Why Are the Fairfield University Buildings Named After Dead Jesuits? and What do they have to do with life in the classroom and residence halls and with the mission of Fairfield University?

              Why are the
!Fairfie{d flJniversity tBui{dings
named after
'Dead Jesuits?
by
Joseph MacDonnell, S.J.
. . . a living Jesuit and ...
Professor of Mathematics
Lunar craters named to honor Jesuits
Recently the International Astronomical Union founded in 1922, codified
lunar nomenclature eliminating conflicts: 35 craters are named after Jesuits.
For centuries the basic map used for lunar nomenclature \vas the first
complete selenograph drawn in 1645 by the Jesuit astronomer, Francesco
Grimaldi and published by John Baptist !{iccioli, S.J. l'oday this map is
found at the lunar exhibit at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.
Grimaldi's 1651 selenograph at the Smithsonian which indicates the
locations of 35 lunar craters named to honor Jesuit scientists.
Why are the ~airfie{d
l1niversity ~ui{dings
named after
'Dead Jesuits?
ana
'What ao they have to ao with fife in
the c[assroom ana resiaence Iia{{s
ana with the mission of !FairfieCa
1.1 niversity?
by
Joseph %ac'Donne{C S.J ..
6 Junel 2000
"Table of Contents
Pronunciation
Aro6pae
Bell ar min
Berk mans
B6s ko vich
du Sri to
Camp ion
Canish ius
Claver
Clav ius
Gon zaga
Name
day
Pedro Arrupe
9/17 Saint Robert Bellarmine
11 11 6 Saint John Berchmans
Roger Boscovich
214 Saint John de Brito
1211 Saint Edmund Campion
4/27 Saint Peter Canisius
9/9 Saint Peter Claver
Christopher Clavius
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
Gerard Manley Hopkins
10/9 Saint Isaac Jogues Jowggs
Athanasius Kircher Klr ker
Saint Stanislaus Kostka K6s ka
Saint Ignatius Loyola Loy 6 la
Saint Paul Miki Mee kee
The North American Martyrs
Saint John de Brebeuf Bre buf
Saint Noel Chabanel Cha ban el
Saint Anthony Daniel Dan i el
Saint Charles Garnier Garn i ae
Saint Rene Goupil Gou pll
Saint John de Lalande La land
Saint Gabriel Lalemant Lal m6nt
Sa~nt John Ogilvie 6 gil vee
Saint John Francis Regis Ree jis
Matteo Ricci Ree chi
Christopher Scheiner Schein er
Saint Robert Southwell Suth el
Teilhard de Chardin Tay ahr du shar dah
12/3 Saint Francis Xavier Sav i er
11 /1 3
7/31
2/6
10/9
10/9
10/9
10/9
10/9
10/9
10/9
10/9
10/14
12/31
Pagel
feast
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20 6/21
22
24
26
28
30
32
34
38
40
41
43
44
45
46
48
50
52
54
56 12/1
58
60
Introduction
Most of the Fairfield lJniversity buildings are n,UTIed after t\venty­nine
Jesuits who not only are dead, but seemed very controversial even \vhen
they were alive. Some \vere victims of the Inquisition \vhile others \vere
tortured and died violent cbaths. What could they possibly have to do \vith
any of us \vho \vork and learn here at Fairfield University?
In the fi rst place, these men are present to us as exem plars of our
Inission. Apart froln our beliefs, there is a certain set of values irnplicit in
the character of Fairfield University as a Jesuit institution. These
values have attracted an uncomnlonly conlpetent and generous group of
faculty and staff as \vell as highly qualified students. --rhe identity prcxluccd
by our collective ideals distinguishes us from other schools, and the lives of
these t\venty-nine Jesuits help us to artjculate our identity and our
nl iss io n.
All of them shared \vith us the Jesuit educational mission. They
\vere Jesuit educators trained in the Jesuit tradition. So they offer a vibrant
ponrait of that elusive quality \ve call the .Iesuit Tradition, a nluch
abused term, frequently called upon to defend academic practices that have
nothing to do \vith tradition or \vith Jesuits. The Jesuit comlnunity,
clailning the privilege of familiarity, use first names for their residences,
St. Ignati us and St. H.obert.
Moreover, \ve profess that they are not dead but alive and enjoying
eternal beatitudc \vith God, interceding for us and for the success of the stags
of Fairfield University. The ninth item of the Apostles' Creed states the
beautiful doctrine of the communion of saints. Members of the church
triumphant, from their vantage point \vith God, help us, members of the
church militant. We in turn help members of the church suffering, the
recently dccC<L~cd.
As for their popularity, Jesuits have often been a thorn in the side
or tyrants. One recent example is the murder of the six Jesuits by the EI
Salvador rnil itary. Perhaps no organization has been disrnissed by
tyrannical rcginles more frequently than the Jesuits. In fact a fc\v centuries
ago the Bourbon courts so intimidated Pope Clement XIV that he
suppressed the \vhole order in 1773, but it returned.to full vigor in 1814.
T\venty-five of these Jesuits are officially listed among the
Church's saints so they have feast days assigned to theIn. Some people
consider the expression Jesuit Saint an oXylnoron - a contradiction in terrns.
In fact, there are 41 Jesuit saints and 285 more on the \vay to canonization,
most of \vhom are not on the above list. Also not listed arc countless other
Jesuits \vho have influenced education greatly.
'T\tvcnty-nine short illustrative biographies follo\tv along \vith my
sources (including library call numbers) to facilitate further research. Many
of the sketches are the work of some local stags: Mike Poirier, '92 and Hai
Nguyen, '93. Many of these Jesuits have unpronounceable nalnes, so some
assistance has been provided in the table of contents.
Pedro Arrupe, 5.J.
(1907-1991)
Pedro Arrupe, S.j. was
a Basque jesuit and for 18
years, the 28th jesuit
Superior General. During
this time he led the jesuits
through one of the most
trying periods of its 450 year
history; not only widespread
persecution of jesuits
fighting injustice
throughout the world but also
unwarranted criticism from
within the Roman Curia. He traveled extensively, was
conversant in eight languages and was one of the
world's best informed men. Thousands of prominen t
people had easy access to him. He held a preeminent
position among other religious superiors, serving 15
years as president of the Union of Superiors General of
Catholic orders worldwide. Perhaps no other jesuit
General enjoyed such widespread admiratioll, loyalty
and esteem as Don Pedro, as he was affectionately called
by fellow jesuits.
Don Pedro was born ill Bilbao, Spaill. As a yOUllg
man he went to Madrid to study medicine and was so
moved by the suffering in the city's slums that he
decided to join the jesuits in 1927. Referred to as the
second founder of the Jesuits, Don Pedro takes his place
among the greatest jesuit saints. He perso11ified the
meaning of commitment, believing that Christiall must
live for others. He made jesuits aware that being
vigorous in opposing injustice and liberating the
oppressed constitute an esselltial part of the jesuit
vocation. He instigated inculturation (a very jesuit
word) wherein a missionary becomes Olle with the
people of his adopted country as did Saillt Paul.
