{"id":288,"date":"2017-01-16T20:41:55","date_gmt":"2017-01-16T20:41:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/jesuitportal-recovery\/?page_id=288"},"modified":"2020-05-20T12:59:16","modified_gmt":"2020-05-20T12:59:16","slug":"fathers-general","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/jesuitportal-recovery\/?page_id=288","title":{"rendered":"Fathers General"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Society of Jesus\u2014much like \u201call well-organized communities or congregations\u201d\u2014appoints a person \u201cwhose proper duty,\u201d according to the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus<\/em><\/a><\/strong>, \u201cis to attend to the universal good.\u201d For the Jesuits in particular, the superior general’s \u201cduty is the good government, preservation, and growth of the whole body of the Society.” (Rather than militaristic in tone, the name \u201cSuperior General\u201d or \u201cFather General\u201d connotes the general or broad responsibilities of the position.)\u00a0The qualities desired in a superior general appear Part IX of the Constitutions<\/em>, the selection<\/a><\/strong> included in\u00a0the Portal\u2019s Essential Documents.<\/span><\/p>\n

In nearly 500 years, there have only been 31 men who have served as the superior general of the Society of Jesus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some facts about the 31 fathers general:<\/span><\/p>\n

— At the time of their election, the men averaged\u00a0more than 38 years of service in the Society. Since the restoration, that average has been 41 years.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

— The generals were an average of 58 years old at the time of their election; three were 70 or older upon election.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

— Excluding the current father general, the men have served an average of 5,215 days.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Below are more details for those men (with two others serving as the\u00a0Superior General for the Society of Jesus in Russia in the years preceding the\u00a0order’s restoration in 1814).<\/span><\/p>\n

For more on the rationale for the position of the father general, please consult Antonio de Aldama\u2019s\u00a0The Constitutions of the Society of Jesus: The Superior General, Notes for a Commentary<\/a><\/strong><\/em>.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/th>\nName<\/th>\nPlace of Birth<\/th>\nDate of Birth<\/th>\nDate Generalate Began<\/th>\nAge at Election<\/th>\nYears in the Society at Election<\/th>\nPosition in the Society at Election<\/th>\nDate Generalate Ended<\/th>\nDuration of Generalate, in Days<\/th>\nPlace of Death<\/th>\nDate of Death<\/th>\nOther Details<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
1<\/td>\nIgnatius de Loyola<\/td>\nLoyola, Spain<\/td>\nc. 1491<\/td>\nApril 19, 1541<\/td>\n50<\/td>\n< 1<\/td>\n—<\/td>\nJuly 31, 1556<\/td>\n5,582<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nJuly 31, 1556<\/td>\nAlso known as I\u00f1igo Lopez de O\u00f1az y Loyola
\nCanonized: March 12, 1622
\nSee his selected letters on the Portal’s Essential Documents<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\nDiego La\u00ednez<\/td>\nAlmaz\u00e1n, Spain<\/td>\n1512<\/td>\nJuly 2, 1558<\/td>\n46<\/td>\n17<\/td>\nProvincial of the Italian Province<\/td>\nJanuary 19, 1565<\/td>\n2,293<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nJanuary 19, 1565<\/td>\nAlso known as Diego Laynez<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\nFrancis Borgia<\/td>\nGand\u00eda, Spain<\/td>\nOctober, 28, 1510<\/td>\nJuly 2, 1565<\/td>\n55<\/td>\n19<\/td>\nSpanish and Portuguese Assistant, Rome<\/td>\nOctober 1, 1572<\/td>\n2,648<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nSeptember 20, 1572<\/td>\nCanonized: June 20, 1670
