been changed. But because of the seriousness of the matter, it belongs to Father General to judge, all things considered, whether a particular parish is to be accepted or given back. The texts of agreements with local ordinaries about parishes are to be approved by Father General.

IV. Recommendations to Superiors

11. Superiors, with the approval of Father General, should insist:

1° that the apostolic services of the province and the region be reviewed by the commission on the review of ministries, so that Jesuits may serve the hierarchy of the Church with greater freedom;

2° that the directors of works sincerely adapt themselves to contemporary pastoral practice, for example, in giving the Exercises, in popular missions, in the cooperation of Jesuits with a program of renewal of the sodalities or the Apostleship of Prayer in those regions where the bishops and major superiors, having first listened to the lay directors, decide in fraternal harmony to renew them so that they may be more effectively promoted;

3° that Jesuits have a high esteem for the teaching of Christian doctrine to children and the uneducated, either by themselves or by others, as occasion may offer, in accordance with the tradition of the Society and the vows they have taken; for the promotion of new forms of modern catechetics and introduction to the faith by suitable means; for the giving of spiritual aid in hospitals and prisons;

4° that there be set up institutes for the training of directors of the Exercises as soon as possible, because of their importance and their necessity for the renewal of our ministries; in these institutes there should be research into the “genuine meaning of the Ignatian text”; indeed, there should be a real “reworking” “of the Spiritual Exercises themselves to unfold their spiritual riches to modern man, and to express them in the concepts of the theology of the Second Vatican Council.”

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 27, “Pastoral Services, Residences, and Parishes,” pg. 163–167 [468–494].

The delegates at the 31st General Congregation were asked by their fellow Jesuits to articulate how they ought to teach at colleges and universities, according to Jesuit historian John Padberg, “in the light of the characteristics of our vocation and in the light of the theological doctrine on the character and office of the priest in the Church” (see the congregation’s historical preface in Jesuit Life & Mission Today (2009), pg. 27–28). The result of the delegates’ deliberations is the following decree on the apostolate of education. The congregation, in this decree, confirms “the high regard it has for this apostolate of education and earnestly to exhort its members that they maintain unflaggingly their esteem for this significant apostolate.” It also notes that expansion is to be carefully considered, “established only when and where they show promise of contributing significantly to the welfare of the Church” and only when they “can be furnished besides with an adequate supply of competent Jesuits without harm to the training or studies of our own members.” The decree calls for the establishment of a secretariat for education to “help Father General in fostering the whole work of education.”

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

I. Introduction

1. Throughout the world today, whether in the advanced or in the evolving nations, there is clear recognition of the importance of education for the formation of society and particularly for the initiating of youth into life in the human community. Nothing is more esteemed by political leaders than this education of the citizenry, for without it no nation or state can develop or progress and meet the national and international responsibilities imposed by the needs of this age.

2. The Church has, therefore, reflected upon “the paramount importance of education in the life of man, and its ever-mounting influence on the social progress of this era” and once again affirmed its own role in the development and extension of education. To fulfill this function the Church wishes to employ all appropriate means. Yet it recognizes that schools are educational agencies of “special importance,” for in these institutions Christian teachers are to promote the renewal of the Church and maintain and intensify her beneficent and salutary presence in the contemporary and, particularly, the intellectual world.

3. In our day we are witnessing everywhere the rapid emergence of new social forms and the society of the future. When new ideas are so widely sown, it is not hard to discern the birth of new patterns of thought and action in the modern world. The promoters of these new ideas, especially when they work out of centers of higher culture and research, are exercising a mounting influence upon the whole of social culture through highly effective modem means of popularization. But since this influence inclines ever more toward an atheistic and agnostic ideology and makes itself felt particularly in educational centers, the presence of Christians in those centers is of the highest moment if the Church is indeed to make an opportune contribution to the society of the future by forming and educating its mind to reverence for God and in the fullness of Christ.

4. For many centuries the Society of Jesus, in accordance with its Institute, has diligently exercised its teaching function almost uninterruptedly throughout the world. Now, impelled and inspired by the Second Vatican Council, the Society, through its 31st General Congregation, wishes to confirm the high regard it has for this apostolate of education and earnestly to exhort its members that they maintain unflaggingly their esteem for this significant apostolate.

There are some members of the Society, however, who think that our educational institutions in certain parts of the world have become practically useless and should therefore be given up. There are others who recognize the continued effectiveness of these institutions but believe that there are other ministries in which we could perhaps be even more effective. Hence they conclude that it is necessary, or at least appropriate, to leave the work of formal education to laymen or to religious whose institutes dedicate them exclusively to this apostolate. This Congregation judges that there is no uniform solution for this very real and pressing problem. The solution it requires will necessarily vary according to differences of circumstances. Therefore, it must be determined by superiors, with the aid of their brethren and according to the norms for the choice of ministries as applied to the needs of each province or region.

The intention of this present decree, however, is, in the first place, that the Society may think with the Church concerning the paramount importance and effectiveness of the educational apostolate, particularly in our times. Secondly, it is intended that our schools be outstanding not so much for number and size as for teaching, for the quality of the instruction, and the service rendered to the people of God. Thirdly, we should be receptive toward new forms of this apostolate, particularly adapted to the present age, and we should energetically investigate or fashion these new forms either in our own schools or elsewhere. Finally, for those laymen who generously spend themselves with us in this apostolate, the way should be opened to a wider collaboration with us, whether this be in teaching, administration, or on the board of directors itself.

5. It is evident that we can exercise the apostolate of education in various ways either in our own institutions or by collaborating with others. There is an extensive variety today, whether one is speaking of colleges and universities, or vocational schools, or the so-called normal schools for the training of teachers. Which forms of the apostolate of education the Society should take up is a matter for superiors to decide according to the norms for the selection of ministries. But in making this selection, we should consider the new means of social communication, particularly radio and television. For these are highly effective instruments for new kinds of educational organization and pedagogy since they extend to the widest possible audience and reach those who would otherwise be deprived of schooling. Besides, they are very much in line with the present day “culture of the image.”

The Society should have its own educational institutions where resources and circumstances permit and a greater service of God and the Church can be thereby expected. For these schools constitute at least one effective instrument for the promotion of our educational purpose, i.e., the synthesizing of faith and culture. Through these schools a firmer and more lasting social presence in the community is achieved, both because they are a corporate effort and because through the students families are influenced. Thus the school becomes an apostolic center within the community.

If, indeed, there is question of closing schools or of handing them over to others, superiors are to work out the best way of doing this in consultation with the local Ordinary and with the approbation of Father General.

II. Decree

6. Let Jesuits have a high regard for the apostolate of education as one of the primary ministries of the Society, commended in a special way by the Church in our time. For the transmission of human culture and its integration in Christ significantly contribute to realization of the goal set by our Lord “that God may be all in all things.”

7. This apostolate aims to provide a service of love for mankind redeemed by Christ. On the one hand, it aims so to educate believers as to make them not only cultured but, in both private and public lives, men who are authentically Christian and able and willing to work for the modern apostolate.

On the other hand, it aims to provide non-Christians with a humanistic formation directed towards the welfare of their own nation and, at the same time, to conduct them by degrees to the knowledge and love of God or at least to the acceptance of moral, and even religious values.

8. Let the provincials see to it that the apostolate of education, along with other ministries, be really and continually adapted to the circumstances of men, time, and place, making use in this of the advice both of experts and of the committee on the choice of ministries. Let the provincials also see to it that really competent men are prepared in education.

9. In collaboration with the bishops, other religious, and their fellow citizens, let Jesuits be alert to correlate the Society’s activity with the complex of pastoral and educational work in the whole region or nation. Since, moreover, dialogue in this pluralistic world is both possible and desirable, let them also willingly cooperate with other organizations, even if these do not depend either on the Church or the Society. Let Jesuits therefore keep in mind the special importance of collaborating with those international organizations which promote education, especially in the less developed countries.

10. a. Let students be selected, as far as possible, of whom we can expect a greater progress and a greater influence on society, no matter to what social class they belong.

b. In order that this criterion of selection may be equitably applied, Jesuits should firmly advance the claims of distributive justice, so that public aid will provide parents with the real liberty of choosing schools for their children according to their conscience.

c. However, until such rights have been vindicated, the Society, in accordance with its Constitutions and traditional practice, must make it easy for talented young people, particularly in the emerging nations, to attend our schools. Therefore, let all Jesuits try to obtain public or private endowments, with the help of our alumni, or of those who are bound to the Society through special friendship or apostolic zeal.

11. Our educational institutions should be established only when and where they show promise of contributing significantly to the welfare of the Church, and can be furnished besides with an adequate supply of competent Jesuits without harm to the training or studies of our own members. Let superiors inquire whether it is more suitable to open or to retain schools of our own or whether it would be better in some circumstances to teach in public schools, or in schools directed by others.

12. a. The first care of Jesuits should be that Christian students acquire that knowledge and character which are worthy of Christians, along with the letters and sciences. To this end, it will help very much if, in addition to the suitable amount of time given to the teaching of Christian doctrine and religion according to modern methods, Jesuits also offer to the students a good example of hard work and dedication as well as of religious life.

b. We should try in a special way to imbue our students with the true charity of Christ, according to the social doctrine of the Church. Let them learn to honor and be grateful to laboring men; let them learn to hunger and thirst for that justice which aims to provide all men with an adequate recompense for new work, that the distribution of wealth be more equitable, that the sharing of spiritual goods be fuller and more universal.

c. Let youth be progressively formed to liturgical and personal prayer. As they come to be more mature, exercises of piety should be proposed to them rather than imposed.

d. Selected spiritual and apostolic activities which will really be an efficacious means of character formation, for example the sodalities, should be properly established and directed and esteemed by us all. For they serve to intro­ duce and educate our students in apostolic activities step by step.

e. Special importance should be attributed to the spiritual direction of students. For this is an effective way of nourishing a person’s sense of responsibility both for the ordering of his spiritual life and for the choosing of an adult vocation in accordance with the divine will. In addition, every effort should be made for a fresh increase of priestly and religious vocations so as to help the Church in its present needs.

f. Regarding non-Christian students, care must be taken throughout the whole course of studies and especially in ethics courses that men be formed who are endowed with a sound moral judgment and solid virtues. Therefore in their training, the first rank of importance must be given to the formation of a true and right moral conscience, and at the same time of a firm will to act according to it. For in this way they will be best prepared to have a saving effect on family life and society, and in addition to serve their country and to obtain the reward of eternal life.

13. a. Let Jesuits remember that the task of teaching is not restricted to some hours nor only to some persons. Let all give a witness of religious and apostolic life; let all be convinced that the common task is more important than individual success; and let them try continually to renew themselves in spirit and understanding. To this end, superiors should favor research, experiments, the discovery of new methods of teaching, and see to it that the members have libraries, audio­visual aids, conferences by experts, possibilities of attending meetings, and other helps.

b. Scholastics and younger brothers who are sent to the colleges should be watched over with special care by superiors and spiritual fathers.13 They should remember that regency is established for their own growth, and so that their virtue may develop, their character be trained, their gifts manifested, and they themselves may make progress in studies. But the real assistance they provide for the work of education should also be considered, and so they should share in the common responsibility for and the discussion of plans concerning the school, according to its statutes.

14. For its part, the Society should help those many children of the Church who are being educated in non-Catholic schools. Superiors should be mindful of the Church’s solicitude in this matter. In their concern for the spiritual formation of all youth, superiors should attentively and willingly listen to bishops who ask for the collaboration of the Society in this ministry, especially in directing Catholic centers for students, in the office of chaplains, and also in teaching in non-Catholic schools.

15. a. Young people who travel abroad for their education, as often hap­ pens nowadays, should be attentively helped. This is especially important in the case of those, whether Catholic or not, who are outstanding and can be expected to become leaders when they return to their own country.

b. We should maintain a relationship with our former students, the products of our whole educational effort, so that they may take their place in society in a Christian and apostolic way and help one another in their respective tasks. The bond which they have with the Society ought to become closer as time goes on so that their influence assists its work.

16. Elementary schools may be founded and directed where it is necessary. For they are very important and not contrary to our Institute. Nonetheless they should not be accepted without a real and great need, lest on account of the lack of men a greater good would be hindered. Where they are accepted, so far as possible our priests should have only the teaching of religion.

17. is during the period of secondary education that many young people (twelve to eighteen years old) either synthesize religion and culture in themselves or fail to do so and are strongly oriented towards good or away from it. Hence, having weighed the objections often made nowadays against secondary schools by those who would rather restrict themselves to pastoral ministries, the Society again asserts that the teaching of youth according to the principles of our Institute, even in the so-called profane disciplines, is entirely conformed to our vocation and to our sacerdotal character. Indeed, it is the ministry to which the Society up to the present owes most of its growth.

18. Secondary schools, be they old ones retained or new ones founded, should improve continually. They should be educationally effective as well as centers of culture and faith for lay cooperators and the families of students and alumni. Thereby they will help the whole community of the region. Let Jesuits also foster a closer cooperation with the parents of students, upon whom the primary responsibility of education rests.

19. a. Each province should have its own ordinationes for secondary schools, in harmony with its own needs.

b. As far as subject matter is concerned, the education of our students should be in conformity with the genuine cultural tradition of each nation or region, in so-called classical literature, or modern literature, or in science.

Moreover, other schools, such as technical and agricultural schools may well be opened where need or great utility suggest it.

20. a. Subjects should be so taught that the mind of the young is not overwhelmed with a multiplicity of details, and that all their powers may be suitably developed and they may be prepared for higher studies. In addition, our students should be helped so that they can make progress by themselves, and so that there may grow in them firmness of mind, uprightness of judgment and sensibility, aesthetic sense, a capacity to express themselves orally and in writing, a sense of community and of civil and social duty, and depth of understanding.

b. Regarding the method of teaching, let there be kept in all fields as far as is possible, the proper method of the Society which is commended in the Ratio Studiorum. Therefore let all be familiar with those principles of sound pedagogy which are set down by our holy father in the Constitutions, Part IV, developed in the Ratio Studiorum, and clearly explained by many writers of the Society.