Few people in our century have personally
borne witness to as much suffering as Don Pedro,
2
IlOlabl, after 6 August, 1945, 'vvhen he dealt with the
death and destruction of the Atomic bomb. As novice
master for 35 young Jesuit, he lived six Iniles away
fronl t.he atoInic blast at l-liroshima. I-lis expertise i 11
caring for the burned, broken and bleeding bc)dies and
destroyed lives electrified the world and stirred
universal admiration.
Pedro'Arrupe's Japanese Jesuit novices in lJiroshilna in J945
Pedro's zeal to use inlaginative progranls and
innovative plans to attack injustice inflamed old
jealousies. Many helieve that the I<.oman Curia tried to
blanle the Jesuits for tile crisis ithin the Church and
Inake {)on Pedr() the scapegoat for its ills. IIe was nc)t
skilled at atican politics and at soothing the ruffled
feathers or those ho anted to keep the status quo at
the expense or the disenfranchised. Still he told his
Jesuits that their greatest mistake would be to stand still
in such rear of censure that they auld stop apostolic
endeavors for the aballdolled poor.
l)on Pedro was a warm, magnanimous and
sensitive man or the Gospel whose faith enlivened
incredible optimism. I-Ie maintained that his optimism
was hased on hope: IIrI he real optimist is the 011e wi th
the c()nviction that Goo knows, can do and will do what
is best for mankind." Almost always seell smiling, he
loved singing in groups alld his favorite spiritual was
"Nobody knows the troubles I've seen. II
3
Robert Bellarmine, s.].
(1542-1601: feast 9/17)
Saint I\obert 13ellarmine was a
Cardinal and Doctor of the
Universal Church a11d is the
Patron Saint of Fairfield
University. I-Ie was ()ne of the
most lear11cd men of his time
and his books were such a
powerful vindication of the
Catholic Church t.hat Quee11
Elizabeth forbade her subjects
from publishing or selli11g
them under pail1 of death. A
very popular orator, he could
memorize al1 hour-Io.ng Latin
sermon by readi11g it over
once. He had the ability to simplify the great truths of
theology and, put them within rangc or ordinary
people. Bellarmine confronted the Protestan t
Reformers and justified the right of the Catholic
Church to defelld herself and the faith, to meet moral
issues and to somehow guide and correct the temporal
order.
In spite of his protests, the Pope made hilTI a
Cardinal "because he was without equal for lear11i11g ill
the Church of God." From this l1ew va11tage point he set
about to root out the abuses which gave the IZcformers
grounds for their criticisms of the Church and he
presented to Pope Clement VIII a de11unciatiol1 or the
major abuses prevalent in the Pope's own Roman Curia.
He also pointed out that the Pope was 110t the Church's
overlord but its administrator. Only Pope Sixtus V's
death prevented him from putting some of Bellarmine's
writings on the list of forbiddel1 books because
Bellarmine opposed the Pope's theory of direct papal
power over civil authority.
His concern for educatio11 was apparcllt from the
4
letters he wrote urging careful training of
mathematics teachers. Galileo invited Bellarmine to
see the new-found wonders of the sky in his telescope
and later Bellarmine turned tC) Jesuit scientists to
confirm Galileo's findings. rrhis resulted in
Bellarmine's gentle treatment of Galileo at his trial ­\
vhich did not please the Holy Office. More can be
discovered about this fascinating academic from the
bo()k /\()bert Bellarmine SailJt and Scholar by James
Brodrick (BX4700.B25 B73).
It is hard to imagine
anyone with better
qualifications to be patron
of Fairfield University, not
only because of brilliant
scholarship offered freely
in the service of others,
but also because of his
commitment to intellectual
in tegri ty. I-Ie was not to be
intimidated by anyone
either inside or outside the
Church.
Bellarmine Hall
5
John Berchmans, S.J.
(1599-1621: feast 11/16)
Saint John Berchmans was
one of the early Jesuits and
h'e died while still a Jesuit
scholastic (not yet ordailled).
Immediately after his death
many of the Roman laity who
had' grown to know and love
him began to venerate him
as a saint. He was born in the
Belgian town of Diest, al1d his
home was later reco11structed
by the town and can still be
visited.
john was noted for his good-natured disposition
who "did nothillg extraordinary, but did ()rdinary
things extraordil1arily well". I-Ie decided t() bec()me a
priest after reading the life of Aloysius Gonzaga, 5.j.
His father was a shoemaker and hoped that john would
become a diocesan priest so that he would be able to
help the family with an i11come, but jOhI1 was
determined to become a jesuit. Durillg his semillary
days in Belgium the jesuit Ge11eral requested the
Flemish Provincial to se'nd to the !\Omall College tW()
jesuit scholastics, outstanding ill intelligence and
religious spirit. John was chosen alld with his
companion set out 011 the ten-week jourlley, walking
the entire 800 miles frOITI Antwerp to !\()me (and this
was in the days preceding hitch-hikillg). Ollce there
he was thrilled to find that the room given him was the
room used by Aloysius Gonzaga thirty-one years before.
Hoping to serve the multilingual migran ts
overrunning the contillent at that time, john resolved
to learn all the chief languages of Europe and he
showed a marked ability ill lallguages. III his b()()k
Saint john Berchmans (BX4700.B4 D3), j. J. LJaly
describes John as a penetrating student of world events
6
who was considered the most knowledgeable I11an about
tIle Jesuit foreign missions. It was his desire to serve
on the China mission after ordination. 1-1 is
perfc)rmance in philosc)phy and science were s()
brilliant that he was assigned the arduous task of a
"public defense". This meant that he had to prepare the
whole field of philosophy and answer any questions
posed by the faculty and visitors in a public
demonstration. His health broke during these studies
precipitating his death at the age of 22, thus ending his
dream. of preachillg the faith in Chilla.
TIle quality that most endeared John to his
friellds was his kindness and generosity. He was ready
at any time to put himself at the disposal of others. The
sick elljoyed his visits to the college infirmary. I-lis
fellow students, seeking his advice in their studies,
received not only a warm welcome and the correct
answer, but also a new appreciation of his generous
character. When the Jesuit Superior General Peter­I-
Ians Kolvenbach spoke here at Fairfield University
in 1988 he epitomized the ideal Fairfield student wi th
the words: "men and women for others". Our
mission statement underscores this idea describing our
ideal students "manifesting in their lives the common
concern for others which is the obligation of all
educated, mature human beings". In both cases
()nc thinks of JOhil Berchmans, he would have been an
ideal slag.
A Belgiall commemorative stamp of john Berchmans
7
Roger Boscovich, S.].
(1711-1787)
Roger Boscovich, S.] was a
Croatian Jesuit, wllc)
developed the first coheren t
descriptioll of at()mic
theory in his work 1neoria
Philosophiae Na turalis,
which is Olle of the great
attempts to explain the
universe in a single idea.
I-lis illf1 uellce 011
modern atomic physics is
undoubted. I{ussian
scielltists have always shown
a strol1g il1terest in his work
and more recelltly western scielltists have becon1e
better acquainted with his contributions. rl his
resurgence of interest in his works is evident from a
host of recent books and articles. I-lis legacy has been
preserved in the special B()sc()vic}l Archives in
the Bancroft l~are Books library at t.he- University of
California at Berkeley. Among the 180 iten1s hc)used
there are found mallY of his 66 scientific treatises as
well as correspondence with the .major scientists of his
day. On the anniversaries of his birth, his publications,
and his death, symposia are held in cellters of learni n g
throughout the world to celebrate this an1azil1g
polymath.