\nSee his letter<\/a> in the Portal’s Essential Documents<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/td>\nEverard Mercurian<\/td>\nMarcourt, Belgium<\/td>\n1514<\/td>\nApril 23, 1573<\/td>\n59<\/td>\n25<\/td>\nGerman Assistant, Rome<\/td>\nAugust 1, 1580<\/td>\n2,657<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nAugust 1, 1580<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/td>\nClaudio Aquaviva<\/td>\nAtri, Italy<\/td>\nSeptember 14, 1543<\/td>\nFebruary 19, 1581<\/td>\n37<\/td>\n14<\/td>\nProvincial of the Roman Province<\/td>\nJanuary 31, 1615<\/td>\n12,399<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nJanuary 31, 1615<\/td>\nAlso known as Claudio Acquaviva<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/td>\nMuzio Vitelleschi<\/td>\nRome, Italy<\/td>\nDecember 2, 1563<\/td>\nNovember 15, 1615<\/td>\n51<\/td>\n32<\/td>\nItalian Assistant, Rome<\/td>\nFebruary 9, 1645<\/td>\n10,679<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nFebruary 9, 1645<\/td>\nAlso known as Mutio Vitelleschi
\nSee his letter<\/a> in the Portal’s Essential Documents<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7<\/td>\nVincenzo Carafa<\/td>\nAndria, Italy<\/td>\nMay 9, 1585<\/td>\nJanuary 7, 1646<\/td>\n60<\/td>\n42<\/td>\nRector of the Roman College, Rome<\/td>\nJune 8, 1649<\/td>\n1,248<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nJune 8, 1649<\/td>\nAlso known as Vincenzo Carrafa
\nSee his printed sermons in the Jesuitica collection<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/td>\nFrancesco Piccolomini<\/td>\nSiena, Italy<\/td>\nOctober 12, 1582<\/td>\nDecember 21, 1649<\/td>\n67<\/td>\n49<\/td>\nProfessor of Philosophy at the Roman College, Rome<\/td>\nJune 17, 1651<\/td>\n543<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nJune 17, 1651<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9<\/td>\nLuigi Gottifredi<\/td>\nRome, Italy<\/td>\nMay 3, 1595<\/td>\nJanuary 21, 1652<\/td>\n56<\/td>\n43<\/td>\nSecretary of the Society, Rome<\/td>\nMarch 12, 1652<\/td>\n51<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nMarch 12, 1652<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10<\/td>\nGoswin Nickel<\/td>\nKoslar, Germany (North Rhine-Westfalia)<\/td>\nMay 1, 1582<\/td>\nMarch 17, 1652<\/td>\n70<\/td>\n48<\/td>\nGerman Assistant, Rome<\/td>\nJuly 31, 1664<\/td>\n4,519<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nJuly 31, 1664<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
11<\/td>\nGiovanni Paolo Oliva<\/td>\nGenoa, Italy<\/td>\nOctober 4, 1600<\/td>\nJuly 31, 1664<\/td>\n63<\/td>\n48<\/td>\nPerpetual Vicar General, Rome<\/td>\nNovember 26, 1681<\/td>\n6,327<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nNovember 26, 1681<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
12<\/td>\nCharles de Noyelle<\/td>\nBrussels, Belgium<\/td>\nAugust 27, 1615<\/td>\nJuly 5, 1682<\/td>\n67<\/td>\n52<\/td>\nGerman Assistant, Rome<\/td>\nDecember 12, 1686<\/td>\n1,621<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nDecember 12, 1686<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
13<\/td>\nTirso Gonz\u00e1lez de Santalla<\/td>\nArganza, Spain<\/td>\nJanuary 18, 1624<\/td>\nJuly 6, 1687<\/td>\n63<\/td>\n44<\/td>\nMissionary, Spanish Province<\/td>\nOctober 27, 1705<\/td>\n6,688<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nOctober 27, 1705<\/td>\nAlso known as Thyrsus Gonz\u00e1lez de Santalla<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
14<\/td>\nMichelangelo Tamburini<\/td>\nMontese, Italy<\/td>\nDecember 6, 1648<\/td>\nJanuary 31, 1706<\/td>\n57<\/td>\n42<\/td>\nSecretary of the Society, Rome<\/td>\nFebruary 28, 1730<\/td>\n8,794<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nFebruary 28, 1730<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
15<\/td>\nFrantisek Retz<\/td>\nPrague, Bohemia<\/td>\nSeptember 13, 1673<\/td>\nMarch 7, 1730<\/td>\n56<\/td>\n41<\/td>\nCentral European Assistant, Rome<\/td>\nNovember 19, 1750<\/td>\n7,562<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nNovember 19, 1750<\/td>\nAlso known as Franz Retz or Francis Retz<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