21. After they have consulted Father General, provincials should decide in light of the circumstances of persons and place, whether daily Mass should be obligatory in our residential secondary schools.

22. So-called apostolic schools can be kept and, established where, all things considered, they seem to be for the greater glory of God. What is said primarily concerning secondary schools is to be applied also to them.

23. Coeducation in secondary schools is not to be allowed except with the approval of Father General.

24. a. On account of the ever-growing importance of universities and institutions of higher learning for the formation of the whole human community, we must see to it that the Society and its priests are present to this work. Let there be, therefore, an ever greater number of professors prepared for such institutions, whether directed by the Society or by others. These professors should be able not only to teach advanced courses, but also to contribute to scholarly progress by their own research and that of their talented students whom they have trained.

b. Among the faculties belonging to our institutions of higher education, theology and philosophy should especially have their proper place to what­ ever extent they contribute, in various places, to the greater service of God.

c. The prohibition in the Constitutions, according to which that part of canon law which serves for contesting suits is not to be touched by Jesuits, is to be thus understood: “unless the General judges that something else is good.”

25. The education of priests, as a work of the highest value, is to be considered one of the chief ministries of the Society. Therefore, the seminarians who attend our universities are to be watched over with special attention, and directors and teachers chosen from among our best men are to be assigned to those clerical seminaries whose direction is accepted by the Society. But if there is question of diocesan seminaries, a definite contract shall be made with the bishop and approved by the Holy See.

Not only youth but adults are to be educated, both for the advancement of their professional lives and for the efforts which make their conjugal, family, and social life more human and Christian, and develop a better understanding of the faith.

a. According to the mind of the Second Vatican Council, a close collaboration with the laity is recommended. On the one hand we can give them help in their formation by schools, conferences, spiritual exercises and other suitable works, and by our friendly dealing with them and the testimony of our life.

On the other hand, let Jesuits consider the importance for the Society itself of such collaboration with lay people, who will always be the natural interpreters for us of the modern world, and so will always give us effective help in this apostolate. Therefore, we should consider handing over to them the roles they are prepared to assume in the work of education, whether these be in teaching, in academic and business administration, or even on the board of directors.

b. It will also be advantageous to consider whether it would not be helpful to establish in some of our institutions of higher education a board of trustees which is composed partly of Jesuits and partly of lay people; the responsibility both of ownership and of direction would pertain to this board.

26. Men of our time are very interested in new and more adequate intercommunication, by which international union and progress are fostered. Therefore Jesuits should be concerned to promote among their students and alumni and other members of the social community those efforts and means which can lead to a greater and more efficacious collaboration among nations.

27. Prefects or directors of education should be named who will help the provincials in directing the whole effort of education; they can be so united that the whole Society can enjoy the benefits of the studies and the experiments which are being carried on in various regions of the world.

28. In each province or region there should be a permanent committee of experts who will help superiors in this apostolate, drawing up and continually adapting regulations concerning our schools, in harmony with each one’s needs.

29. To help Father General in fostering the whole work of education, a secretariat of education should be established. Its task will be to collect and distribute information about the apostolate of education carried on by Jesuits and also to promote alumni associations and periodic conventions.

30. Decree 141 of the Collection of Decrees is abrogated.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 28, “The Apostolate of Education,” pg. 168–176 [495–546].

Jesuits were to have “a high regard for scholarly activity, especially scientific research properly so called,” according to the following decree from the 31st General Congregation. The congregation’s delegates continue in the decree to declare that such activity “is a very effective apostolate.” Jesuits assigned to scholarly work should not be swayed by “the illusion that they will serve God better in other occupations which can seem more pastoral.” Instead, they were to “give themselves entirely and with a strong and self-denying spirit to this work.” The decree does offer some words of caution to scholarly priests, however, as “the more advanced they are in any discipline, the more careful they should be that their knowledge of theology is broad and sound, in order that they may be able to exercise their scholarly apostolate with greater authority and profit.”

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. a. Jesuits should have a high regard for scholarly activity, especially scientific research properly so called, and they are to view this as one of the most necessary works of the Society. It is a very effective apostolate, entirely in accord with the age-old tradition of the Society from its earliest times. It is a generous response to recommendations that the popes have often repeated, especially during the past hundred years. It is more suited to the needs of the men of our times and an excellent means for opening up and carrying on dialogue with them, including nonbelievers, for establishing confidence in the Church, and for elaborating and teaching a synthesis of faith and life.

b. All of this applies first of all to the sacred sciences and those connected with them, which have the first claim on the scholarly potential of the Society. It applies also to those sciences which are called positive, both those which look to man and society and the mathematical-natural sciences, as well as the technical sciences proceeding from them, which profoundly affect the mentality of our times.

2. Those Jesuits, therefore, who are assigned to this work by superiors are to give themselves entirely and with a strong and self-denying spirit to this work, which, in one way or another, makes demands upon the whole man. They are to be on guard against the illusion that they will serve God better in other occupations which can seem more pastoral, and they are to offer their whole life as a holocaust to God. At the same time they should do this in such a way that they do not lose touch with the other apostolic activities of the Society. Finally they are to strive earnestly to show themselves truly religious and priestly men in this scholarly work. They should remember that in undertaking this work, they are enlisted in the cause of Christian truth and are serving the people of God either by showing forth the presence of the Church among the men of the scientific community or by enriching the understanding of revelation itself through the progress of human knowledge.

3. Provincials, for their part, must not be deterred by the demands of other works of the province from applying to this scholarly work, definitively and in good time, men whom they find inclined and in the judgment of experts truly suited, yet well proven in the spiritual life. Once assigned to this work, they are not to be taken away from it without grave reason, especially when they have finished their studies, even post­doctoral work, and have begun to produce. Since many of the positive sciences often require youthfulness for their study if one is to become really outstanding in them, provincials are not to hesitate to propose to Father General suitable changes in the ordinary course of study for the young Jesuits engaged in them as need may dictate, according to the Decree on the Training of Scholastics Especially in Studies. Priests who are applied to these studies are to be mindful that, the more advanced they are in any discipline, the more careful they should be that their knowledge of theology is broad and sound, in order that they may be able to exercise their scholarly apostolate with greater authority and profit.

4. Superiors, especially higher superiors, are to take care that those applied to work in the scholarly disciplines give themselves primarily to the work of research, study, and writing, and that the necessary leisure and helps are provided for this work. They are to acknowledge that scholars have “a lawful freedom of inquiry and thought and the freedom to express their minds humbly and courageously about those matters in which they enjoy competence.” Superiors are to permit them to join national and international professional organizations and to attend their meetings when it seems expedient. Finally they are to encourage Jesuits to work not only in our own centers but also in public universities and scholarly institutions according to the various opportunities and necessities of the region. In this way they will cooperate more closely with laymen in penetrating the whole human culture with the Christian spirit and better ordering the world to God, its ultimate end.

5. Small periodic meetings of Jesuits who are expert in the different scholarly disciplines, especially those closely related, are recommended to provincials. They should promote interdisciplinary communication from time to time and, after careful study of the condition of the scientific apostolate in each region, procure among themselves greater collaboration of all who are working in the sciences. They should also help superiors with their advice in planning, coordinating, preparing, promoting, and also abandoning scholarly works, in such a way that the effort expended in this apostolate may be directed more efficiently to its end.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 29, “Scholarly Work and Research,” pg. 177–179 [547–552].

The following decree from the 31st General Congregation acknowledges that “works of art can exert a vast influence,” often providing “a special pathway to the human heart.” The decree notes the historical importance of patronage of the arts by the Society of Jesus and indicates that the tradition of “greatness in poetry, music, the theater, and architecture” continued into the twentieth century. Therefore, the decree encourages those Jesuits “who toil in this field for the greater glory of God.” Six years after this decree, Superior General Pedro Arrupe spoke on “art and the spirit of the Society of Jesus.”

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

I. Introduction

1. The Church, which has at all times given most generous encouragement to the arts, today again hails their importance. Indeed, in our day especially works of art can exert a vast influence, whether it be with respect to the growth and unfolding of human personality, or to the development of civil society, or to the mutual union of men, a union that paves the way to union with God.

For the arts provide a special pathway to the human heart. As a result, men are often stirred not only by rational arguments but also by artistic works.

2. In times past under the patronage of the Society many outstanding artists, not a few of them members of the Society itself, have achieved greatness in poetry, music, the theater, and architecture. In both the Western world and mission areas, all these arts were eagerly pursued by sons of the Society for the greater glory of God and the welfare of souls. This tradition lives on even in the Society of today. Many modern Jesuits who are themselves artists of repute not only pursue the arts but promote an understanding and deeper appreciation of the Gospel message by this activity.

II. Decree

3. The 31st General Congregation, taking into consideration both the tradition of the Society and the signs of the times, and aware of the importance of the arts for building up the kingdom of God, wishes to encourage the activity of its members who toil in this field for the greater glory of God.

4. During their training Jesuits should be given opportunities to become acquainted with and to appreciate the arts as part of their general education so that all may be better prepared for the apostolate in today’s world. The arts can be a genuine help in this apostolate.

5. Measures should be taken to permit those who manifest outstanding talents in this field to develop them and to learn how they can integrate their artistic activity into the context of priestly and religious life. In the missions Jesuits should endeavor to make full use of these arts in the apostolic work of spreading Christ’s message.

6. In addition, mutual communication is recommended among members of the Society who are engaged in artistic activity.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 30, “Cultivating the Arts in the Society,” pg. 179–180 [553–559].

The Holy See traditionally has entrusted the Society of Jesus with oversight of several “interprovincial” works in and around Rome. These works at the time of the 31st General Congregation, as indicated in the decree below, included the Pontifical Gregorian University, its associated Biblical and Oriental institutes, the Vatican Radio Station, the Vatican Observatory, and others. The congregation’s delegates state in the following document that the responsibility for these works is shared by “all provinces” and that provincials should assign “one or other of their men to these works.” The support for and importance of these interprovincial houses were again topics of decrees in the 34th and the 35th congregations.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. The 31st General Congregation, in view of the special importance for the service of the Church of the Pontifical Gregorian University and of its associated Biblical and Oriental Institutes as well, joins with previous Congregations in recommending that the whole Society furnish effective help to these common works through subsidies and especially by training professors for them.

2. The 31st General Congregation also recommends to all provincials those other works or houses in Rome that either are entrusted to the whole Society, such as the Vatican Radio, the Vatican Observatory, and the Russian College, or render a service to the entire Society, such as the Historical Institute or the College of St. Robert Bellarmine.

3. All provinces ought to share, according to their resources, in the responsibility for those works which become a concern and charge of the whole Society through the person of Father General. Provincials should keep this obligation in mind and, at fixed times, should give thought to assigning one or other of their men to these works.

4. Recommendations to Father General:

a. The 31st General Congregation recommends to Father General that he provide for the drawing up of a list, to be sent out to the provincials, of professors and other personnel for whom a need may be foreseen over the next three, five or ten years in these houses in Rome.

b. It is recommended to Father General that he set up a permanent administrative council to assist him, particularly with regard to needed funds and personnel, in administering these works placed under his care by the Holy See. This council should include, in addition to the directors of these works, some provincials from different regions.

c. It is also recommended to Father General that he set up a council for academic planning, one that will be concerned with reviewing broad academic policies in the light of the needs of the times and that will in this way aid him in directing these works entrusted to him by the Holy See, namely, the Pontifical Gregorian University and its associated Institutes. This council should be made up of members of the University itself and of the Institutes as well as of other Jesuit or non-Jesuit experts. The function of this council will be to advise Father General on academic policy and planning for these works, within the framework of the statutes of the Gregorian University and the Institutes.

d. The General Congregation further recommends to Father General that the statutes of the academic institutions of the Society in Rome be revised with the help of the faculty. At the same time a study ought to be made as to whether the faculty should have a consultative role, and even a deliberative vote in decisions on some matters, so as to play a greater part in the academic government.

5. Those other houses in Rome that depend directly on Father General but are under the charge of only some provinces, such as the national or regional colleges and the Civiltà Cattolica, are likewise recommended to the attention of the General and those provincials who have a concern in the matter.

6. Proper care should be shown for the language training and the psychological and spiritual adjustment of those brothers who come to Rome from provinces elsewhere. Moreover, if they are to return again to their own provinces, after having rendered excellent service at Rome, superiors ought to see to it that this return takes place at a suitable time and that they are helped to make a psychological readjustment and to continue to contribute to the work of the apostolate.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 31, “Interprovincial Houses in Rome,” pg. 180–181 [560–568].

The Jesuits’ social apostolate was addressed by the 28th, 29th, and 30th general congregations. Yet, according to Jesuit historian John Padberg, the following decree, promulgated by the 31st General Congregation, sought to “repair certain defects in our legislation on social matters” (see the congregation’s historical preface in Jesuit Life & Mission Today (2009), pg. 29). The decree defines the social apostolate as striving “directly by every endeavor to build a fuller expression of justice and charity into the structures of human life in common.” To promote these efforts, the decree makes five recommendations, including accounting for the social dimension during Jesuit training and promoting social centers to “carry on research, social education, both doctrinal and practical, and also social action itself in brotherly collaboration with the laity.”

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. The 31st General Congregation wishes to recall to all members of the Society that the aim of the social apostolate is “to provide most men, and indeed all of them insofar as earthly conditions allow, with that abundance or at least sufficiency of goods, both temporal and spiritual, even of the natural order, that man needs lest he feel himself depressed and despised.” The scope of the social apostolate is broader, therefore, than the task of exercising our ministries or maintaining social works among workmen or other groups of the same sort that are especially needy. These works, indeed, according to the mind of the 28th General Congregation, decree 29, and the 30th General Congregation, decree 52, are to be promoted with great diligence, especially in those regions that are economically less developed. But the social apostolate strives directly by every endeavor to build a fuller expression of justice and charity into the structures of human life in common. Its goal in this is that every man may be able to exercise a personal sense of participation, skill, and responsibility in all areas of community life.