Boscovich was a creative scientist and his
illventions included the achromatic telescope. I--Ie was
first to apply probability to the theory of errors, as was
later acknowledged by Laplace and Gauss. It was
assumed then as now that mathematicians have the
practical sense to fix intricate thi.ngs suc.h as clocks, so
during llis life he had been commissiolled by popes al1d
emperors to do complicated jobs, such as repair the
fissures in cathedral domes, direct the drainage of the
8
Pontine marshes and survey the meridian of the Papal
states as related in the book Roger Joseph 150scovich by
Lancelot Whyte (Q143.B7 W5). I-Ie did not suffer fools
gladly s() when shown the treasures ()f the Jesuit schc)()l
at Sens which included a rib or the prc)phet Isaiah, he
told the rector to throw it awa:y in the in terest of tru tho
It was his influence that minimized the hostility
of Catholic churchmen to the Copernican system.
Bc)scovich had such a reputation for honesty, i11tegrity
and scholarsh.ip that only he was able to persuade Pope
Benedict XIV to remove Copernicus from the IIlde"x of
Forbidden Books.
A cornrnelnorative stamp of Roger Boscovich, S.l
Born in Dubrovnic, Yugoslavia, Boscovich lived a
long fruitful life and a lunar crater is named in hi s
hon.or. I11cisive in thought, adve11turesome in spirit,
and independent in judgment he was a man of the
eighteeI1th century in some respects, but far ahead of
his tirne in others.
9
John de Brito, 5.J.
(1647-1693: feast 2/4)
Saint JOh11 de Britc) was a Pc)rtugese
Jesuit, who became the Apostle 0 r
Madura, India, where he was
martyred. I-Ie converted more than
10,000 Indians to Christia11ity.
From the very start of his
mission he familiarized himself
with the cOlnplicated procedures of
the Indian caste system and
discovered tl1at n10st Christians
belonged to the lowest, most despised
caste. In order for Christianity to
have a lasting influence, de Brito
realized that members of the hig11er
caste must also be c011verted, so he
established himself as an 111dia11 ascetic a Pandara
Suami. He lived apart as they lived, dressed in a saffron
cloak and turba11. I-Ie set up small retreats i11 the
wilderness in southern India where in terested Indians
could visit him.
In time he became an accepted Suami, his
reputation grew and he c011verted ma11Y, amol1g whom
was a certain prince who was told to give up his wives.
One wife, the niece of the rajah, took this less than
graciously and had de Brito arrested, but he was later
released. Because of his success i11 converting many
Indians to Christia11ity, the Brahmins, the highest
Indian caste, sought to kill him. They were allnost
successful in 1686 when the rajah's soldiers
apprehended and imprisoned de Brito and his Catechists
and fettered them with heavy chaiJ1s. After a month of
prison and torture, they were released with the
warning not to preach the gospef. St. Ignatius insists
that Jesuits accept and even pray for persecution, if
that is what is necessary accomplish apostolic goals.
Here was a case in point; de Brito felt he could not obey
10
the rajah's order and so was arrested again. l-'he rajah
then ordered that he be executed. I-Ie did not, hc)wcvcr,
anticipate what a good sport de Brito would be.
Reaching the spot selected for his martyrdom, he knelt
down in praycr. rI he rajah's order was publicly read,
and when the executioner hesitated to do his job, de
Brit() encouraged hinl, "My fric11d, I have prayed tC) (~(x.i.
011 my part, I have d011c what I should do. Now dc) yc)ur
.part. Carry out the order you have received." FIe did,
and de Brito's death only spurred on the efforts of the
rcmaining Christians.
And after John had encouraged the hesitant executioner . ..
As a Suarru, John guided many to Christianity.
11
Edmund Campion, S.].
(1539-1581: feast 12/1)
Saint Edmund Campion was a great
disappointment [or Queen Elizabeth
because he twice turned down her
generous offers of prestigious
offices in the Church of Englalld.
It cost him his life; after extended
torture he was "hanged, d ra'w n
and q uarte red" and each quarter
of his body being displayed OIl the
four city gates.
He was born in London the
son of a Catholic bookseller during
the very year that the Society of
Jesus started. I-Ie would have
elltered his father's trade except
for the fact that his brightwit earl1ed llim a
scholarship to St. John's College, Oxford. I-Ie became a
most sought after speaker and on one occasion so
impressed Queell Elizabeth that she ()tTcrcd him a
d~aconate in the new state religioll. I-Ie accepted it wi th
a heavy conscience but eventually returlled to the
Catholic faith and thell fled to tIle COlltillent, where he
joined the Jesuit order.
After ordination he returned tC) London and there he
wrote a manilesto of his mission which has come to be
known as Campion's Brag. III it he declared tIlat his
coming to England had a religious and not a political
purpose. So audacious alld powerful was this mallifesto
that it was widely distributed to help enc()urage
Catholics to remain firm in their rai the
Eventually he was captured allct takell to the 'Tower
of London where he was put in the roon1 known as little
ease, a cell where a grown man could neither stand
upright nor lie dOWll flat. Queen Elizabeth, in person,
visited him to urge him to abjure his Catholic faith alld
enter the Protestant ministry, suggesting that there
12
were no limits to the heights he could reach in th.e
established Church. rle was not persuaded. After
eleven days stretched on the rack he was executed.
Evelyn Waugh 's ~)ain t Edmund Campion
(BX4700.C19 W38) recc)rds that some witnesses of
Campic)n's ()rdeal were so moved that they later
returned to Catholicism, including I-Icnry WaJpole who
became a Jesuit and fourteen years later died a Jesuit
martyr. Many were very touched by the words i n
C"ampion's 1j rag:
"And touchillg our Society, be it known to you that
we have made a league - all the Jesuits in the world ­cheerfully
to carry the cross you shall lay upon us, and
never to despair your recovery, while we have a man
lett to enjoy your rryburn, or to be racked with your
torments or consumed with your prisons. The expense
is reckoned, the ellterprise is begun; it is of Goo, it
cannot be witllstood. So the faith was planted; so
it must be restored."
Olle of the "priest holes" during
the Elizabethan persecutions of Catholics
during the time of' Edmund Campion
13
Peter Canisius, S.].
(15 2 1-15 97: feast 4/2 7 )
Saint Peter Canisius was a Dutch
Jesuit, a renowned preacher,
theologian, founder of many of
, Europe's schools and a Doctor 0 f
the Universal Church.
Canisius was one of the, first
jesuits, was the first jesuit to
publish a book, the first to found a
university and the first Jesuit
university president. I-Ie
distillguished himself as a
theologian at the COU11Cil of 'Tren t
and was considered "the pride
. and OrIJamen t of a 11
Germany" -and called "til e second Apostle of
Germany". In 1550 he entered Germany with two
jesuits, and by 1580 their number had grown to 1,110.
Among the thirty-seven books he wrote is his
concise, lucid catechism which became a best seller ­circulated
in fifteen languages including I-lindustani
and japanese. It is in our library: Der Ka tecilismen by
·Peter Canisius (BX4700.C2 B68). I-Ie was SC) piv()tal in
catechetical work that his name was synonymc)us wi th
catechism. Centuries later one could still hear "l-lave
you learned your C"anisius?'