16<\/td>\nIgnazio Visconti<\/td>\nMilan, Italy<\/td>\nJuly 31, 1682<\/td>\nJuly 4, 1751<\/td>\n68<\/td>\n49<\/td>\nItalian Assistant, Rome<\/td>\nMay 4, 1755<\/td>\n1,389<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nMay 4, 1755<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17<\/td>\nLuigi Centurione<\/td>\nGenoa, Italy<\/td>\nAugust 29, 1686<\/td>\nNovember 30, 1755<\/td>\n69<\/td>\n52<\/td>\nItalian Assistant, Rome<\/td>\nOctober 2, 1757<\/td>\n672<\/td>\nCastel Gandolfo<\/td>\nOctober 2, 1757<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18<\/td>\nLorenzo Ricci<\/td>\nFlorence, Italy<\/td>\nAugust 1, 1703<\/td>\nMay 21, 1758<\/td>\n54<\/td>\n40<\/td>\nSecretary of the Society, Rome<\/td>\nAugust 16, 1773<\/td>\n5,566<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nNovember 24, 1775<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
—<\/em><\/td>\nFranciszek Kareu<\/em><\/td>\nOr\u0161a, Belarus<\/em><\/td>\nDecember 10, 1731<\/em><\/td>\n—<\/em><\/td>\n—<\/em><\/td>\n—<\/em><\/td>\n—<\/em><\/td>\n—<\/em><\/td>\n—<\/em><\/td>\nPolotsk, Belarus<\/em><\/td>\nAugust 11, 1802<\/em><\/td>\nServed as the Superior General of the Society of Jesus in Russia: March 1801\u2013August 11, 1802<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
—<\/em><\/td>\nGabriel Gruber<\/em><\/td>\nVienna, Austria<\/em><\/td>\nMay 6, 1740<\/em><\/td>\n—<\/em><\/td>\n—<\/em><\/td>\n—<\/em><\/td>\n—<\/em><\/td>\n—<\/em><\/td>\n—<\/em><\/td>\nSt. Petersburg, Russia<\/em><\/td>\nApril 7, 1805<\/em><\/td>\nServed as the Superior General of the Society of Jesus in Russia: October 22, 1802\u2013April 6, 1805<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
19<\/td>\nTadeusz Brzozowski<\/td>\nKaliningrad, Russia<\/td>\nOctober 21, 1749<\/td>\nAugust 7, 1814<\/td>\n64<\/td>\n49<\/td>\nSuperior General of the Society of Jesus in Russia<\/td>\nFebruary 5, 1820<\/td>\n2,008<\/td>\nPolotsk, Belarus<\/td>\nFebruary 5, 1820<\/td>\nServed as the Superior General of the Society of Jesus in Russia: 1805\u20131814
\nBecame Superior General of the Society of Jesus upon the Order’s restoration in 1814<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
20<\/td>\nLuigi Fortis<\/td>\nVerona, Italy<\/td>\nFebruary 26, 1748<\/td>\nOctober 18, 1820<\/td>\n72<\/td>\n58<\/td>\nVicar of Rome<\/td>\nJanuary 27, 1829<\/td>\n3,023<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nJanuary 27, 1829<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
21<\/td>\nJan Roothaan<\/td>\nAmsterdam, Netherlands<\/td>\nNovember 23, 1785<\/td>\nJuly 9, 1829<\/td>\n43<\/td>\n25<\/td>\nVice Provincial of the Italian Province<\/td>\nMay 8, 1853<\/td>\n8,796<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nMay 8, 1853<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
22<\/td>\nPieter Jan Beckx<\/td>\nZichem, Belgium<\/td>\nFebruary 8, 1795<\/td>\nJuly 2, 1853<\/td>\n58<\/td>\n34<\/td>\nProvincial of the Austrian Province<\/td>\nMarch 4, 1887<\/td>\n12,298<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nMarch 4, 1887<\/td>\nAlso known as Peter Jan Beckx<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
23<\/td>\nAnton Anderledy<\/td>\nBerisal, Switzerland<\/td>\nJune 3, 1819<\/td>\nMarch 4, 1887<\/td>\n67<\/td>\n49<\/td>\nGerman Assistant, Rome<\/td>\nJanuary 18, 1892<\/td>\n1,781<\/td>\nFiesole<\/td>\nJanuary 18, 1892<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
24<\/td>\nLuis Mart\u00edn<\/td>\nMelgar de Fernamental, Spain<\/td>\nAugust 19, 1846<\/td>\nOctober 2, 1892<\/td>\n46<\/td>\n28<\/td>\nSecretary of the Society, Fiesole<\/td>\nApril 18, 1906<\/td>\n4,945<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nApril 18, 1906<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
25<\/td>\nFranz Xavier Wernz<\/td>\nRottweil, Germany (W\u00fcrttemberg)<\/td>\nDecember 4, 1842<\/td>\nSeptember 8, 1906<\/td>\n63<\/td>\n48<\/td>\nRector of the Gregorian University, Rome<\/td>\nAugust 19, 1914<\/td>\n2,902<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nAugust 19, 1914<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