From this it is clear that the social apostolate is fully in harmony with the apostolic end of the Society of Jesus according, namely, to that distinctly Ignatian criterion by which we should always keep before our eyes the more universal and more enduring good. For social structures, above all today, exert an influence on the life of man, even on his moral and religious life. The “humanization” of social life is, moreover, particularly effective as a way of bearing evangelical witness in our times.

2. These things are all the more true because in our day the focal point of the social problem goes beyond the inequality between different social groups to “global” inequalities between sectors of economic life, between regions of one nation, between nations themselves or classes of nations. Again, the social problem today is also a matter of inequalities between different racial groups. And people today are not troubled only by particular questions, for example, about wages or working conditions, about family and social security. They are especially concerned with the massive worldwide problems of malnutrition, illiteracy, underemployment, overpopulation. Thus it is that social action looks more and more to the development of economic and social progress that will be truly human.

The Society of Jesus, which has its home “in every corner of the world,” seems suited in a special way to entertain this universal or “catholic” vision of the social apostolate by endeavoring with all its might to see that the less developed regions of the world are helped “in deed and in truth” by the more advanced and that the whole world movement of economic progress is imbued with a Christian spirit. It can do this by contributing as well to establishing the presence of the Church in the great national and international associations and congresses that attempt to bring about such progress.

3. Since, finally, every form of the apostolate of the Society of Jesus flows from its mission “for the defense and propagation of the faith and the progress of souls in Christian life and learning,” we must be very careful lest the social apostolate be reduced merely to temporal activity. This is all the more necessary because in these activities men are often affected by one-sided “ideologies” and violent passions. Never more than in our day is it necessary, therefore, that that “universal love which embraces in our Lord all parties, even though they are at odds with one another,” should shine forth among the companions of Jesus. Our men should be looking only to this, that they are trying to restore “peace on earth,” a peace that is “based on truth, on justice, on love, on freedom.” We are not forbidden, therefore, to undertake those things “which tend to infuse Christian principles into public life, provided that means in keeping with our Institute are employed,” in the light of the Church’s teaching and with proper respect for the sacred hierarchy.

4. In order that those prescriptions concerning the social apostolate already laid down in the decrees of general congregations and in the Instruction on this subject may be more effectively carried out, the 31st General Congregation earnestly recommends that:

a. in the planning of apostolic activities, the social apostolate should take its place among those having priority;

b. in the entire course of Jesuit training, both theoretical and practical, the social dimension of our whole modern apostolate must be taken into account;

c. members who are to be specifically destined for this apostolate should be chosen in good time; provincials should not hesitate to assign some men among them who are endowed with truly outstanding gifts both of mind and judgment and of virtue, and train them in the best universities;

d. social centers should be promoted by provinces or regions according to a plan that will seem better suited to the concrete circumstances of each region and time; these centers should carry on research, social education, both doctrinal and practical, and also social action itself in brotherly collaboration with the laity;

e. centers of this kind should be in close contact with one another both for the sake of information and for every kind of practical collaboration. Such collaboration should also be encouraged between centers in developed regions and those in regions which are less developed.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 32, “The Social Apostolate,” pg. 181–183 [569–579].

Teachings and decrees emerging from the Second Vatican Council “demand,” according to the following decree of the 31st General Congregation, “that the Society of Jesus “examine the relationship it has to laymen and their apostolate,” hoping to “bring this relationship into greater harmony with the norms and spirits” of the council. Of the lay people, the congregation’s delegates urge their fellow Jesuits to “make efforts to understand better their life, their ways of thinking and feeling, their aspirations and their religious mentality, by means of fraternal dialogue.” The decree concludes that “in all things we should promote an apostolic brotherhood with the laity, based on the unity of the Church’s mission.”

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. In its teaching and decrees the Second Vatican Council stressed the just autonomy of earthly affairs, the secular character which is proper and peculiar to the laity, the active part they ought to take in the entire life of the Church, and their duty and right to the exercise of the apostolate. These demand that our Society examine the relationship it has to laymen and their apostolate and that it bring this relationship into greater harmony with the norms and spirit of the Council itself.

2. Jesuits should be more keenly aware of the importance of the state and vocation of laymen and their apostolate since in many areas of human activity and in many places the Church can be present to the world only through laymen. Let them strive not only to recognize the place which the laity have in the mission of the Church but also to promote it, and to hold in high esteem their just liberty.

The laity help us to understand more fully the world and Christian truth itself, and give us a more vivid sense of our mission “for the defense and propagation of the faith.” At the same time they are a stimulus to our own continual conversion.

3. Therefore we should make efforts to understand better their life, their ways of thinking and feeling, their aspirations and their religious mentality, by means of fraternal dialogue. Jesuits can be present to and serve all men, including unbelievers, by taking an appropriate part in various associations and organizations even on the national and international scale.

4. Whenever and wherever we are associated with laymen, whether they are young people or adults, we must give an example of lively faith, charity, and a genuine fidelity to the Church, always testifying to the high value of religious life.

5. There are many ways in which we can be of assistance to the laity. It is especially necessary that we bend all our efforts to forming both youth and adults for the Christian life and apostolate so that they may be able to fulfill their mission and assume their proper responsibility according to the Church’s expectations.

By means of special instruction and spiritual direction we should communicate to those who can profit by it a fuller understanding of the evangelical life according to the Exercises of St. Ignatius, which are also very well suited to the lay state. Thus they may be able to direct all the acts of their daily professional, familial, and social life with a sincere mind and increased liberty to the greater glory of God, and may be able to discover and fulfill the divine will in all things and in this way devote themselves entirely to the service of their brothers as well. This direction is expected of us especially by the rejuvenated sodalities and the various other associations of laymen who are trying to cultivate an intense Christian and apostolic life according to this spirit.

6. On the other hand, we ought to help the laity in their apostolate. Jesuits should be prepared to offer their cooperation as counselors, assistants, or helpers in the works which the laity themselves promote and direct.

We should also foster the collaboration of the laity in our own apostolic works. We must not only fully observe the demands of justice toward those who work with us but also establish a cordial cooperation based on love. We must open up to them in various ways a wide participation in as well as responsibility for the direction, administration, and even government of our works, keeping of course the power of ultimate decision in the hands of the Society where it has the ultimate responsibility.

In the same spirit, in order that a greater respect may be had for the responsibility of laymen in the Church, let the Society examine whether some works begun by us might be turned over to competent laymen for the greater good of the Church. In all things we should promote an apostolic brotherhood with the laity, based on the unity of the Church’s mission.

7. Since a closer communion and association exists between us and those laymen who have shared more intimately our spirituality and way of feeling and acting, Jesuits, while maintaining our apostolic freedom, should show their close relationship by carefully preserving our loyalty to them and cultivating a sincere friendship with them, and also by actively showing fraternal hospitality toward them.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 33, “The Relationship of the Society to the Laity and Their Apostolate,” pg. 184–185 [580–590].

The following decree from the 31st General Congregation briefly addresses the Society of Jesus’s relationship with the laity, a topic more fully addressed by the congregation’s delegates in another decree. Here, though, the delegates of the congregation give the newly elected superior general the responsibility for studying how the bonds between Jesuits and lay people—which differ based localized circumstances—might benefit from “a more stable and intimate collaboration.”

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

Since in some regions of the world there are laymen who desire that the Society of Jesus join them to itself by a tighter bond in order that they may be better able to fulfill their own proper lay vocation in the Church;

And since the Society of Jesus, in fulfillment of the Second Vatican Council, seeks a renewal and adaptation which is at once spiritual and apostolic, making a judicious evaluation of the varieties of vocations for the service of the Church and souls;

The 31st General Congregation urges Father General to study the ways by which such bonds and a more stable and intimate collaboration can be achieved, taking into consideration the experiences of different parts of the world.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 34, “Laymen Linked to the Society by a Closer Bond,” pg. 186 [591–593].

In the following decree, the delegates at the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus note how the daily growth in the “intensity and extent” of new mass media’s “presence and influence” actually presented an opportunity for their fellow Jesuits. Radio, films, and television could provide Jesuits “with very suitable aids to our apostolate in many ministries of the Society.” Therefore, the delegates provide several recommendations so that the various means of mass media might be best “employed as very effective tools in many of our ministries, especially in preaching the word of God and in the training of youth.”

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. The presence and influence of the new mass media (radio, films, television) daily grow in intensity and extent in the modern world.

On the one hand, they are for our age the most important means of expression and therefore provide us with very suitable aids to our apostolate in many ministries of the Society.

On the other hand, the spread of these media to the entire human family so reaches the minds and hearts of men of every age and situation that they have a truly universal influence. As a result, they determine to a great extent what modern men think, even what they do.

2. It follows, therefore, that these media can no longer be looked on as something directed primarily to the relaxation of the spirit, but rather as the means of expression and mass communication in today’s state of men and affairs, one which can to some extent be called a “culture of the image.”

3. The General Congregation, reviewing earlier directives in the light of the Second Vatican Council’s decree on the Instruments of social communication, wishes to recommend the following with respect to an apostolate of these new means of communication:

1° These mass media should be employed as very effective tools in many of our ministries, especially in preaching the word of God and in the training of youth.

2° Consideration should also be given to the specific opportunity afforded by these media to have an impact, whether with regard to treating questions or to influencing people, where one could not easily be had by other means and forms of the apostolate.

3° Provision should be made in our formation program for a training in the mass media that is adapted to each period of formation.

4° Provincials should in good time choose some men who are endowed with a religious spirit and other gifts, so that, after they have become expert at various levels of specialization and have acquired academic degrees, they may become competent in the practice of this apostolate and in directing others in it. Where it might seem useful, a center should he set up as a help in the acquiring of this specialization.

5° What Father Janssens decreed concerning secretariats on the international, regional and provincial levels should be faithfully carried out, since this is a necessary and effective means of stressing and promoting this kind of apostolate.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 35, “The Mass Media,” pg. 186–187 [594–603].

The following decree echoes a sentiment the delegates of the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus expressed in a previous decree, namely the recognition of the apostolic importance of mass media. Here, the delegates discuss the Vatican Radio Station, entrusted to the Jesuits by the pope since the radio’s establishment in 1931. The decree calls for the station to have “the most suitable personnel and means” and for the superior general to “take prompt and effective care” of the station and its “special objective.”

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

Since the operation of the Vatican Radio Station was entrusted to the Society in a particular way by the Holy Father, it should be helped with the most suitable personnel and means so that it can achieve its special objective. The General Congregation asks Father General to undertake such studies as seem useful in order that he may take prompt and effective care of the matter.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 36, “The Vatican Radio Station,” pg. 187 [604].

The following decree is the last of seventeen decrees used by the delegates of the 31st General Congregation to address the topic of the Jesuit apostolate. Regarding the topic of information service, the delegates state the importance of communicating “all that goes on in the Society or outside of it which in any way affects its life.” They request the superior general to ensure effective and dissemination of relevant information.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

The 31st General Congregation recognizes how important it is for the Society and especially for Father General to be informed about all that goes on in the Society or outside of it which in any way affects its life. It recommends that Father General examine the entire question of an information service, both in the General Curia and in the whole Society, and that he take care to have some specialists trained who will be able at a suitable time to set up effective information centers. In addition, the Memorabilia Societatis Iesu should be revised. It should be edited in a modern language and contain not only “what makes for edification” but everything that is “worthy of note,” including the problems and difficulties that confront the Society in different parts of the world.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 37, “Information Service,” pg. 188 [605].

Among the postulate (or petitions) received in advance of the 31st General Congregation, several expressed a desire for more regular general congregations. The delegates rejected those requests, in part because of historical precedent but also because the purpose of such gatherings could be fulfilled by meetings of other individuals (for example, of procurators or of provincial officials). In the following decree, the delegates explain how the superior general and his assistants should study how these meetings ought to operate.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. Father General together with the General Assistants should take care of all long term questions and problems that refer to a future general congregation.

2. It will help if the province congregations that precede a congregation of procurators or of provincials send to Father General not only the postulata and the reasons for or against calling a general congregation, but also questions and problems to be proposed to the future general congregation.

3. It is the duty of Father General and the General Assistants to see to it that these questions and problems (mentioned above in Nos. 1 and 2) are put in suitable order and carefully studied and prepared, with the assistance of experts, for the future general congregation. When the time has been fixed for the general congregation, these questions and problems, together with the studies made of them, should be sent to all the provincials for communication in a suitable way to the province congregation.

4. In a congregation of procurators or of provincials, when Father General makes his report on the state of the Society, he should also take into account these problems.

5. There should be a sufficiently long interval between all the province congregations and the start of the general congregation.

6. All postulata sent by province congregations or by private individuals should arrive in Rome several months (at least two months) before the start of the general congregation, as far as circumstances permit and Father General or the Vicar decide. It is allowed, however, for the fathers of the congregation to bring their own postulata in keeping with the Formula of the General Congregation, No. 116, §2, and No. 101, §6.

7. To Father General or the Vicar is entrusted the task of calling experts to Rome as soon as possible after the date of the general congregation has been officially announced and of setting up preliminary committees to gather together and put in order the postulata and to prepare the order of the agenda for the general congregation. These preliminary committees should be filled out, immediately after the province congregations, with electors chosen from the various assistancies.

8. When the province congregations are concluded, care should be taken to send information to the preliminary committees about each elector’s competence and knowledge of questions to be treated, and the same information should be communicated to all the electors. The purpose of this will be to make it easier to set up the commissions for handling the business of the general congregation.

9. Father General or the Vicar should see to it that the studies and works of the preliminary committees are organized in proper order and communicated to the provincials and electors.