Canisius found the effect or the !{cfornlation on
Catholics devastating. This calamity was apparent in an
abysmal ignorance of the faith on the part of the lai ty
as well as the clergy, whom he described as: "a scandal
before GOO and the whole world." 'The more hopeless
the situation seemed to be, however, the more energetic
he became, stressing the need for education. I-Ie was
instrumental in the founding of eighteen colleges in as
many cities with strong emphasis on academic
excellence, insisting: "Better a college without a church
14
than a college without a library."
James Brodrick in his book Saint Peter Canisius
(BX 4700.C2 B7) stresses the extraordinary ability
Canisius displayed as an educator from the very
beginning. Elected President by the faculty at the
University of Ingolstadt in 1550 he found that, in his
words: "Some students have no decency; some travel in
barbarian packs, acting like a bunch of drunken
madmen." Quickly he put an end to this unruly student
behavior pointil1g out that: "th.is is not a Inilitary camp
but a temple of the Muses." It is 110t surprising that one
of our earliest buildings was named Canisius I-Iall,
reflectin.g the boast of our mission statement that we
"share a liberal and humanistic prospective and a
commitm.ent to excellence." The east end of the
building houses the WVOF antenna which, strangely,
does little to communicate the academic pursuits whose
symbols are engraved on the wall of the west end.
O::"-J"" • I' ~ "~.!y I ' .. :1,'1 ".'. I ~. · _~ ...[r TOll r;w..'~'11 ·~r:;i '..:: ;'. :... tf
:::~..... ·'~~r ·I;~~JI~. :~I[1:'Llr( -r ..\.~:>-.> I r.~:
. II'{ (-cf.III.L" $[[" ", _ L' \.'.. I " ,..... .~._,w..~~_. r·-j.;-'-- r',ry'~~~ .. :;;~~~tN&~i . Pf~
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v..., ,AU ","DC : I '. '"
• • r .. r I ' I.' 1;.' ,.
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r I; -:.J ~ ~; i ~. ~. i I Ji- f ': ;·;··h·-- ~
J ",.-'; ".1 ,~,
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.'~~ ~. 1,','
1LIl~~~;.~~~~' ...,:; I r .
:=:;:~';;"(!1..\._.... '~,:: .~~. :'::: '~.~-
West end of Canisius J-Jall
15
Peter Claver, S.].
(1580-1654: feast 9/9)
Saint Peter Claver worked
for 35 years helping to alleviate
the sufferings of the victims of
Cartagena's despicable slave
trade. He referred to himself as
"the sl~ve of the slaves forever."
He was born in Barcelona,
Spain. His missionary vocation
had been inspired by a Jesuit
Brother, St. Alphonsus'
Rodriguez, S.]., who urged him:
"Your mission is to the West
Indies. Why don't you go there
and work for the Lord"? I-Ie did. He went to Cartagena
in Colombia and dedicated all his energy to the poor
people who had beell shipped like cattle from Africa to
Cartagena only to be sold to the highest bidder.
It was said of him that he seemed to be
everywhere at once by the incredible speed with whic h
he went about visiting the sick and illstructillg the
ignorant, even in the scorching sun, drenching rain
or biting wind Wllich kept many of the inhabitallts of
Cartagena indoors. When the wretched slaves caught
sight of him they clapped their hands by way of salute.
Many below deck were too ill to come to him so he went
to them amid an indescribable odor of decaying bodies
and open sores. It was a stench so loathsome that even
the most stout-hearted would shrink back ill horror.
Almost crazed with suffering they anticipated fresh
atrocities from their new owners. When they arrived
on shore, covered with open wounds and alive wi th
vermin, they met with as little pity from their buyers
as from those who kidnapped them.
When they disembarked Peter was there with a
fresh stock of food which he had begged for them.
Once they were sold they were sent into the interior but
16
Peter would fin.d and visit then1. I-Ie cured their sores,
bandaged their wounds, nourished their starving
hodies and ()f'ten wept bitterly' over their tragedy. T'he
Spaniards also wanted his attel1tiol1, but found that they
had to wait until after he had attended to their slaves
who had first claim to his ministrations, as related i n
Peter Claver, S"aint Among Slaves by An.gel Valtierra
(13X4700.C65 V33). Peter Claver's altruism has beel1
imitated by a large 11umber of Fairfield graduates in the
jesuit Volunteer Corps.
Eventually Claver was
struck dOWl1 by th.c plague
ravaging Cartagena. I-Ie was
esteemed as a sail1t in his
own time and stories of his
miracles were
commonplace. When he
died fervor seized the whole
city to h0110r him as a
saint. The Jesuit college
was besieged by crowds
who came to venerate his
·remains. Slaves came from
all parts of the city and
neigh boring towns. I-Ie was
declared the Patron Saint of
African missionaries.
/\ Claver C()nlnlemorafive SfClll1P
17
Christopher Clavius, S.].
( 153 8-1612) {2 /.6}
iif: Christopher Clavius was a
German Jesuit whom the
historian of s~ience George
Sarton calls the most
influen tial teacher of th e
Ren aissan ce. Even today his
influence is noticable in the
organization of mallY hi gh
school geometry textbooks.
Clavius taught mathematics
at the l\Omall College for forty­five
years, during which time he
won the respect and friendship
of every 110table cOlltcmporary
astronomer and mathematician,
among whom were numbered Viete and Galileo. I n
fact Kepler, Descartes, and Leiblliz acknowledged
Clavius as a source of their inspiration. Pope Sixtus V
said, and later historians have echoed the sell timen t:
"Had the Jesuit order produced nothing more than
Clavius, on this accou11t alone, the order should be
praised."
He was considered an illustrious scientist, ()I1C t()
whom scholars and potel1tates would entrust with the
most sensitive scielltific problems of the day. 'The
number and contents of Galileo's letters to Clavius show
that he was a good friend of Clavius. A 1611 report
from Clavius and his Jesuit colleagues confirmcd
Galileo's discoveries of the motion of the earth around
the sun. In fact, Clavius' support for the unpopular
heliocentric teaching was the preponderant reason for
its acceptance amollg the learned, since he had more
influence on the educated world than Galileo did.
Clavius anticipated some mathematical
developments, such as the decimal point, parenthesis,
use of logarithms and the vernier scale. It was Clavius
18
who replaced the Julian calendar with today's
Gregorian calendar. He found that a solar year
could not keep up with the Julian year, being 664­secon.
ds longer than it was supposed to have been. I n
an 800 page book Clavius explained the principles
and the rules needed to correct this error. He did this
in a time of primitive mathematical tools when long
division was a college major!
Implementation of the plan was not an immediate
and universal success. It had a fate similar to the
adoption of the metric system in America today. T'he
populace became disoriented and windows were broken
in the houses of the European Jesuits who were blamed
for the change. The Orthodox Church saw it as a Roman
intrusion (which it was), and Protestant countries were
reluctant to accept any decree from a pope. England did
not adopt Clavius' calendar until 1751, while Orthodox
Russia would require the Bolshevik revolution before it
changed.
