The Jesuits, 1534-1921: A History of the Society of Jesus from Its Foundation to the Present TimeCampbell, Thomas J. (Thomas Joseph)
History
The Jesuits, 1534-1921: A History of the Society of Jesus from Its Foundation to the Present Time
Campbell, Thomas J. (Thomas Joseph)
Jesuits -- History
Just before its suppression, the Society had about 23,000 members. It
was divided into forty-two provinces in which there were 24 houses of
professed fathers, 669 colleges, 61 novitiates, 335 residences and 273
mission stations. Taking this grand total in detail, there were in Italy
3,622 Jesuits, about one-half of whom were priests. They possessed 178
houses. The provinces of Spain had 2,943 members (1,342 priests) and 158
houses; Portugal, 861 members (384 priests), 49 houses; France, 3,350
members (1,763 priests), 158 houses; Germany, 5,340 members (2,558
priests), 307 houses; Poland, 2,359 members; Flemish Belgium, 542
members (232 priests), 30 houses; French Belgian, 471 members (266
priests), 25 houses; England, 274 members; and Ireland, 28. Their
missions were in all parts of the world. In Hindostan, de Nobili, and de
Britto's work was being carried on; in Madura, there were forty-seven
missionaries. The establishments in Persia extended to Ispahan and
counted 400,000 Catholics. Syria, the Levant and the Maronites were also
being looked after. Although Christianity had been crushed as early as
1644, the name of the province of Japan was preserved, and in 1760 it
counted fifty-seven members. There were fifty-four Portuguese Fathers
attached to China at the time of the Suppression, and an independent
French mission had been organized at Pekin with twenty-three members
mostly priests. In South America, the whole territory had been divided
into missions, and there were 445 Jesuits in Brazil, with 146 in the
vice-province of Maranhão. The Paraguay province contained 564 members
of whom 385 were priests; they had 113,716 Indians in their care. In
Mexico, which included Lower California, there were 572 Jesuits, who
were devoting themselves to 122,000 Indians. New Granada had 193
missionaries; Chili had 242; Peru, 526; and Ecuador, 209.
In the United States, they were necessarily very few, on account of
political conditions. At the time of the Suppression, they numbered only
nine, two of whom Robert Molyneux and John Bolton survived until the
complete restoration of the Society. The French had missions in Guiana,
Hayti and Martinique; and in Canada, the work inaugurated by Brébeuf
among the Hurons, was kept up among the Iroquois, Algonquins, Abenakis,
Crees, Ottawas, Miamis and other tribes in Illinois, Alabama and Lower
Mississippi. At the time of the Suppression there were fifty-five
Jesuits in Canada and Louisiana.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account