1o. Since the help of experts is of great importance, when the general congregation has assembled, Father General or the Vicar should see to it that a sufficient number of experts are on hand in Rome who can help the commissions in handling their assignments.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 38, “Preparation for a General Congregation,” pg. 191–192 [606–615].

The following decree continues the thoughts of an earlier decree from the 31st General Congregation, stating the process by which provincials would gather every three years (rather than having more regular general congregations). The Congregation of Provincials would have two purposes: “to cast a deliberative vote as to whether or not a general congregation should be called” and to “consult with Father General about the state and affairs of the Society as a whole, especially about the more universal undertakings of the apostolate.”

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. Every other third year, in place of procurators elected in the province congregations, all the provincials should meet in Rome in a congregation to be called the Congregation of Provincials; the three-year periods are to be calculated in such a way that the first congregation after the General Congregation will be a congregation of procurators, the second, that of provincials. The congregation of provincials, however, is omitted in that third year in which from the number of “votes” of province congregations in favor of summoning a general congregation, it is already certainly clear that a general congregation must indeed be called.

2. The purpose of each of these congregations is twofold:

1° To cast a deliberative vote as to whether or not a general congregation should be called;

2° To consult with Father General about the state and affairs of the Society as a whole, especially about the more universal undertakings of the apostolate and, when it is a question of provincials, to set up those talks and meetings with Father General that are so important for good government. These congregations have, however, no legislative power.

3. In casting their vote as to whether a general congregation should be called:

1° The provincials are bound to follow the opinion which was approved by their province’s congregation in an instance where that opinion was affirmative, i.e., for calling the congregation, but not if it was negative.

2° Procurators are never bound to follow the opinion of their province, but they should adopt as their own that opinion which, after considering all the information they received, seems better in the Lord.

4. In province congregations that precede a congregation of provincials, one relator is to be elected from the professed and spiritual coadjutors, other than the provincial, who will inform Father General by letter of the state of the province. It is left to the prudence of Father General to judge whether, besides this written report, the relator himself should be called to Rome.

5. What is said here of provinces and provincials is to be understood also of independent vice-provinces and their provincials.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 39, “Congregations of Procurators and of Provincials,” pg. 192–193 [616–623].

The following decree of the 31st General Congregation states who would attend, ex officio, a province congregation and how others would be elected to attend the gatherings. Included in the election are “all the solemnly professed and formed spiritual and temporal coadjutors” in the province, meaning brothers were to be included.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. The following have a right to attend a province congregation by reason of office (maintaining also decree 44, n. 11, of the present General Congregation and nn. 21–26 of the Formula of the Provincial Congregation) :

1 ° the provincial;

2° all local superiors, whatever their title, who are normally named by Father General;

3° the vice-provincial and vice-superiors in accordance with the Formula of the Province Congregation;

4° the treasurer of the province;

5° the consultors of the province.

2. Besides those who enter by reason of office and those who are summoned by the provincial in keeping with the following number, forty fathers or brothers will assemble for the province congregation who were previously elected in accordance with the rules that follow:

a. In this prior election, all the solemnly professed and formed spiritual and temporal coadjutors who are members of the province have active voice, and unless they are already attending the congregation by reason of office, they also have passive voice.

b. The election takes place by means of a form sent to the provincial “soli” in which each elector can write the names of twenty-five candidates. The votes should be personal, that is, based on one’s own conscience and knowledge and after mature consideration in prayer before God; it is permitted, however, to ask one or other prudent man in secret for information. The electors should look to the good of the whole province and Society rather than the advantage of some house or some part of the province.

c. The counting of the ballots, after the names of the voters have been removed from them, is done by the provincial with the consultors of the province.

3. The provincial, with the deliberative vote of the group that counts the ballots, can summon to the congregation three other fathers or brothers, and these attend in addition to the fixed number of forty (supra numerum).

4. At least half of the members of the congregation, including those who enter supra numerum, should be professed of four solemn vows. The formed temporal coadjutors should not number more than five, but at least one of them should be present in the congregation.

5. In a vice-province congregation, the number of members is twenty, in addition to those who enter by reason of office or by nomination by the vice-provincial. Each elector can write on his form the names of twelve candidates.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 40, “Province Congregations,” pg. 193–194 [624–630].

On the issue of the governance of the Society of Jesus, the delegates at the 31st General Congregation use the following decree to reaffirm that the Jesuits’ superior general “is to be elected for life.” Still, the delegates allow for the general’s resignation “for a grave reason that would render him permanently incapable of the labors of his post.” The decree continues to explain the resignation process. This decree proved unfortunately prescient, as the superior general elected by the 31st General Congregation, Pedro Arrupe, became the first general to resign two years after he suffered a debilitating stroke in 1981.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. The 31st General Congregation, after a protracted and full discussion of both sides of the question, reaffirms the prescription of the Constitutions that the General is to be elected for life and not for some fixed term; it has made provision, however, for resignation from this office according to norms in the revised version of decree 260 of the Collection of Decrees.

2. Decree 260 of the Collection of Decrees shall be revised to read:

§1. Father General may in good conscience and by law resign from his office for a grave reason that would render him permanently incapable of the labors of his post.

§2. The obligation rests especially on the Fathers Provincial in the sight of God to consider and do what they ought to do for the universal good of the whole Society in those matters that concern Father General; generally, however, unless the matter should be extremely urgent, they will fulfill this duty through the General Assistants.

§3. If at least a majority of the General Assistants, out of their knowledge and love of the Society, shall have decided that Father General ought for a grave reason to resign his office, they should advise him of this through the admonitor.

§4. When Father General, either of his own accord but after consultation with the General Assistants, or after having been so advised by them, shall have judged that it is proper to resign his office, he should ask for a secret vote of the General Assistants and the provincials of the whole Society on the seriousness of the causes. These votes should all be counted in the presence of the General Assistants and the Secretary of the Society. If a majority judges that a general congregation ought to be convoked for the purpose of making provision for the supreme government of the Society, Father General ought then to summon it.

§5. Father General’s resignation from office does not take effect until it has been accepted by the Society in a General Congregation.

§6. If, after he has been duly advised by the General Assistants, Father General either cannot or is unwilling to resign his office, and if a majority of the same Assistants judge that the welfare of the Society might suffer great harm from quite serious causes, such as very grave illness or senility where there is no hope of improvement in the case:

1 ° A congregation for electing a temporary Vicar should be summoned in accordance with the Formula for such a congregation;

2° The temporary Vicar thus elected, after consultation with the General Assistants, should as soon as possible, under secrecy, inform the provincials and the two superiors or rectors of each province who are oldest in order of solemn profession of four vows, and ask their votes and those of the General Assistants in order to find out what they think should be done for the welfare of the Society;

3° When all the votes have been counted in the presence of the General Assistants and the Secretary of the Society, if a majority judges that a general congregation should be convoked, the Vicar ought to summon it; in the meantime, however, he should govern the Society in accordance with the norms of the office of Vicar.

3. In decree 262 of the Collection of Decrees, §4 should be added in these words:

Father General has the right to appoint a Vicar-General to assist him as often as it may seem to him to be necessary or helpful to do so.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 41, “The Office of the General,” pg. 197–198 [631–641].

This brief decree was promulgated by the 31st General Congregation. It encourages trips by the superior general as means to “truly help the union of hearts in the Society.” The trips were also helpful for the general to better understand how the Society functioned. Therefore, the delegates of the congregation here endorse such journeys. It was after such travel through Asia, however, that Pedro Arrupe, elected superior general by the same 31st General Congregation, suffered a debilitating stroke, forcing the 33rd General Congregation in 1983 to accept his resignation.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

Since trips by Father General to the Society in various parts of the world truly help the union of hearts in the Society and are helpful in giving him a fuller knowledge of affairs, such trips from time to time are recommended to him by the General Congregation so that personal and fatherly contact with members of the Society may be fostered.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 42, “Journeys by Father General,” pg. 198 [642].

The delegates of the 31st General Congregation articulate, in the following decree, the duties of the vicar general following the death of the Jesuits’ superior general. The decree, according to historian John Padberg, intends to help with the preparation of a general congregation convened, in part, to elect the departed general’s successor. Padberg explains that this decree’s clarifications were necessary with the establishment of four general assistants to work with the superior general, as established by a subsequent decree (see the congregation’s historical preface in Jesuit Life & Mission Today (2009), pg. 34).

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. The right and duty of the Vicar-General, after the death of the General, to convoke and prepare for a General Congregation in accordance with norms laid down by the General Congregation is explicitly asserted.

2. The rules for the office of the Vicar-General are to be revised so that, where mention is made of a vote of the Assistants, this is to be understood to refer to the General Assistants.

3. In the rules for the office of the Vicar-General, No. 7 is to be revised to state that the Vicar-General must have four consultors (in the strict sense, i.e., the General Assistants) appointed by the Society; if one of them is lacking, a substitute shall be designated according to the norm of No. 12 in the rules for the office of Vicar-General.

4. The last clause of decree 274 in the Collection of Decrees is to be revised to state that the office of Visitors, after a General dies, continues until such time as either the Vicar-General, after consultation with the General Assistants, or the new General shall have decided otherwise.

5. Concerning the deliberative vote of the General Assistants (No. 12) and affairs which are not to be brought to a conclusion (Nos. 8–9), it seems better to make no change, especially since (see No. 3 above) a Substitute Assistant can now be appointed in place of that General Assistant who might be named or elected as Vicar.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 43, “The Vicar-General after the Death of the General,” pg. 199 [643–647].

The delegates of the 31st General Congregation sought to improve the effectiveness of the governance of the Society of Jesus with the following decree explaining the roles of those chosen to assist the superior general. They issued this decree based on studies conducted by the Jesuits’ previous superior general. Among the roles explained here are those for the general assistants (the number being set at four), the general consultors, the regional assistants, and the expert consultors.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. In order that the Society may better exercise its providence with respect to the General according to the norms of our Constitutions, and that the General may be better aided by the advice he needs in directing and deciding the grave matters that come before him, the 31st General Congregation has made the following arrangements which are by way of experiment only and are to be submitted to the judgment of the next General Congregation.

I. General Assistants

1. Four General Assistants only are elected to carry out the Society’s providence with respect to the General.

2. These four General Assistants have a deliberative or consultative vote in those cases in which the common law requires, even in the Society, that the General must act with the consent of his consultors or listen to their advice.

3. The General has the right and duty to replace them with others, if, after consultation with the other General Assistants, he judges that, either because of notably impaired strength or for another reason, they are so unequal to their task that it can be foreseen that the Society may thereby be in danger of serious harm.

The General ought, however, immediately to seek the approval of the General Assistants and the provincials after he has passed on to them suitable information about the man he has chosen.

Approval of a majority of the General Assistants and provincials is needed for validity. Therefore, until such time as this majority is established, the new General Assistant does not have the right to cast a vote on matters in which the Institute gives a deliberative vote to Assistants, nor does he have a right to attend congregations, whether a general congregation, a congregation of procurators or provincials, or a congregation to elect a temporary Vicar-General.

4. If a general congregation convoked ad negotia declares its intention of proceeding to the election of new General Assistants, the incumbent Assistants ipso facto leave office, but can be reelected to the same office.

5. The following is to be added in No. 136 of the Formula of the General Congregation: The first two Assistants are to be elected individually by separate, successive ballots in the same session, the third in the following session, the fourth in the third session.

6. All provisions to the contrary, whether in the Collection of Decrees, or in the norms of the Formula of the General Congregation, or in the rules of the Assistants, and specifically in decrees 263; 268, §2; 269, §2, 3° and §§4, 5; and in No. 130 of the Formula, are suspended until the next general congregation shall have passed judgment on the present provision, which is introduced as an experiment. Decree 264, however, is for the time being simply suspended.

II. Other Consultors of the General

7. These will aid in advising the General:

1° General Consultors, especially in considering matters pertaining to the whole Society;

2° Regional Assistants, especially in considering matters pertaining to different regions of the Society;

3° Expert Consultors, in considering matters, whether pertaining to the whole Society or to principal works of the Society, in which they are experts.

All these can give their advice either individually or gathered in a common consultation, as the General shall ask it of them.

8. The General Consultors, the Regional Assistants and the Expert Consultors are named by the General; before he names a Regional Assistant, however, he should hear the views of the provincials of that region or assistancy, and if the appointment is made while a general congregation is in session, also of all the other electors of the same region or assistancy.

9. All provisions to the contrary in the decrees of previous general congregations are suspended until the next general congregation shall have laid down a definitive judgment.

III. Rights of Assistants and Consultors of the General respecting Congregations of the Society

10. General Assistants, General Consultors and Regional Assistants have the right to attend a general congregation, congregations of procurators or provincials, and a congregation for the election of a temporary Vicar-General. General Assistants, however, attend a general congregation with full rights, i.e., as electors, with the right to vote in the election of the General and General Assistants; while General Consultors and Regional Assistants, attend only ad negotia. If any at all of these assistants and consultors are changed or cease functioning in their office during a general congregation, both former and new men keep the same right.

11. General Consultors and Regional Assistants by reason of their office have active voice in the congregation of their own provinces.

12. Expert Consultors have no right, by virtue of their office, respecting congregations of the Society.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 44, “Assistants and Consultors of the General,” pg. 200–202 [648–663].

The Jesuit’s superior general may, from time to time, appoint a visitor to a province, a temporary assignment intended to assess and improve the effectiveness of ministries and individuals. A position not unique to the Society of Jesus but one that became increasingly common in the order by the mid-sixteenth century, a visitor was endowed with the authority to act, as one historian has noted, “in the superior general’s stead while the general himself remained at the curia in Rome.” With the following decree, the delegates to the 31st General Congregation seek to clarify the responsibilities and tenure of a visitor.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. Decree 274 of the Collection of Decrees is revised as follows:

Father General has the power to send Visitors to provinces when it shall seem good to him and for the length of time and with the authority and jurisdiction that seem good. When a General dies, the office of Visitor continues until such time as the Vicar-General, after consultation with the General Assistants, or the new General shall decide otherwise.