I-lis Euclidis elementorum ·CHn.~~T{)rrJ()i:,~r
contains all the known books CL·V·I·!lLJ.'-IIl:,··r:·'·J1·,
of Euclid and a vast collection r j'J. " l' ~:,,.:;~.;-\,~.~ .t:,~: ; I~:l:, l-, :d ".
of comments and elucidations. .:' 1:
1
'.':1 ~:~;.~. ;r••.• \.'..:: ~' •.'::. ; ..
Later editions of this work "·~···'·l::~·~.:·':''''.\·;·,,·:.~-..~:.. ,·_~/ ..~.•.·.,·''':'.
became the standard text in the
sixtee11th and seventeenth
century European schools. I n
this work, Clavius showed
concern for Euclid's axioms
including the enigmatic fifth
postulate. This magnificent
work led to his being called the
Euclid of the sixteenth Century.
Townh.ouse #12 is named
after Clavius whose name is also inscribed in sto11e on
libraries and universities such as the Sorbonne and
Notre Dame. Portraits of him hang in museums
throughout the world. I-Ie appears on the tomb of Pope
Gregory il1 the Vatican while one of the largest craters
on the m0011 is named in his honor.
19
Aloysius
(1568-1591:
Gonzaga, S.].
feast 6/21)
Saint Aloysius
Gonzaga was an
Italian Jesuit
scholastic (110t yet
ordained) who
died while
attending the sick
during the 1591
Romal1 plague and
is the Pa tron
Saint of youth.
'This young
nobleman from
Mantua, Aloysius
Gonzaga, repudiated the allure of Rellaissa11ce life alld
gave himself with powerful single-mindedness to the
Ignatian ideal. In calling himself "a piece of
twisted iron that needed to be straightened out"
he was referring to his appalling backgroulld, ()f bc)lh
his heredity and his environment. I-lis ancestors
included despots who condoned assassillation,
debauchery and extortion. They survived one
assassination after another while their subjects we re
bled white by taxation. The Gonzaga princes alternated
insane orgies with explosions of ge11uine underlying
faith. Aloysius, convinced that such a society could not
be reformed from wit h i n tore himself out of his
setting and joilled the then new Society of Jesus. I-fis
story is told by C. C. Martindale ill The Vocation of
Aloysius Gonzaga (BX4700.L75 M33).
Aloysius had a remarkable toughness of
character; he was never a recluse alld his innocence
was founded on neither igllorance nor prudery. He
could control quarreling princes and lead Roman
rabble to confession. Aloysius had often helped his
father, a reckless gambler, settle his debts. But in 1588
20
such a feud broke out in the Gonzaga clan that an army
of lawyers and ecclesiastics could not solve it. It fell to
/\loysius as the only one honest, imperturbable
and clear-headed enough to settle the feud.
Aloysius had hoped to be
sent to w()rk ()n the missi()ns
but the plague intervened
when ,he was only twen ty­three.
While helping the
victinlS he contracted th.e
plague and died. The mural i n
the foyer of Gonzaga depicts
the scene. 'Usually known as
the Patron Saint of youth, this
catechist of ROll1an
ragamuffins, consoler of the
imprisc)ned, ll1artyr of charity
for the the sick, just as
appropriately and deservedly
could be honored as a Patron
Saint of the Sc)cial Apostolate.
1\ GC)l)Z~ga CC)111111Cll1C)rativc SU:1111P
Aloysius certainly reflects one
of the hallmarks of Jesuit education
the individual care and
c()ncern for each person. Alo11g
the side of G011zaga f-Iall one notices
the offset brick represen ting a
Gregorian Chant Kyrie Eieison.
Aloysius' story, taken from the
Roman Breviary, is told in Latin
along the front and in a mural over
the entrance to the auditorium.
Wall of GOllzaga J-Iail
21
rnisapprehensiol1 that pc)etic
C011sisteilt with a religious
poems before he elltered the
as his spirit responded to the
he was studyillg, his artistic
In 1875, after his Superior
Gerard Manley Hopkins
(1844 -1 889 )
Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.j. is
a major figure in English
literature. Hopkins' collected
poems were first published in
1918, by Robert Bridges, the11
British poet laureate, to whom
he had. entrusted his works.
His innovations in metre and
rhythm, his abnormally
sensitive use of language and
the depth and passion of his
religious convictions made an
immediate impact on the
young poets of the· 1920s. The
main features of Hopkins'
poetry are the complex
pattern of rhyme, alliteration
and assonance that he wove
around his generous use of sprung r hy fh m.
The book Ilnmortal Diamond, by Norman Weyand
(PI{4803.H44 Z65) relates Hopkins' story. Gerard was the
oldest of nine children born to a prosperous Allglican
family. Having established a reputation as a Greek
scholar and poet ~at Balliol College, Oxford, he graduated
with highest honors. III 1866 he was baptized a Catholic
by Cardinal Newmall, leader of the Oxford lv[C)VClnenL 111
1867 he decided to enter the Society of Jesus. After
ordillation he became prc)fessor of Greek at University
College, Dublin.
Under the zealous
activity would not be
vocation, he burned his
Jesuits. Later, however,
glories of the mysteries
habit reasserted itself.
22
encouraged him to write a poem about a recent
shipwreck that had moved him profoundly, I-Iopkins
produced "The Wreck of the Deutschland," one of
the masterpieces of English poetry.
I-lis exactness of diction, profound observation,
care with structure, and above all his exceptional
musical ear enable him to come close, ill his best work,
to the achievements of the best known English poets.
lie was able to reach and express a unique, Catholic,
overwhelming vision of God, and of creatures in
relation to God, that greater poets cannot match.
I-Jopkin's "Wreck of the DeucJl1and"
I-Iopkins' position as a major figure in Ellglish
literature is secure. 'rhe power, technical
achievements, and extraordinary beauty of his sonnet
"'rhe Windhc)ver" is remarkable. It is a celebration of
the beauty of sacrifice suffered with Christ. Evident in
his poetry is his belief i11 the spiritual nature of the
physical world. I-Ie expressed his theme elegan tly: "The
w()rld is charged with the Grandeur of God!"
For him the illanimate and empty world is actually
active - "charged" - as a material expression of a
dynamic spiritual order and available to a focused
observer. The Jesuit expressioll Ad Majorem Dei
Gloriam - AMDG (for the greater glory of God), which
is used more than one hundred times in the writings of
St. Ignatius Loyola, takes on a special meaning for
Hopkins.
23
Isaac ]ogues, S.].
(1607-1646: feast 10,/19)
Saint Isaac Jogues was
martyred for the faith at
Ossernenom i11 upstate Nevv
York. 111 1930 he was
ca110nized a saint along wi th
the seven ()ther N()rth
America]] Jv!artyrs.
Isaac was born i n
Orleal1s, France, el1tered the
Jesuits at !{ouen, studied
philosophy at la fIe c he
slightly after I{e11e Descartes
studied there. After
ordination he came to Quebec
ill "New Fral1ce" fron1 where
he was assigned to work wi th
the Hurol1 nation which
numbered arou11d thirty
thousand. l'his meant a canoe
trek of over 800 miles, which
included carryil1g the ca110e
overland past cascades. rrhe
mission there, called "Sainte
Marie," was by then a
thriving enterprise. Jesuits
had taught the natives how to cultivate the land and
care for cattle a11d fowl. Ot11er tribes, such as the
Chippewas, were so impressed that they asked the
Jesuits to start a mission among their people.