26<\/td>\nWlodimir Led\u00f3chowski<\/td>\nLoosdorf, Austria<\/td>\nOctober 7, 1866<\/td>\nFebruary 11, 1915<\/td>\n48<\/td>\n26<\/td>\nGerman Assistant, Rome<\/td>\nDecember 13, 1942<\/td>\n10,167<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nDecember 13, 1942<\/td>\nSee his remarks<\/a> on the Jesuits’ quadricentennial anniversary in the Portal’s Essential Documents<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
27<\/td>\nJean-Baptist Janssens<\/td>\nMechelen, Belgium<\/td>\nDecember 22, 1889<\/td>\nSeptember 15, 1946<\/td>\n56<\/td>\n39<\/td>\nProvincial of the Northern Belgian Province<\/td>\nOctober 5, 1964<\/td>\n6,595<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nOctober 5, 1964<\/td>\nAlso known as John Baptist Janssens<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
28<\/td>\nPedro Arrupe<\/td>\nBilbao, Spain<\/td>\nNovember 14, 1907<\/td>\nMay 22, 1965<\/td>\n57<\/td>\n38<\/td>\nProvincial of the Japanese Province<\/td>\nSeptember 3, 1983<\/td>\n6,678<\/td>\nRome<\/td>\nFebruary 5, 1991<\/td>\nSee his remarks at the General Congregations in the Portal’s Essential Documents<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
29<\/td>\nPeter-Hans Kolvenbach<\/td>\nDruten, Netherlands<\/td>\nNovember 30, 1928<\/td>\nSeptember 13, 1983<\/td>\n55<\/td>\n35<\/td>\nRector of the Oriental Institute, Rome<\/td>\nJanuary 14, 2008<\/td>\n8,889<\/td>\nBeirut<\/td>\nNovember 26, 2016<\/td>\nSee his remarks at the General Congregations in the Portal’s Essential Documents<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
30<\/td>\nAdolfo Nicol\u00e1s<\/td>\nVillamuriel de Cerrato, Spain<\/td>\nApril 29, 1936<\/td>\nJanuary 19, 2008<\/td>\n71<\/td>\n55<\/td>\nModerator of the Jesuit Conference for Eastern Asia and Oceania, Philippines<\/td>\nOctober 3, 2016<\/td>\n3,180<\/td>\nTokyo<\/td>\nMay 20, 2020<\/td>\nAlso known as Adolfo Nicol\u00e1s Pach\u00f3n
\nSee his remarks at the General Congregations in the Portal’s Essential Documents<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
31<\/td>\nArturo Sosa<\/td>\nCaracas, Venezuela<\/td>\nNovember 12, 1948<\/td>\nOctober 14, 2016<\/td>\n67<\/td>\n50<\/td>\nDelegate for Interprovincial Houses, Rome<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n—<\/td>\nSee his remarks at the General Congregations in the Portal’s Essential Documents<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Society of Jesus\u2014much like \u201call well-organized communities or congregations\u201d\u2014appoints a person \u201cwhose proper duty,\u201d according to the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus, \u201cis to attend to the universal good.\u201d For the Jesuits in particular, the superior general’s \u201cduty is the good government, preservation, and growth of the whole body of the Society.” (Rather […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127186,"featured_media":0,"parent":14,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-table.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-288","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/jesuitportal-recovery\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/jesuitportal-recovery\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/jesuitportal-recovery\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/jesuitportal-recovery\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/127186"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/jesuitportal-recovery\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=288"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/jesuitportal-recovery\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/288\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5545,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/jesuitportal-recovery\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/288\/revisions\/5545"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/jesuitportal-recovery\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/jesuitportal-recovery\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}