2. The General Congregation recommends to Father General that, while our law with regard to Visitors is to remain unchanged, they should not stay in office too long nor enjoy undefined authority or jurisdiction.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 45, “Visitors,” pg. 202 [664–665].

In the following decree, the delegates of the 31st General Congregation urge that provincials in the Society of Jesus receive greater responsibility and “broader faculties” in the governance of the Society of Jesus. Provincials, in return, were to “carefully listen to their subjects and direct them in the Lord, taking into consideration the internal knowledge which they have of them.” The decree also explains the goal of a provincial, namely to “foster in the province religious life, the training of our men, and apostolic ministries, seeking always in all things the greater service of Christ’s Church.”

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. The General Congregation calls to mind that our holy father Ignatius wished indeed that “Father General have all authority for the greater benefit of the Society,” and that from him “as from the head, all power of the provincials should proceed, and descend through them to local superiors and through them down to individual persons.” He wished that “for the same reason, in each province Father General should have provincials of demonstrated trustworthiness, since he realizes that the good government of the Society to a great extent depends on them,” and “they should be men of the sort to whom a great deal of power can be entrusted.” The power that is given to them either by common law or the Society’s law in virtue of their office is “ordinary power.”

2. In this way Father General, “by sharing his work with them as far as the business permits,” can have more leisure and time to attend to more universal matters, and more light to see what must be done about them. Subordination under holy obedience will be better preserved in the whole body of the Society, “the more clearly inferiors understand that they depend immediately on their superiors and that it will be very proper for them, and even necessary, to be subject to them in all things for Christ our Lord’s sake,” having persuaded themselves that “their superior possesses the knowledge, the will, and the ability to govern them well in the Lord.” Provincials themselves and other superiors should devote themselves with a greater sense of responsibility to the task of government entrusted to them, not seeking to avoid making plans or decisions by themselves, but with a courageous spirit embarking on great undertakings for the divine service and remaining constant in carrying them out.

3. On this account, provincials should carefully listen to their subjects and direct them in the Lord, taking into consideration the internal knowledge which they have of them. This is especially so with regard to rectors and local superiors whom they ought diligently to aid in carrying out their own function, showing them confidence and sharing broad power with them as the matter may demand. They should also foster in the province religious life, the training of our men, and apostolic ministries, seeking always in all things the greater service of Christ’s Church. Moreover, although provincials are appointed to rule their particular provinces, “they should turn their attention to the needs of the whole Society and look on interprovincial and international houses and works as part of their duty and responsibility, and willingly help them according to the measure and proportion worked out by Father General for each of the individual provinces.”

4. In addition, the obligation rests “especially on the Fathers Provincial in the sight of God to consider and do what they ought to do for the general welfare of the Society” in those matters that concern Father General; as a rule, however, they will fulfill this duty through the General Assistants, unless the matter should be extremely urgent.

5. The participation of the provincials in the government of the Society demands that there be “a more frequent personal communication” between the general and the provincials and that Father General “know well, as far as can be, the consciences of the Fathers Provincial,” so that from this intimate knowledge and mutual communication the “necessary” influence of the head may more easily “descend” to the provincials “for the sake of the goal that is set for the Society.”

6. Therefore, the General Congregation:

a. recommends that the personal communication of Father General with the provincials be increased, not only by calling them to Rome some time after they have taken office so that they may discuss things with him, but also by calling together all the provincials of a region or even of the whole Society as he shall judge it to be useful;

b. has revised some decrees of general congregations in which the necessity of seeking the consent of the General was laid down as a requirement;

c. hands over to the prudent judgment of Father General the matter of his habitually sharing broader faculties with the provincials in some affairs.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 46, “Provincials,” pg. 203–205 [666–671].

Consultors in the Society of Jesus are appointed to provide advice to Jesuit superiors. The delegates of the 31st General Congregation, responding to the requests of an apostolic letter (Ecclesiae sanctae, issued in 1966), sought to define the process of selecting consultors. In the following decree, the delegates outline the selection processes for consultors in a house and for those in a province.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

In order that the members of the Society may take a truly effective part in the selection of those who make up councils, the General Congregation decrees that:

1° With regard to the consultors of a house: the provincial should inquire into the opinion of members of the community concerning the current or prospective consultors (this can, as a rule, be done readily during the visitation of a house), and in naming consultors he should give proper weight to the members’ judgment.

2° With regard to the consultors of the province: in their official letters to the general, local superiors, having heard the views of the members of their community, to whom they shall offer a clear opportunity of expressing their minds, shall submit their opinion of the province consultors. They shall state whether these consultors are satisfactory or not, and if they are not, they should indicate others who may seem to them to be suited for this post. The consultors of each house, in their official letters to the general, shall submit a similar opinion.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 47, “Selecting House and Province Consultors,” pg. 205 [672–673].

According to historian John Padberg, the topic of cooperation between Jesuit provinces was “deliberated at length” by the delegates at the 31st General Congregation (see Jesuit Life & Mission Today, pg. 37). The delegates conclude, in the following decree, that the Society of Jesus should promote “open and complete cooperation” among its members, echoing the sentiment expressed by the previous general congregation. In particular, a provincial is encouraged here to “not look solely to the advantages of his own province, but give as much support as possible to the needs of the weaker provinces and missions.” Interprovincial cooperation was certainly underway at the time of the congregation, and the delegates state a desire not to “impede its progress and establishment by rigid or abstract regulations and recommendations.” They do use the decree to offer some “principles to be observed” when provinces experiment with cooperation.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

I. Interprovincial Cooperation

A. Interprovincial Cooperation in General

1. That open and complete cooperation which is more and more a requisite for apostolic action today and which the Second Vatican Council strongly recommends to religious everywhere, should be promoted among all the Society’s members, whatever their province. Wherefore, the 31st General Congregation, in accordance with the 30th General Congregation, which already expressed the same earnest desire in its decree 49, again even more vigorously urges all members to bring about by concrete deeds that cooperation of all the provinces.

2. Therefore, among us from the very start of our training encouragement should be given to a spirit of union and charity that boldly rejects every brand of particularism and egoism, even of a collective kind, and reaches out readily and generously to the universal good of the Society in the service of God’s Church.

3. The organization and planning of all apostolic labors, whether of a province or a region, or the whole Society, can contribute greatly to cooperation among undertakings, especially those of a similar nature, of the same province, or region, or the whole Society.

4. Moreover, lest we be satisfied with empty words, each provincial should not look solely to the advantages of his own province, but give as much support as possible to the needs of the weaker provinces and missions that unfortunately lack both the means and instruments of the apostolate, and the resources and funds and especially the men. In addition, each meeting of all the provincials, when it is assembled under the presidency of Father General, is asked especially to treat explicitly of this interprovincial cooperation.

5. Thus generously observing its primitive tradition and eagerly following the prescriptions of the Second Vatican Council, our Society, like a body that is one and apostolic, will pursue more effectively under the standard of Jesus the one and same end, namely, the fraternal reconciliation and salvation of all men in Christ.

B. Economic Cooperation

6. The 31st General Congregation, in view of the need for this economic cooperation, asks the definitores on poverty to render this cooperation more complete by a new and truly appropriate law so that the fraternal charity of the provincials, which has been demonstrated in different ways (e.g., in supporting scholastics and other ways), may be expressed more easily and more universally. Economic cooperation should not be restricted to offering money and resources; for it can also find fulfillment through collaboration in methods of obtaining help from externs and in ways of using money and resources.

C. Cooperation among Neighboring Provinces

7. In view of the great importance, urgency, and complexity of interprovincial cooperation, the 31st General Congregation does not wish to impede its progress and establishment by rigid or abstract regulations and recommendations, but strongly endorses the idea that various experiments in different regions be approved by Father General with a view to achieving specific, well-adapted, and effective regional cooperation on the basis of which more suitable laws can be formulated at a later time.

D. Principles to Be Observed in Introducing Experiments

8. Nevertheless, it seems good that certain principles should be observed so that the development of interprovincial cooperation corresponds completely with the method of governing that is proper to the Society, and that certain experiments, among those that are possible, should receive special recommendation.

1° The provincials:

a. Progress in interprovincial cooperation should not so overburden the provincials with a multiplicity of difficult transactions that they abdicate their responsibility toward persons. One of the chief duties of their office is to become well acquainted with all who are ascribed or applied to their province, and competently, sincerely and honestly to adopt decisions that affect these persons and their ministries. For this is a fundamental principle of all government in the Society, which is above all a “Society of love.” This government does not consist in administration alone, however effective that may be.

b. Whatever these laws for interprovincial cooperation are, they will become useless unless the provincials themselves possess the qualities and endowments so absolutely necessary for the establishment of true and productive collaboration among themselves, that is, that intelligence of mind that can grasp the broader and more profound problems, and those special gifts of character that make for easy and sincere relationships among equals. Father General should, moreover, have these qualities in mind when naming provincials.

2° The board of provincials:

a. Meetings of provincials should take place as soon as interprovincial cooperation is begun, whatever form this cooperation may take. For these meetings greatly foster mutual understanding and are a good way by which each provincial can grasp the problems of other provincials and at the same time all can comprehend common problems. By such a method the common good of the whole region can be determined and similarly advanced.

b. At times, at least, because of his comprehensive knowledge of the whole region, the presence of the Regional Assistant at these meetings can be profitable in that the meeting may be helped in pursuing its own objectives by the counsels and judgment of the Assistant and the Assistant himself may be in a position to obtain fuller information for Father General.

c. The chairman of the board of provincials can be one of the provincials who fills this office for a brief time, e.g., for a year, and with the help of a secretary also attends to the preparation and summoning of the meetings and the execution of their decisions according to the objective goals or prescriptions determined by the board.

d. The designation of certain experts to investigate and prepare different questions, e.g., on apostolic planning, social, educational, pastoral affairs, etc., can greatly aid in promoting better interprovincial cooperation. These men may be assembled in some interprovincial commissions and can be called to the provincials’ meeting or send in a written report. In this way, interprovincial decisions, which are often of rather great importance, may be made in a more objective fashion and be more suited to the needs.

e. A board of provincials has no juridical authority in the Society. Even if the provincials agree on a certain decision, this agreement has no force except from the authority of each provincial, and even here the approval of Father General may be required according to the nature and importance of the question. However, if the provincials do not agree among themselves, the affair should be referred to Father General or to the person mentioned in No. 3° who has the power of decision from either his own or from delegated jurisdiction.

3° Delegations of authority made by Father General:

a. Father General, either by himself or through a delegate, solves interprovincial problems insofar as they exceed the power of the provincials.

b. To solve a particular problem, Father General can delegate authority to one of the provincials or another father. Such authority, however, should not be delegated too frequently to those whose own office is to serve as an adviser to Father General.

c. When interprovincial affairs are so multiplied that their resolution by the means mentioned above becomes increasingly difficult, it is necessary to go further and to initiate more radical and even novel experiments, e.g., through delegation of authority, conferred and determined by Father General, either to different fathers according to the diversity, importance, and urgency of the problems or to only one father, so that the common good of the whole region may be provided for in a more organized fashion.

d. However, these or various other methods of further extending interprovincial cooperation should be always so arranged that the common good of the region and unity of action are fittingly achieved, that provincials receive effective assistance, and that the rights of all members are fully safeguarded (namely, those mentioned above in No. 1° a).

II. Common Houses

9. The decisions necessary for the organization of common houses are entrusted to Father General so that norms may be formulated gradually from concrete experience with that flexibility and adaptation demanded by the purposes of those houses.

III. Establishing Houses in the Territory of Another Province

10. Decree 275 §2 of the Collection of Decrees should be revised to read:

Several provinces cannot be established in the same territory according to a difference in language or nationality, nor as a rule can houses of different provinces be established in the same territory. Father General can, however, after hearing the opinions of the provincials concerned, permit the establishment of houses of one province in the territory of another province under conditions approved by him and in favor of those who are suffering persecution on behalf of Christ or for other serious reasons.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 48, “Interprovincial Cooperation,” pg. 206–209 [674–694].

The following decree articulates some procedural decisions made by the delegates at the 31st General Congregation. It establishes the dates to end the congregation’s first session and to begin its second—the first time in the history of Society of Jesus that a congregation was divided into distinct sessions by its delegates. In all, the 31st General Congregation lasted for 141 days, making it the third longest in Jesuit history.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. The General Congregation decided the following about the second session of the Congregation:

1° July 15th is set as the last day of the first session;

2° The second session will begin in the month of September 1966.

2. §1—The commissions which have already been set up will remain the same.

§2—At Rome a coordinating commission is set up, the members of which are Father General, the general assistants, the chairmen of the commissions and the secretary of the General Congregation.

§3—Father General, after consulting with the members of the coordinating commission, will set up a special commission to prepare the rules of procedure for the second session.

§4—The modus agendi of the commissions in the interval between the sessions will be substantially the same as it was in the first session and the small groups convoked in the meantime will complete their business by letter.

§5—A special commission will be set up composed of 12 or 15 members which will convene at stated times in order to complete reports, collect and elaborate upon comments received and prepare definitive position papers.

3. §1—Father General has the power to change provincials for proportionately grave causes before the end of the General Congregation.

§2—Provincials who in between the two sessions have completed their term of office retain their right of membership at the second session.

§3—Provincials who have been appointed in the time in between sessions are to be summoned to the second session as delegates with full power, that is as “Electors.”

§4—Prescriptions §§ 1–3 of this third article are to be understood as applying only at this particular Congregation.

4. Those provinces which will find the expenses of the second session extremely burdensome will be helped by the General Treasurer of the Society in an appropriate way.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 49, “The Second Session of the 31st General Congregation,” pg. 213 [695–705].