Allies of the British, the Iroquois were involved i n
a vicious war with the Frel1ch and were filled wi th
enormous a11imosity towards the I-Iurol1s. The Iroquois
were an aggressive confederacy of five nations located
between the French and English territories, who
24
pressed like a sllarp thorn il1tO the growing body of
Christian l1atives alollg the St. Lawrel1ce. III 1642,
Jogues was captured by the Mohawks, one of the five
Iroquois nations, and taken to Ossernenom
(Auriesville).
l)uring his thirteen-mc)nth captivity he was
subject to brutal cruelties such as burning the flesh
with hot coals and having his 'fingers chewed off.
Nevertheless he taught Christiallity to those who would
listen and succeeded in baptizillg sixty members of the
tribe. Eventually he was rescucd by the Dutch of Fort
Orange and rcturlled to France in 1644. I-lis harsh and
difficult life is described in the book Sail1t in the
Wilderness by Glenn Kittler (BX4700.JS64 KS).
While recuperating in France and preparil1g to
returll to his mission among the Mohawks, who had
treated hiln so dreadfully four years earlier, he wrote to
a fellow Jesuit: "My heart tells me that if I have the
blessing of being sent on this mission, I shall not
return. ivlay our Ll)rd who has redeemed that natic)n by
his Blc)od, open to it the door of his Gospel." 'I'hat year
whell hc returned to New France, hc was tomahawked
to death whilc. on a peace missi()n to tIle Iroqu()is.
25
Athanasius Kircher, S.].
(1602-1680)
Athanasius Kircher was a
German Jesuit with contributic)ns
to almost every brallch of
sciellce: astrollonlY, mathen1atics,
archaeology, harmonics,
acoustics, chemistry, microscopy
and mediciIle. I-Ie was also a
phenomenal linguist, an avid
collector of scien tific
experimellts alld geographical
exploration. He probed the
secrets of the subterranean
world, deciphered archaic
languages, experimented with music-therapy, optics
and magnetism. Kircher played a significant part in
the early scientific revolution.
In his thirty-nine enormous books on the
sciences he not only relates the learIling of the past,
but also anticipates the developments and possibilities
of the future. His Kircher Museum was considered
one of the best scjence museums in the world. Among
his inventions are found the megapholle, the
pantometrum for solving geolnetrical problems, a11d a
counting machine. His discoveries include sea
phosphorescence, microscopically small 1ivin g
organisms and t.he causes of trallsfer of epidemic
diseases - now called germs.
Kircher's works were quoted by mallY scholars
of his day. Even today his inventions and discoveries
are found on display in the great museums of the world.
Frequently these are seen OIlly in vicarious forms,
such as diagrams, since the original models have been
lost. It was in facilitating a wide diffusion ()f
knowledge, in stimulatil1g thought and discussion
through his vast collections of scientific information,
that Kircher deserves a place among the fathers of
26
rnodern science. Some historians refer to hiIn as
Illasfcr (){ a hundred arts.
Kircher's "magic LalJ tern" precursor ()[ t1Je 111()vies
I-\t Fairfield University we assert that our
students have a critical respect for their cultural
tradition aIid understand the perspective l'rc)m which
the arts and the sciellces organize their view of the
world. We lnain tain that they have developed
c()mpetence in some of these areas, as well as the skills
()f analysis, judgnlent and expression c()mmon to all of
thenl. Past Fairfield University graduates during their
visits to museums and libraries of the western world
have found mementos of this universal genius. It is
fitting that not only is a lunar crater named to honor
Kircher, but also our OWl1 'Townhouse #13.
27
Stanislaus Kostka, S.].
(1550-1568: feast 1-1/13)
Saint Stanislaus Kostka, bc)rn
in Pc)land, was seven teen
years old when he entered
the newly foul1ded Jesuit
Order, alld died a year later.
I-Ie was recognized for
accomplishing the ordinary
thillgS in life in an
extraordil1ary way through a
vibrant faith. '-fhe liturgy
speaks of him
"accoI11plishing much i n
a short time". He had a
sacramental view of the
world and exemplified in his
own life signs of a tral1scel1dent life.
Saints have always fascinated ordinary people like
ourselves: they matter a great deal. JC)hI1 Coleman says
that personal holiness "shatters ()ur ordil1ary llC)li()J1S ()f
what makes humall life whole. Saints' disrupt
cOl1ventiol1al assumptions ab()ut what is real alld w()rth
our while and wheat is ll0t." It is not often tllat a brand
new religious I1Gvitiate is blessed by the prcsellce of a
saint among its first Ilovices. In 1567 the !\c)man
Novitiate of Saint Alldrea was started, and aIle year
later, this eightee11-year-old novice died. Stanislaus
Kostka, a student at the Jesuit College ill Viellna, gave
the measure of his determil1atiol1 to respond to God's
call to the Jesuit Society, against the set oppc)sitic)n c)[
his angered father and sadistic brother, by the
fatiguing jour11eys he made ()l1 foot fronl Vien11a to
Augsburg, a11d then on to the Jesuit llovitiate in l\ome.
Of singular innocence and devotedness to the Virgin
Mary he showed u11deviati11g singleness of purpose,
and demonstrated extraordinary steadfastness ill prayer
and penance. He received exceptional spiritual favors
28
in the form of VlSlon.s described by Joseph Kerns in
jJortrait of a Champion (BX4700.S7 K4).
Students learn a great deal outside classroom from
their friends, in conversatiC)ll and from example.
l)uring the last ten months ()[ his short life he moved
everyc)ne who kllew him witll his childlike fervor.
Eventually he died of a fever, leaving to the recently
opened novitiate of Santi Andrea, the happy memories
of a joyous SOIl who had been am.ollg the first to en ter
its walls. I-Ie was proclaimed the Patrc)n Sain t () r
religic)us novices.
Olle finds these words in our mission statement:
"We are primarily interested in developing in our
students moral and intellectual habits of thinking and
acting and not merely knowledge of what virtuous
activity is." These words could have been written with
Stanislaus Kostka in mind.
A 1703 baroque world map showing Ignatius sending his men out to teach
the whole world A.M.D.G. - for the greater glory ofGod. "
29
Ignatius Loyola, S.].
(1490-1556: feast 7/31)
Saint Ignatius Loyola is the '
founder of the Society of
jesus, the author of the
Spiritual Exercises, and
the Patron Saint of a 11 ~
jesuits. Over his own
protests he was elected the
first. Superior General. T'he
expansion of the jesuit
Society was nothing less
thCJn _ miraculous; during
his sixteen years as
Superior General it had
grown from ten men to a
thousand men living in 101
houses. Ignatius was cal10nized ill 1622.
Inigo de Onaz y Loyola was born ill the Basque
hill country, the youngest of eleven children. Havil1g
received only a superficial educatic}n his interests were
in sports and military prc)wess. While defending a {'c)rt
in Pamplona his leg was brokel1. During his
convalescellce (long before the televisio.n age) he read
the OIlly books available whicll were-lives of saints, and
he underwent 'a remarkable conversion. I-Ie was
determined to imitate these saillts alld to become a
knight in the service of God. After some years in
prayer and penances ill Mallresa, llear Barcelona, he
received divine illuminatioll by which the rest of his
life would be guided. I-Ie wrote down his experiences i n
his famous book known as the Spiritual txercises.