The decrees promulgated by the 31st General Congregation required changes to how future congregations would operate as described in the Formula of the General Congregation. The following decree outlines those changes. Among the alterations are those concerning the postulta (or petitions) Jesuits send for consideration at a general congregation. The decree notes that such postulta were to be “written in Latin,” were to “exhibit due seriousness and reverence,” and were to be accompanied by “a separate page adding concisely and clearly the principal reasons” for the particular request.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

n.7.— §1. For the business of the congregation, that is, ordinarily after the election of the General has been completed, the following are to be admitted to the congregation and they have from then on the right of voting in everything except the election of the general assistants:

1° the general counselors;

2° the regional assistants;

3° the secretary of the Society;

4° the procurator general of the Society;

5° the treasurer general of the Society;

6° the provincials of the vice-provinces and the superiors of missions which have the right to send electors in which a congregation could not be held, if perhaps they are not solemnly professed of the four vows.

7° Procurators who have been called to the congregation by the general in order to provide more ample information on affairs, or who have been sent by their own provincials with the approval of the general given at least after they have been sent.

§2. If during the general congregation some or all of the general counselors or the regional assistants are changed, those who have newly been named immediately acquire the right mentioned above in §1, 1° and 2°; those however who have left office do not lose that right for that particular congregation.

n. 25—§3 No one should communicate to others outside of the congregation the things which are done in the congregation except according to regulations which the general or the vicar-general have set down and the congregation has approved.

n. 56 §2 (addenda). Then the order of business and the manner of proceeding on the day of election are proposed to the congregation for its approval according to what the vicar-general has set down with the advice of the general assistants taking into account the norms of the Constitutions, the traditions of the Society and the circumstances of the times.

nn. 71 — 88: omitted.

n. 11. §1. Not only provincial congregations but also all members of the Society can send postulata to the general congregation. The provincial congregation should not be bypassed without a proportionate reason expressed in the postulatum itself.

§2. A postulatum which touches on some law ought to point out the detriments which have followed or which will follow from the observance of the law and only after that should seek some remedy or propose some solution.

§3. Those who are not members of the congregation should in no wise embroil themselves in the affairs which the congregation is treating nor should they force memoranda or informatory material on the members of the congregation nor urge them to follow this or that opinion.

n. 116 bis—§1. The members of the congregation are not bound to sign their postulata as long as they give them either to the secretary of the congregation or to one of the deputies for screening the postulata. Otherwise they are bound to sign them just like those members of the Society who are not members of the congregation.

§2. In all postulata the following is required:

1° that they be written in Latin;

2° that they exhibit due seriousness and reverence toward the Institute. For this end it will much help if those who are less knowledgeable about the Institute seek the advice of experts;

3° that each postulatum be set out on a separate page adding concisely and clearly the principal reasons for the postulatum. It is by no means prohibited, however, for the position taken in the postulatum to be further and more fully developed in other additional pages.

no. 118 §1. Those prescriptions of the Institute which pertain to pontifical law, either the common law or law proper to the Society, cannot be changed by a congregation unless power to change them has been given to the Society by the Holy See. It will however be lawful to treat of them if the congregation has so decided by a prior majority vote. Before such a prior vote, it is appropriate for the commissions to set forth the meaning of and the reasons for the postulata. Once a formal discussion has been finished, the congregation should not go to the Holy See for a change in one of those prescriptions unless two-thirds of the members of the congregation agree to this.

§2. The Constitutions of our holy founder can be changed by the congregation in those matters which are not among the substantials. We are not to treat of changing them except after the congregation has decided that they are to be treated of by a majority vote. Commissions, however, may before this vote set forth the meaning of and the reasons for the postulata. A decree introducing such a change is not valid unless it has been approved by two-thirds of the votes.

n. 124—All decrees are to be passed by a majority vote, keeping the prescriptions of n. 118 intact.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 50, “Changes in the Formula of the General Congregation in Accord with the Decisions of the Present Congregation,” pg. 214–216 [706–717].

The decrees promulgated by the 31st General Congregation required changes to how future provincial congregations would operate. The following decree outlines those changes to the Formula of the Provincial Congregations. Most of these changes concern who could participate in a provincial congregation.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

n. 3—§7 (addenda). If, because of religious persecution or similar adverse circumstances, a provincial congregation cannot be held nor can a provincial send someone from his province in his place to a general congregation or designate someone to fulfill the function of relator, the general, with advice of the general assistants or the vicar-general in the same circumstances, will name some member of the Society from that province who is professed of the four vows, either as elector who will then become a member of the general congregation with full rights in place of the provincial, or as procurator in a congregation of procurators.

n. 6—§1. The right to attend a provincial congregation belongs by reason of their office to the following:

1° the provincial;

2° all local superiors no matter what they are called who ordinarily are named by Father General;

3° the vice-provincial and vice-superiors but only according to the norms of n. 24–26;

4° the treasurer of the province;

5° the consultors of the province.

§2. The following do not have a right to membership by reason of their office:

1° the socius to the provincial;

2° the instructor of the tertianship;

3° the master of novices.

n. 7—§1. Besides those who by reason of their office are members of the congregation and those who according to norm n. 6 may have been designated by the provincial, there should be in the congregation forty previously elected fathers or brothers.

§2. In this preliminary election:

1° All the solemnly professed and the spiritual and temporal formed coadjutors who are members of that province have active voice, according to the norm of n. 7 bis.

2° The same members have passive voice unless they already are coming to the congregation by reason of their office, keeping intact the prescriptions of n. 113.

3° The election is to be carried out by written ballot sent to the provincial “soli” in two envelopes. The name of the person doing the voting is to be written on the inner envelope but not on the ballot itself.

4° Each member of the province who is voting can write on the ballot the names of 25 candidates. If someone, however, should know only a few members of the province, it will be enough to write only a certain number of names even if he does not fill out the total number of 25.

5° The electors ought to look to the good of the whole province and of the Society rather than to obtaining some benefit for a particular house or some other part of the province.

6° The votes are to be personal, that is, to be cast in accord with one’s own conscience and knowledge and seriously thought about in prayer before the Lord. Secrecy is to be observed. However it is licit for the person voting to seek information under the seal of confidentiality from one or another prudent man.

7° No one is to volunteer information to someone who does not ask for it.

§3. For the validity of this preliminary election it is not required that each and every person who has active voice respond, nor that two-thirds of the electors send in a ballot as long as suitably in advance they have received news of the fact the election is to held.

§4. The counting of the ballots, with the names of the voters removed, is to be done by the provincial with the four consultors of the province. This election commission has the right to resolve doubts on the validity of the whole balloting and of each and every ballot.

§5. After the counting of the ballots, a list should be drawn up of those above who have been elected by the whole province, with no indication of the house to which each belongs.

§6. The provincial may, with the deliberative vote of the election commission, summon to the congregation three other professed fathers or spiritual or temporal coadjutors who are to be designated in the list as “named by the provincial.” The provincial is however not so bound to name three people. Those so designated become members of the congregation “supra numerum.” However they have the right not only to deal with the affairs of the congregation but also to participate in the elections which take place in the congregation.

§7. At least half the members of the congregation including those who are there “supra numerum” will be professed of the four solemn vows. The formed temporal coadjutors shall not exceed the number of five but there must be at least one of them at the congregation.

N.B. It is further to be determined, according to the norm of decree 52, what is to be done when the number of those who have been elected is not sufficient to complete the set number of 40 Jesuits who are to be members of the congregation.

n. 7 bis (previously §§2–5 no. 7).

n. 8—§§1–2 are omitted.

n. 10 is omitted.

n. 16—§1. With reference to impediments which might exist in those elected to the congregation, before the congregation begins the provincial, together with four of the members who are to come to that congregation by right of that office and who can conveniently be called together, will judge them.

n. 21—The Jesuits who are members of the General’s curia retain active and passive voice in their own province as do also those who are assigned to a house or a work immediately dependent upon the General. In addition, the secretary of the Society, the general counselors, the regional assistants, the procurator general and the treasurer general as well as the superior of the curia have a right to membership in the congregation of their own province by reason of their office. All of these, however, can be dispensed by Father General from the obligation of attending the congregation.

n. 28—§2. All members of the Society may in their private capacity offer whatever information they wish to the consultors, to the superior or to anyone who is elected to the congregation, or they can send this material to the congregation itself, keeping however the prescriptions of n. 74 §§2–7.

n. 29—§2. This is so to be made up that after the name of the provincial are listed all those who have taken final vows, according to the calendar order in which they have made their definitive incorporation into the Society. There is to be no precedence by grade or office. If several have pronounced their final vows on the same day, the earlier place on the list is to be given to the one who has been longest in religious life, and then to the one who is older. If there are some who have all of these characteristics identically, then before each provincial congregation the matter is to be decided by lot by the provincial in the presence of the consultors of the province. Scholastics, if there should be some on this list, are to be ranked in order of length of time in religious life.

n. 3—§2. is omitted (keeping the prescriptions of n. 86).

n. 43—§3. No one should communicate to others outside of the congregation except to those who have been elected or to their substitutes who may have perhaps been absent from the congregation the things which are done in the congregation except according to the norms laid down at the immediately previous general congregation. However, the General or the Vicar-General has the power to further adapt these norms to the particular conditions of a provincial congregation.

n. 55—Eighth, immediately after the two deputies have been elected, the day will be set by a public majority vote on which the election of those to be sent is held. If it seems better to postpone that election, there is no impediment to conducting the affairs of the congregation before the election.

n. 74—§1 (remains the same).

§2—These postulata:

1° If they are destined for the General Congregation should be appropriate to preserving, promoting and adapting the Institute.

2° (remains the same).

§3. It is not the prerogative of the provincial congregation to deal with persons. If, however, in the course of business persons have to be dealt with indirectly, this is to be done with appropriate and religious modesty.

§4. The provincial congregation may act:

1° On the substantials or the fundamentals of the Institute whenever there are serious reasons to do so,1 and those reasons ought to be the more serious insofar as the affair more intimately touches our way of life and acting;2

2° On other of our laws, observing the same proportion.

§5. A postulatum which touches on some law ought to point out the detriments which have followed or which will follow from the observance of the law and only after that should it seek some remedy or propose some solution.

§6. The members of the congregation are not bound to sign their postulata as long as they give them either to the secretary of the congregation or to one of the deputies for screening the postulata. Otherwise they are bound to sign them just as those who are not members of the congregation.

In all postulata the following is required:

1° that they be written in Latin unless they have been submitted by temporal coadjutors; to the Latin should be added a vernacular translation of the postulatum itself and of at least a summary of the whole proposition or argument.

2° that they exhibit due seriousness and reverence toward the Institute. For this it will help much if those who are less knowledgeable about the Institute seek the advice of experts.

3° that each postulatum be set out on a separate page adding concisely and clearly the principal reasons for the postulatum. It is by no means prohibited, however, for the position taken in the postulatum to be further and more fully developed in other additional pages.

§7. Those who are not members of the congregation should in no wise embroil themselves in the affairs which the congregation is treating nor should they force memoranda or informatory material on the members of the congregation or urge them to follow this or that opinion.

n. 76.—All the postulata which have been sent to the congregation are to be given to the members of the congregation along with the reasons added by the author of the postulatum; it is to be noted which of the postulata the deputation has admitted to consideration and which ones it has rejected.

n. 81.—§2. In order for a postulatum to be considered approved by the congregation when it deals with changing the substantials or the fundamentals of the Institute or the pontifical law proper to the Society or the Constitutions, a twofold vote is required: the first ballot by majority vote is to decide whether the matter should be dealt with; the second ballot by a two-thirds majority vote whether the proposal is approved. It is, however, allowable before the first ballot to set forth the meaning and the reasons for the postulata.

n. 86 bis.—The provincial should take care that those who have sent postulata to the provincial congregation learn in good time what happened to their requests, at least if a postulatum was rejected.

n. 92.—§. (To be added at the end): (a) If neither a congregation of a vice-province or mission can be held nor the vice-provincial or superior of a mission can send some professed father in his place, because of religious persecution or other unfavorable conditions, the norm of n. 3 §7 is to observed.

§4. (To be added at the end): 3° If neither the congregation of a vice province or a mission can be held nor the vice-provincial or superior of a mission can send some other priest in his place, because of religious persecution or similar unfavorable circumstances, the norm of n. 3 §7, is to be observed.

n. 93.—§1 (remains the same).

§2. Besides those who come to the congregation by reason of office and those who may have been designated by the vice-provincial or the superior of a mission in accord with the norm of §3, the congregation will be made up of 20 fathers or brothers previously elected according to the norm of n. 7, §§2–5, except that each of the Jesuits voting can write on his ballot the names of only 12 candidates.

§3. The vice-provincial or superior of the mission can call to the congregation three other fathers or brothers in accord with norm n. 7 §6.

§4. At least half the members of the congregation including those who are there “supra numerum” will be professed of the four solemn vows. The formed temporal coadjutors shall not exceed the number of five, but there must be at least one of them at the congregation.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 51, “Changes in the Formula of the Provincial Congregation in Accord with the Decisions of the Present Congregation,” pg. 216–221 [718–758].

The following decree from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus provides the superior general with the responsibility and authority to respond to questions that would result from the congregation’s actions. It also allows him to make any additional necessary changes to the various formulas governing the Society of Jesus.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

With respect to the Formulas of congregations, the 31st General Congregation:

1° Orders and empowers Father General, with a deliberative vote of those fathers of the general curia who have a right to attend a general congregation by reason of their office:

a. to give an authoritative answer to questions that will of necessity arise concerning the next province congregations and congregations of procurators and of provincials by adapting the Formulas of these congregations and, where necessary, even changing them;

b. either to give provisional answers to juridical questions respecting the next general congregation and its Formula, or prepare the questions in such a way that the 32nd General Congregation can itself settle them at its outset.

2° Recommends also to the General that he communicate to the fathers of the 32nd General Congregation, in good time before the start of the congregation, the decisions so made and the questions to be settled.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 52, “Completing the Work on the Formulas of the Congregation,” pg. 222 [763–764].

Historian John Padberg observes that the delegates to the 31st General Congregation did not have the necessary time or expertise to properly revise the Jesuits’ catalog of censures and precepts (see the congregation’s historical preface in Jesuit Life & Mission Today (2009), pg. 39). Therefore, the delegates gave authority to the superior general to “abrogate the canonical penalties and those precepts that are imposed by the Society’s own law,” though only after he had “taken the advice of experts.”

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

The General Congregation desires that the universal laws of the Society be observed, but that they be observed according to the spirit and aim proposed by St. Ignatius. This means that “in place of fear of offense there be love and desire of all perfection, and that the greater glory and praise of Christ, our Creator and Lord,” be achieved. For this reason the Congregation has decided to review the canonical penalties and precepts in virtue of obedience in the “Catalogue of Censures and Precepts Imposed on Jesuits.” Therefore, by this decree it delegates to Father General the following powers:

1° that according to his prudent judgment, with the deliberative vote of those fathers of the general curia who by reason of their office have a right to participate in the general congregation, and having taken the advice of experts, he can abrogate the canonical penalties and those precepts that are imposed by the Society’s own law;

2° that under the same conditions he has the power of abrogating penalties laid down by the Constitutions, as well as permission to enable him to petition the Holy See in the name of the Society for the abrogation of penalties established by particular pontifical law.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 53, “The Catalog of Censures and Precepts,” pg. 222–223 [765].

Postulta (or petitions) sent by Jesuits in advance of the 31st General Congregation requested that the congregation’s delegates revise the norms that previously censored some books. The delegates, in the following decree, respond to those requests by giving the superior general the authority to later “adapt the particular norms of our own law in this respect, by way of experiment.” The decree also states it “desirable” that the superior general receive suggestions on such adaptations from officials in different regions or countries to ensure the changes “be more appropriate to their own particular situations and problems.”

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. In order that more effective provision be made for Jesuits to engage with congruous freedom and responsibility in the intellectual apostolate of the press and other forms of mass communications, due consideration being given at the same time to security of doctrine and the interests of the Church and of the Society, the 31st General Congregation recommends and, insofar as necessary, communicates to Father General the power, without prejudice to the general principle of the Constitutions regarding previous censorship of writings, to adapt the particular norms of our own law in this respect, by way of experiment. This he may do according to his own prudent judgment, after consultation with experts and with the general assistants.

2. With a view to the same end, it is desirable that the boards of provincials, either of an assistancy or of a region or country, having heard the advice of experts, propose to Father General those adaptations which appear to be more appropriate to their own particular situations and problems.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 54, “Prior Censorship of Books,” pg. 223 [766–767].

The following decree outlines some changes to the Collection of Decrees as a result of the decisions made by the delegates to the 31st General Congregation.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. In the Collection of Decrees decrees 21; 75, §3; 78, 768 §1; 231; 232; 290; 293 are abrogated to this extent, that norms contained in them shall continue to stay in force with the authority of Ordinations of the Fathers General, until the General shall decide otherwise.

2. Decree 75, §3 of the Collection of Decrees should be revised as follows:

Letters written or received by the admonitor of a provincial are not subject to the censorship of the same provincial.

3. In decree 212 of the Collection of Decrees, the following words should be added:

The General can, however, communicate to provincials the faculty of approving specifications for construction of a new building.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 55, “Abrogation and Revision of Certain Decrees,” pg. 224 [768–770].

The delegates to the 31st General Congregation empowered the superior general with certain authorities to act after the congregation closed. The following decree articulates those areas of responsibility, which are in keeping with those given by previous congregations to the superior general.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

1. For the proper completion of the legislative work of the 31st General Congregation, Father General is empowered, after obtaining the deliberative vote of those fathers of the general curia who have a right ex officio to attend a general congregation, and without prejudice to the powers given him in other decrees, to abrogate or modify decrees of past general congregations which are seen to be not in accord with the decrees of this 31st General Congregation.

2. Moreover, the 31st General Congregation grants to Father General the following:

1° That he himself, if it should be a matter of necessity, can suppress colleges and professed houses, with the deliberative votes, however, of those fathers of the general curia who have the right ex officio to attend a general congregation and of the provincial of the province in whose territory the house to be suppressed is located.

2° That the minutes of some sessions that could not be distributed to the Fathers of the Congregation should be approved by Father General and the general assistants.

3° That with respect to decrees that must be promulgated after the close of the Congregation, it should be permitted to Father General:

a. to make whatever corrections seem obviously needed;

b. to reconcile contradictions, if any are detected, according to the mind of the Congregation, but after having ascertained the deliberative vote of those fathers of the general curia who have a right ex officio to attend a general congregation;

c. to edit the decrees with regard to style;

d. where necessary, to combine different decrees into one, while preserving the meaning and intent of each;

e. to fix a vacatio legis or delay with respect to enforcement, in the light of circumstances, when promulgating the decrees, especially the decree on new norms for advancement to final vows.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, General Congregation 31, Decree 56, “Powers Granted to the Father General,” pg. 224–225 [771–774].

The delegates of the 31st General Congregation gathered, in part, to select the successor to Jean-Baptiste Janssens as the 28th superior general. In these remarks before the congregation, Pope Paul VI believes that the next general would “take every care to ensure that your harmony be not disrupted by discordant voices, but rather that you deserve full credit for fidelity and devotion.” The pontiff also stresses the “fearful danger of atheism threatening human society,” stating, on behalf of the Church, its bidding to “the companions of Ignatius to muster all their courage and fight this good fight, making all the necessary plans for a well-organized and successful campaign.

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

We are happy to receive you today, dear members of the Society of Jesus, and We greet you with Our warm and heartfelt good wishes.

You have gathered in Rome in accordance with the original law of your Society to form the General Congregation which will choose the successor of Father John Janssens, your Superior General, whose loss We mourn with you. The task before you is a difficult and momentous one, for on it depend the well-being and success, the vigor and progress of your religious Institute.

Weigh with sound and well-informed judgment, with the steady wisdom that comes from true prudence, every element that has a bearing on your decision, and, before all else, invoke the light and guidance of the Holy Spirit in pure and fervent prayer, that your voting may conform to the will of God: “Show us the one whom You have chosen.”

For Our part, as We greatly share your concern and unite Our prayers with yours, We earnestly wish that the one to be chosen will meet the highest expectations and fully satisfy the needs of your religious family.

Everyone knows that Ignatius, your holy father and law maker, wanted your Society to be marked by a distinctive characteristic and to achieve results by a zeal rooted in virtue. Founded as the result of his unselfish and heaven-sent inspiration, the Society of Jesus was to be, in his plan, outstanding as the solid bulwark of the Church, the pledged protector of the Apostolic See, the militia trained in the practice of virtue.

Your glorious mark of distinction, the great claim to renown, with which you are endowed, is “to fight for God under the standard of the Cross, and to serve God alone and the Church, His spouse, under the Roman Pontiff, the Vicar of Christ on earth.” If, in the fulfillment of this pledge of service, other religious have the duty of serving with loyalty, courage and distinction, you ought to possess these qualities in the highest degree.

The glorious pages of your history proclaim that the ambitions and lives of the sons have matched the ideals of their holy father, and that you have deserved the reputation and glory of being the legion ever faithful to the task of protecting the Catholic faith and the Apostolic See.

Like the heavens with their stars, your Order has gained brilliance from your holy martyrs and confessors, from the Doctors of the Church, Peter Canisius and Robert Bellarmine, and from a countless throng of devout, learned, and zealous men. By word and work, they have taught the lesson of fidelity, and have left to their successors as an imperishable example and a spur the path which they have blazed.

The tenor of your lives, as befits valiant soldiers of Christ, tireless workers beyond reproach, should be based solidly on the holiness of behavior which is characteristic of you, on an asceticism of the gospels, which is austere and noteworthy for its virility and strength. It should be permeated by an unwavering discipline which does not give way before individual inclinations, but instead is prompt and ready, reasonable and constant in all its ways and undertakings. In an army, if a line or unit does not keep to its assigned place, it is like an instrument or a voice out of tune. Your new General will take every care to ensure that your harmony be not disrupted by discordant voices, but rather that you deserve full credit for fidelity and devotion. We are happy to see that most of you partake of this fitting unanimity, and We congratulate you for it.

Therefore, all should take care in their thinking, their teaching, their writing, their way of acting, not to conform to the spirit of the world, nor to let themselves be buffeted by every wind of doctrine and not to give in to unreasonable novelties by following personal judgment beyond measure.

Instead, let each one of you consider it his chief honor to serve the Church, our Mother and Teacher; to follow not his own, but the counsel, the judgments, the projects of the hierarchy and to bring them to fruition; to be animated more by the spirit of cooperation than by that of privilege. The Church recognizes that you are most devoted sons, she especially cherishes you, honors you, and if We may use a bold expression, she reveres you. Now when more than ever, as a result of the decrees of the Second Vatican Council, the extent and the possibilities of the apostolate are seen to be so vast, the holy Church of God needs your holiness of life, your wisdom, your understanding of affairs, your dedication to labor, and she asks of you that, holding on most tenaciously to the faith of old, you bring forth from the treasure of your heart new things and old for the increase of God’s world-wide glory and for the salvation of the human race, in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ whom God has glorified and to whom He has given a name which is above every name.

Hold fast at all times to the safe protection of this Holy Name, your name too and your special glory. Strive eagerly to make it more widely loved and honed since it is the true, never-failing source of salvation: “For there is no other under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved.”

We gladly take this opportunity to lay serious stress, however briefly, on a matter of grave importance: We mean the fearful danger of atheism threatening human society. Needless to say it does not always show itself in the same manner but advances and spreads under many forms. Of these, the anti-God movement is clearly to be reckoned the most pernicious: not content with a thoroughgoing denial of God’s existence, this violent movement against God attacks theism, aiming at the extirpation of the sense of religion and all that is good and holy. There is also philosophical atheism that denies God’s existence or maintains that God unknowable, hedonistic atheism, atheism that rejects all religious worship or nor, reckoning it superstitious, profitless and irksome to reverence and serve the Creator of us all or to obey His law. Their adherents live without Christ, having no hope of the promise, and without God in this world. This is the atheism spreading today, openly or covertly, frequently masquerading as cultural, scientific or social progress.

It is the special characteristic of the Society of Jesus to be champion of the Church and holy religion in adversity. To it We give the charge of making a stout, united stand against atheism, under the leadership, and with the help of St. Michael, prince of the heavenly host. His very name is the thunder-peal or token of victory.

We bid the companions of Ignatius to muster all their courage and fight this good fight, making all the necessary plans for a well-organized and successful campaign. It will be their task to do research, to gather information of all kinds, to publish material, to hold discussions among themselves, to prepare specialists in the field, to pray, to be shining examples of justice and holiness, skilled and well-versed in an eloquence of word and example made bright by heavenly grace, illustrating the words of St. Paul: “My message and my preachings had none of the persuasive force of ‘wise’ argumentation, but the convincing power of the Spirit.”

You will carry it out with greater readiness and enthusiasm if you keep in mind that this work in which you are now engaged and to which you will apply yourselves in the future with renewed vigor is not something arbitrarily taken up by you, but a task solemnly entrusted to you by the Church and by the Supreme Pontiff.

Hence in the laws and regulations of your Society, ratified by Paul III and Julius III, there is the following declaration: “All who make the profession in this Society should understand at the time, and furthermore keep in mind as long as they live, that this entire Society and the individual members who make their profession in it are campaigning for God under faithful obedience to His Holiness Pope Paul III and his successors in the Roman pontificate. The Gospel does indeed teach us, and we know from the orthodox faith and firmly hold, that all of Christ’s faithful are subject to the Roman pontiff as their head and as the vicar of Jesus Christ. But we have judged nevertheless that the following procedure will be supremely profitable to each of us and to any others who will pronounce the same profession in the future, for the sake of our greater devotion in obedience to the Apostolic See, of greater abnegation of our own wills, and of surer direction from the Holy Spirit. In addition to that ordinary bond of the three vows, we are to be obliged by a special vow to carry out whatever the present and future Roman pontiffs may order which pertains to the progress of souls and the propagation of the faith; and to go without subterfuge or excuse, as far as in us lies, to whatsoever provinces they may choose to send us.”

It should be considered fully consistent with this vow and its characteristic obligation that it is not merely a matter binding in conscience, but one that must also shine forth through actions and become known to all.

St. Ignatius, your holy Founder, wanted you to be so; We too want you to be so, being sure that the trust We place in you will be entirely fulfilled. We are confident also that the fulfillment of these wishes of Ours shall yield to the Society of Jesus, in all parts of the world where it struggles, prays and labors, a plentiful harvest of renewed life and excellent merits which God will fittingly reward.

With these heartfelt greetings to you all, members of the Society of Jesus, the festive and happy group that surrounds us today, We impart our apostolic blessing on all of you, on all your undertakings, and on the great hope which sets your hearts on fire for pure and lofty aims to be achieved.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, “Address of His Holiness Pope Paul VI to the Members of the 31st General Congregation, May 7, 1965,” pg. 229–232.

Before the delegates to the 31st General Congregation set out “for the four corners of the world,” Pope Paul VI welcomed the Jesuits to the Sistine Chapel. His remarks urge the delegates “to renew in [their] hearts in an almost palpable and solemn way the sense of the apostolic mandate that characterizes and strengthens your mission.” The pontiff voices his concerns (questioning whether the Jesuits still wished to devote themselves to “the service of the Catholic Church and of this Apostolic See”) but also his confidence in the Society, declaring, “Who is better suited than you to devote study and effort in order that our separated brethren may know and understand us, may listen to us and with us share the glory, the joy, and the service of the mystery of unity in Christ our Lord?” “Yes it is time, my dear sons,” Paul VI closes. “Go forth in faith and ardor; Christ chooses you, the Church sends you, the Pope blesses you.”