These Exercises are not read - they are done.
They involve a process meallt to free one to choose
what is best for oneself in the light of first principles,
and bring a sellse that GOO is at work ill all thillgS,
animating and energizillg them. These step-by-step
guidelines for teaching .the art of prayer and
30
meditation are divided into fc)ur parts considering the
sinful naturc c)f mankind, the fncarnati()n or C:hrist,
the PaSSiC)Il and, finally, the I\csurrectic)Il. '{'hey are
l1lcant to lead an il1dividual to find C;()d ina 11
t h i n g s, to incrcasc awarencss C)!" C;c)d's plan and the
role ()ne can play in bringing thcln to fulfillnlent. A
quc)tation in Latin frc)ln Ignatius' };'){ercises (which any
passing live Jesuit would gladly translate) is engravcd al()ng
the top of Loyola' west wall.
Ilis stc)ry is told in the bc)()k S'aint Ignatius rC?yc)!a
by' Janles Brodrick (BX 47()().Ig5L .BR(4). At the age or
thirty liligo returned to school to repair the gaps in his
education until he was ready for the grcat un iversi ties
at Alcala a11d Salam.anca. III both these places he was
reported to the Inquisition and jailed. Later he
gathered together six compa11folis who determined to go
t() l\ome and put themselves at the disposal or the Pope
who exclainled on seeing them: "'{'he ringer C){ C;(xl is
l1erc." In 1540 Pope Paul III gave f'ornlal recognition
to the order which would profess the three custol1lary
vovvs of .poverty, chastity and obedience along wit.h a
fourth vow of special obedience to the Pc)pe.
Very early it was clear that educatic)n was the
most urgent need or the
Church, so it hecanle the
work or the Jesuits.
~~Jf;'i'.1If."~,,~ .- LC)YI)la's narne is found
on educational
institutions throughc)ut
the world, fr()In the
walls of the Sorbonne in
Paris to those 0 f
Columbia LJniversity in
New York. It is no
surprise to find many
Jesuit schools nanled in
his honor and no less
than three huildings
here on canlpus.
filigo w()uIJded at pan1p]C)!J(1
31
Paul Miki, S. J.
(1564 - 1597: feast 2/6)
Saint Paul Miki was
the first Japanese
menlber of any
Catholic l\eligious
order, and had it not
been for his
martyrdom he would
have 'bee11 the firs t
japanese priest. He
was the S011 of a well­to-
do japanese
military chief, living
near Kyoto, and as
such had the right to
wear the bright, noble kimo110 of the Samurai. Paul
Miki's family became Christian when he was about five
years old. At the age ()[ twenty-two he joined the
Jesuits. Even as a Scholastic, before ordination, he
proved himself to be ,.an excellent disputant wi th
Buddhist leaders. I-Ie was recognized as an eloquent
speaker who preached with such fervor and eloquence
that he c011verted ma11Y listeners who were not
Christians.
Miki lived during Christianity's most rapid
increase - the 200,000 c011versio11s which occurred in
japan during the forty years after Francis Xavier. 'This
forward thrust ended when the military General
Toyotomi I-lideyoshi seized power. Illitially indifferent
to the work of the Jesuits, he cha11ged his milld in 1587
and decreed that all missionaries leave the realm. None
of the one-hundred Jesuits obeyed. I11stead they weI1t
underground tp continue to serve and be with the
Catholics as their Jesuit companions had dc)ne i n
England, outwitting - at least for a time - Queel1
Elizabeth's priest-hunterse
Miki's story is told in the book Wings of Eagles, by
32
Francis C~orlcy and l{. Willmes' (BX4655.C:6). In 1596, just
a few months before his ordination t() the priesthood,
he was arrested with two companic)ns at the Jesuit
residence ill Osaka. rrheir ears were cut off as a sign C)!'
disgrace and they were paraded through many towns as
a warning tC) other Christians. Finally a few weeks latcr
the three Jesuits were cruciried a}C)llg with 23 ()ther
Christians. Bystanders described Miki's rernarkablc
composure during this ordeal dressed in his Jesuit
cassock (although he had the right to dress as a
Samurai) and delivering one last sermc)n f'roIll the cross
there in Nagasaki in 1597.
Miki was nc)t only the first religious but also
the first martyr of japan.
.~,.,""'~:;'~::':~""<" .
":'>"'~' ";\.~. ..;_l
lv/c)]] UnlC]] t to tJ1C 26 111(]rtyrs in N(Jf-j(]S,lki
33
North American Martyrs
(- 1649: feast 10/19)
# 1 Saint john de Brebeuf, S.J.
#2 Saint N'oel Chabanel, S.j.·
113 Saint Anthony Daniel, S.].
It 4 Sain t Charles Garn icr, S.J.
1/5 Saint Rene Goupil, S..1.
/I 6 Saint John de Lalande, S.].
#7 Saint Gabriel Lalemant, S.].
Student rrc)wnhouses
#1 to #7 are l1amed
after sevell Frel1ch
Jesuit Sai11ts who
came to Canada
between 1610 and
1649, where they
worked among the
IIurc)n and ivlohawk
natic)l1s. liach was
captured, tortured
and nlartyred ('c)r the
Faith. 'rhese mell are
called the Norfl1
AnJerican Martyrs.
In facr, there are
eiglJ t in the grc)up
countil1g Isaac Jogues
who has already
been mentioned. The
townhouse number
alld their names are:
(1593-1649)
(1613-1649)
(1601-1648)
(1605-1649)
( 1606-1642)
(7-1646)
(1607-1646)
As early as 1608 Jesuits were in Canada, but it was
not U11til 1632, when Canada reverted to France that a
Jesuit mission could be permanently established in
Quebec. Then nine Jesuits established preliminary
headquarters in Quebec amol1g the Algonquin tribes
34 f
who were willillg to settle down tC) a a farnler's life. rIb
reach the nlore aggressive and more populous I·-Iurons,
h()wever, the Jesuits planned satellite stati()ns acr()ss
souther11 Canada. l'he J-IurOllS were the key to
influencillg the other tribes and spreading the Gospel.
These Canadian Jesuits lived among the I-furons on
the sh()res ()f Lake I-luron. Severest privati()ns, t() say
nothing of the ever-present threat of death from the
five fierce Iroquois nations, were the lot of these
heroic priests. Yet twenty-five jesuits did not hesitate to
face the terrible dangers. Within sixteen years more
than two thousal1d !-Iurons were baptized and thirty­five
mission stations were established. But the good
work was swept away in a maelstrom of fire and blood,
when in 1648 and 1649 the Iroquois ravaged the country
of the Hurons, burning fifteen Christian villages,
slaughtering all the warriors and dragging the women
and children into slavery. These eight jesuits were
martyred, but the rest of the missio11aries led the
remnallts of the Hurons to the safe proximity of
Montreal and Quebec, where settlements were
established 011 the Isle of Orlealls and Sault Saint Louis.
l'hese eight deaths marked the beginnil1g of ()ne of the
great adventures in the history of the Church's
n1issionary work.