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

Beloved Sons:

It was Our desire that you concelebrate and share with us in the Eucharistic Sacrifice before departing, each to his own land, at the conclusion of your General Congregation and before setting out from Rome, the center of Catholic unity, for the four corners of the world. We wanted to greet each and every one of you cordially, to hearten and encourage you, and to bless each of you, your entire Society and your various works which you undertake for the glory of God and in the service of Holy Church. We desire to renew in your hearts in an almost palpable and solemn way the sense of the apostolic mandate that characterizes and strengthens your mission, as though it were conferred and renewed by your blessed Father Ignatius, a most faithful soldier of the Church of Christ; or as though Christ Himself, whose vicar We are here on earth in this Apostolic See, unworthily but truly, confirmed and mysteriously aided and extended your mission.

For that reason, We have chosen this place that is sacred and awe-inspiring in its beauty, its majesty and especially in the significance of its paintings. This is a place especially venerable by reason of our prayer pronounced here, a most humble prayer but a Pope’s prayer, a prayer which gathers together not only the praise and longing of our spirit but also of the whole Church throughout the world and even of all mankind, which We represent before God through our ministry and to which We bring the message of Him Who is most high. We have chosen this place where, as you know, the destinies of the Church are discerned and decided upon at certain periods of history, destinies which we duly believe are ruled over not by the will of men but by the mysterious and most loving assistance of the Holy Spirit. Here, today, when this most holy rite has been finished We shall invoke that same Holy Spirit for our Holy Church which is summed up, as it were, and represented in our apostolic office, as well as for you, the members and superiors endowed with the authority of your and our Society of Jesus.

By this prayer in which we shall implore the Holy Spirit together, all those things which you have so carefully done during this most important period will receive a special approval. You have subjected your Society and all its works to a critical examination, as though concluding four centuries of its history just after the close of the Second Vatican Council, and beginning a new age of your religious life with a fresh outlook and with new proposals.

This meeting therefore, my brothers and most beloved sons, takes on a particular historical significance in that it is given to you and to us to define by means of reciprocal clarification the relationship which exists and which should exist between Holy Church and the Society of Jesus. Through divine mandate We exercise the pastoral guidance of this Church and sum up in ourselves and represent it. What is this relationship? It is up to you and to us to furnish a reply, which will follow a twofold division:

1. Do you, sons of St. Ignatius, soldiers of the Society of Jesus, want even today and tomorrow and always to be what you were from your beginnings right up to today, for the service of the Catholic Church and of this Apostolic See? There would be no reason for asking this question had not certain reports and rumors come to our attention about your Society, just as about other religious families as well, which—and We cannot remain silent on this—have caused us amazement and in some cases, sorrow.

What strange and evil suggestions have caused a doubt to arise in certain parts of your widespread Society whether it should continue to be the Society conceived and founded by that holy man, and built on very wise and very firm norms? The tradition of several centuries ripened by most careful experience and confirmed by authoritative approvals has shaped the Society for the glory of God, the defense of the Church and the admiration of men. In the minds of some of your members, has the opinion really prevailed to the effect that all human things, which are generated in time and inexorably used up in time, are subject to an absolute law of history as though in Catholicism there were no charism of permanent truth and of invincible stability? This rock of the Apostolic See is the symbol and foundation of this charism.

Did it appear to the apostolic ardor which animates the whole Society that your activities could be made more effective by renouncing many praiseworthy customs pertaining to spiritual, ascetical and disciplinary matters, as though they no longer helped but rather impeded you in expressing your pastoral zeal more freely and with more personal involvement? And so it seemed that the austere and manly obedience which had always characterized your Society, which made its structure evangelical, exemplary and very strong, should be relaxed as though opposed to the human person and an obstacle to alacrity of action. This is to forget what Christ, the Church, and your own school of spirituality have taught in so outstanding a way about this virtue. And so there might have been someone who judged that it was no longer necessary to impose spiritual practices on his own soul, that is, the assiduous and intense practice of prayer, a humble and fervent discipline of the interior life, examination of conscience, intimate conversation with Christ, as though the exterior action were enough to keep the soul wise, strong and pure, and as though such activity could achieve by itself a union of the mind with God. It would be as though this abundance of spiritual resources were fitting only for the monk and not rather the indispensable armor for the soldier of Christ.

Perhaps some have been deceived into thinking that in order to spread the Gospel of Christ they must take on the ways of the world, its manner of thinking and acting, and its worldly view of life. On the basis of naturalistic norms they judged the customs of this age and thus forgot that the rightful and apostolic approach of the herald of Christ to men, who brings God’s message to men, cannot be such an assimilation as to make the salt lose its tang and the apostle his own virtue.

These were clouds on the horizon, but they have been dispersed in large measure by the conclusions of your Congregation! It was with great joy that we learned that you, in the strong rectitude which has always inspired your will, after a careful and sincere study of your history, of your vocation, and of your experience, have decreed to hold fast to your fundamental constitutions and not to abandon your tradition which in your keeping has had a continual effectiveness and vitality.

By introducing certain modifications to your rule—this renewal of religious life which was proposed by the Council not only was permissible but recommended—you in no way violated that sacred law by which you are Religious and also members of the Society of Jesus. Rather you remedied your circumstances insofar as they showed the wear of time, and you brought new strength to all the undertakings you will assume in the future so that this happy result will stand forth among all the others which you have decided upon in your laborious discussions; this happy result, We say, which has brought about not only a real conservation and positive increase of the body but also of the spirit of your Society. And, in this regard, We fervently exhort you that also in the future you give pride of place in your program of life to prayer, not turning away from the wise directives which you received from your forebears. From where, if not from divine grace, which flows to us as living water through the humble channels of prayer, of dialog with God, and especially of the sacred liturgy, from where will the Religious draw heavenly counsel and strength for bringing about his supernatural sanctification? From where will the apostle receive the drive, guidance, strength, wisdom and perseverance in his struggle against the devil, the flesh and the world? From where will he draw the love by which he loves souls for their salvation and builds a Church along with the workers who have been entrusted with and are responsible for this mystical building, the Church? Rejoice, dearest sons, this is the way, old and new, of the Christian dispensation; this is the form which produces the true religious disciple of Christ, the apostle in His Church, and teacher of His brothers whether believers or not. Rejoice; our goodwill, indeed our very being, joined in communion with you, comforts and accompanies you.

And thus We should receive your particular deliberations—on the formation of your scholastics, on respect for the teaching and the authority of the Church, on the criteria of religious perfection, on the norms by which your apostolic activity and pastoral works are properly directed, on the correct interpretation of the decree of the Ecumenical Council, on the way by which they are to be put into effect, and on other matters of this kind-as the replies to the question We asked above. Yes, to be sure; the sons of St. Ignatius who are honored by the name of members of the Society of Jesus are still today faithful to themselves and to the Church! They are ready and strong! Arms that are used up and less efficient have been cast aside and they have new ones in their hands along with the same obedience, with the same spirit of dedication, with the same desire for spiritual victories.

2. And now the second question arises, that of determining the relationship of your Society to the Church and in a special way to the Holy See. There is a second question which We can almost read on your lips: does the Church, does the successor of St. Peter, think that the Society of Jesus is still their special and most faithful militia? Do they think this is the religious family which has proposed as its particular purpose not so much one or other Gospel virtue to be cherished, but rather has set out, as a guardian and stronghold to defend and promote the Catholic Church itself and the Apostolic See? Are the goodwill, trust, protection which it has always enjoyed still assured? Does the Church assert through the mouth of him who speaks to you now that it still needs and is honored by the militant ministry of the Society of Jesus? Is the Society still strong and suitable for the work of such widespread and such diverse apostolate of today? Here, my dear sons, is our reply: Yes! We have faith and we retain our faith in you; and thus We give you a mandate for your apostolic works; We show you our affection and gratitude; and We give you our blessing. In this solemn and historic hour you have confirmed with your new proposals that you wish to cling very closely to your Institute, which, when the restorative work of the Council of Trent burned bright, put itself at the service of the Catholic Church. Thus it is easy and enjoyable for us to repeat the words and acts of our predecessors at this time which is different but no less a time of renewal of the life of the Church, following the Second Vatican Council. It is a joy for us to assure you that as long as your Society will be intent on striving for excellence in sound doctrine and in holiness of religious life and will offer itself as a most effective instrument for the defense and spread of the Catholic Faith, this Apostolic See, and with it, certainly the whole Church, will hold it most dear. If you continue to be what you have been, our esteem, and our confidence in you will not be lacking.

And the people of God will feel the same about you. For what was the mysterious cause that carried your Society to such great growth and success if not your particular spiritual formation and your canonical structure? And if this formation and structure remain the same and nourish in ever-new strength, virtues and works, the hope for your progressive increase and perennial effectiveness in preaching the Gospel and building modem society is not in vain. Are not the structure of your evangelical and religious life, your history and your character, by which you have been an example to others, your best argument and the most persuasive note of credit to your apostolate? And is it not on this spiritual, moral and ecclesiastical firmness that confidence in your work and also in your collaboration is founded? Permit us to say toward the close of this address that We place great hope in you. The Church needs your help, and is happy and proud to receive it from sincere and dedicated sons as you are. The Church accepts the promise of your work and the offer of your life; and since you are soldiers of Christ, it calls you and commits you to difficult and sacred struggles in His name, today, more than ever.

Do you not see how much support the faith needs today, what open adherence, what clear exposition, what tireless preaching, what erudite explanation, how much testimony full of love and generosity?

Do you not see what opportunities are furnished by modem ecumenism to the servant and apostle of the holy Catholic Church for happily creating close relationships with others, for entering prudently into discussions, for patiently proposing explanations, for enlarging the field of charity?

Who is better suited than you to devote study and effort in order that our separated brethren may know and understand us, may listen to us and with us share the glory, the joy, and the service of the mystery of unity in Christ our Lord?

As for the infusion of Christian principles in the modem world as described in the now celebrated pastoral constitution Gaudium et Spes, will it not find among you able, prudent and strong specialists? And will not the devotion which you show to the Sacred Heart be still a most effective instrument in contributing to the spiritual and moral renewal of this world that the Second Vatican Council has urged, and to accomplishing fruitfully the mission entrusted to you to confront atheism?

Will you not dedicate yourselves with new zeal to the education of youth in secondary schools and universities, whether ecclesiastical or civil, something which has always been for you a cause of high praise and eminent merit? You should keep in mind that you have been entrusted with many young persons who one day will be able to render precious service to the Church and to human society, if they have received a sound formation.

And what shall we say of the missions? These missions where so many of your members labor admirably, bend every effort, put up with hardships and strive to make the name of Jesus shine forth like the sun of salvation, are they not entrusted to you by this apostolic see as they were once to Francis Xavier, in the assurance of having in you heralds of the faith sure and daring, full of the charity that your interior life renders inexhaustible, comforting and beyond expression?

And finally, what about the world? This ambivalent world which has two faces: the one is that of the compact entered into by all who turn from light and grace; the other, that of the vast human family for which the Father sent His Son and for which the Son sacrificed Himself This world of today is so powerful and so weak, so hostile and so well disposed; does not this world call you and us to itself imploring and urging us to a task to be fulfilled? Does not this world, groaning and trembling in this place, in the sight of Christ, now cry out to all of you: “Come, come; the longing and the hunger of Christ await you; come, for it is time.”

Yes it is time, my dear sons; Go forth in faith and ardor; Christ chooses you, the Church sends you, the Pope blesses you.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, “Address of His Holiness Pope Paul VI to the Members of the General Congregation, November 16, 1966,” pg. 233–238.

The members of the 31st General Congregation issued the following statement to Pope Paul VI at the closing of more than 140 days of sessions. The statement notes how the delegates had “taken care to adapt our laws to the new needs of our times” while trying “to renew and encourage the religious life of the Society.”

For more from the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.

Most Holy Father:

Our 31st General Congregation, happily bringing to an end its two sessions of hard work, rejoices in this opportunity to express to you its deepest feelings and to give you heartfelt thanks for the good will which you showed to us when, as we began our work, you received us in audience and inspired us with a fatherly address and when now, after you have followed our labors with your counsel and your prayers, you wished to bring them to a climax with today’s concelebration as a sacred seal.

We well know that we can do nothing more pleasing to you than to offer to you the decrees which we have passed in our General Congregation, religiously following the prescriptions of the Second Vatican Council. We want the Society of Jesus in our age most faithfully to carry out that mission which Ignatius took on among the people of God, eagerly to serve the Church of Christ under the Roman Pontiff. The Society will carefully adapt its apostolic ministries both to the wishes of the Holy See and to today’s needs, fulfilling in the first place that responsibility to resist atheism with united force which you have in a special way wished to ask of us.

To this end we have taken care to adapt our laws to the new needs of our times. But at the same time, mindful that the effectiveness of our apostolate intimately depends upon our union with Christ, we have tried to renew and encourage the religious life of the Society.

May God grant that we fully put into practice our proposals and that the Society always be for you, Most Holy Father, and for the whole Catholic hierarchy, a strong support in the works of the apostolate. We do not deny that because of human weakness we have sometimes failed in that fidelity which we have promised to the Church and to the Roman Pontiff, and we are sincerely sorry that even from our members have come causes of anguish to you. But your apostolic blessing will ask for us from the Lord the abundant graces by which we shall be able to work better, in a more holy way, more effectively for the glory of God and the good of souls.

Rome, November 16, 1966.

Original Source (English translation):

Jesuit Life & Mission Today: The Decrees & Accompanying Documents of the 31st–35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesus, ed. John W. Padberg. St. Louis, Mo.: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2009, “Letter of the 31st General Congregation to the Supreme Pontiff,” pg. 242.