After the destruction of the I-Iuron mission, the
French Jesuits, ulldaunted, extended their activities
right across the country. T'he lel1gths ()f their
journeys, by cal10e through distant rivers to far-dista11t
lakes, by foot or on snowshoes through the virgin
forests a thousand miles from Montreal are astonishing.
The historian, George Bancroft's ringing sentence, "Not
a cape was turned, not a river entered, but a Jesuit led
the way," is overgenerous because frequently the
actual pioneers were the fur traders. But the priests
were not far behind. Several of these Jesuits,
Marq uette and Kin 0, found their way into Statuary
I-fall in our nations Capital.
Numerous tribes through the vast expanse of the
COlltillent, instructed by these jesuits, passed all from
35
generation to generation fond memories of their
teachers. In 1821 a report from America to l{orne made
this observation about the natives: "'T'hey have a great
veneration for the Black Robes (as they call the
Jesuits). They tell how the Black Robes slept on the
ground, experienced every privation, but never asked
for money."
]{e-creation 01· the Sainte-Marie mission of the J-Jurons
'rhese Frellchmen left an imposing memorial ()f
their mission ill the accounts which they sellt home.
Each year betweell 1632 and 1673 the superior ()f the
missiol1, using material he had obtained frC)n1 the
individual missionaries, drafted a report, or UI1C
relatiol1, for the' provincial in France, wh() then
published them ill a series of oversized volumes whic·h
have become known in the English speaking world as
The jesuit 1~ eia tions (found in library:F103.7 Z8965).
The I?elatiol1s arc)used wide interest in France alld
were awaited with keell il1terest. From these pages rise
up vivid pictures of the cultivated and refined Black
Robe squatting in a circle of l1atives, ()r paddlil1g his
canoe across a wide Wil1dswept lake, or sleeping in a
choking, smoke-filled. hut. l'he gold ~o.f C11ristian charity
36
which shines through these v()lumes is S()nlC or the
brightest alld purest in the history of Christianity.
rrhe high point of their charity was reached in
martyrdom. rfhe word martyr has a very precise
meaning in. ecclesiastical literature. rrC) apply this title
it must be proven that lJafred ()f t]le fait]l mc)tivated
those who killed the martyr. North America hc)nc)rs
these eight French martyrs. Six were Jesuit priests and
two were Jesuit donnes (assistants). rrhree were killed
near Auriesville, New York, while the other nve were
killed in C=anada.
In the 'book jesuif !Vlartyrs of North /-\I11cricCl, by J.
J. Wynne (BX3707.W8) we read ()f the motivation or
these men, one of whom wrote: "I am in the place
where Goo has sent me and where he is with Inc. I
would rather be in this country of the I-IurC)l1S than in
allY earthly paradise, since I see that Goo has so
ordained it". A brief story of each of these seven me n
follows.
37
# 1 John de Brebeuf
(1593-1649)
Saint John de Brebeuf, S.J.
was born in Normandy. As
a youth he suffered such
poor health that it was
doubted he would ever
become a priest. Once ill
Canada, however, he found
the harsh climate so
wholesome that hardy
Indian braves stood amazed
at his inexhaustible powers
of endurance. I-lis massive .
size made them think twice
before sharing a canoe wi th
him; they feared he would
sink it. Because of his size
he was able to carry a
tremendous load. He was
called Echon which mea)lt
"the load bearer."
Brebeufs Christmas hymll in the I-Iuroll language
jesous Ahatonhia was celebrated recently in three
Canadian commemorative postage stamps. He described
the difficulty of learlling the I-luron language ill one ()f
his rela tions in his "advice to those called by Gcrl to
New France." "You may have been a falTIOUS professor
or theologian ill Frallce, but here you will merely be a
student and - GOO be praised - with what teachers! - all
natives. The HUrOtl lallguage will be your Aristotle, and
- clever man that you are, speaking glibly amol1g
learned - you must make up your mind to be mute in the
company of these natives." In another of his relations
he described a 11ative American game and referred to
the curved stick they used as la crosse because it
reminded him of a bishop's crosier:. rrhis is the origin
38
()f the name given to the present day version of the
game la crosse.
Although most I-Iurons were beginning to accept
the Christian faith, their morale as a nation was
suffering under the persistent Iroquois attacks. I n
1649 the Iroquois redoubled their effort to exterminate
the I-Iurons as well as the I~lack Robes. When, in 1649,
an Iroquois war party overran Saint Ignace they were
elated because they had finally succeeded in capturing
the leader of the mission and they determined that his
death was to be more spectacular than any other.
Brebeuf along with Lalemant is said t() have endured
one of the worst martyrdoms ever recorded in history,
enduring for hours red-hot hatchets and scalding
water.
Do r. {: E
{~V t S' E s'r PAS S E/
CI1" :'1 ;,l::Ti,:.';l tk:\ :I'.:T'~~ ...\r h
C"t1 n r;l~~ nu '.h );-.~ ',' ~ J.L.:;J; 1[Uj()l.):\
1':'i:; \ Ii r 1:: ~:('.Lilll:lll: FI ,'U'I L:i.: :' ·c:-.
~:~ :'; :~..~:v; fr. ~ ~ .•~< 1{1. ~ lo) I .
,~l%t: ;.1'.1.,(~:'Cllh. ""
...'.,...:!r<·....;:. [I .~..'t J. ERE)".
c·: ,':.' f\~ /~::~(JJJ (t/f /.I.'J',-.~iJ'.. ; ·,....l~I~IU
.l~l ;tlnll\.·( 11:~?/(i~! 1.~;rjf 1':;'f'r.;:rt'I.~ZA(; /~~
F.~ ..( t':d ':u p\'{rt"<r It!:..·, ~; ...;~ldC:J'lJ'.(' ~r.­l;;~":/
,':\ ('-'.• :~,; :oa,F~; ;»,~r}, ;.4fl. L~/(r}
'/ifJI' t 1'.'1 n''0{~I;;;ij''':Ji d,:~'O i;.·~)" j' :i-,~~-Ir J'( 1lIt~.
Under such. excruciating pain
his body slumped down, and
fearing that Echon was about to
die the Iroq uois pounced on it
and cut ope11 his breast to take
his heart which they
proceeded to eat because they
believed they would in that
way have a share ()!' his
indomitable courage.
A page fr01l1 the "Jesuit I?elations ",
- letters sent by Brebeufto France
39
#2 Noel Chabanel, 5.J.
(1613-1649)
Saint Noel Chabanel was
born in southern France,
entered the Jesuits and
became a brillia11t professor
of rhetoric in }-'rance. He
requested to serve in the
Huron mission and arrived
there in 1643. There he
found that he had no
aptitude at all for learning
the Huron language and
each attempt only brought
loud laughter from the
natives. His first sermon
was filled with vulgarities
taught him by a
mischievous Huro11 tutor.
Since then, Jesuits who
have struggled with foreign
languages have identified
with Noel's frustration. I n
fact more than 011e Jesuit
language school for the
China mission has been named Chabanel flouse it1 his
honor.
He traveled with John de 13rebeuf through the
villages, and from the winter of 1647 011, he worked
among the Algo11quins at Sainte-Marie. In the fall of
1649 he was sent to assist Charles Garnier in his work
among the Petuns. The threat of the Iroquois was
growing and it was clear that they i11tended to
annihilate the Petul1s that winter and burn each of
their villages. In view of that threat, Garnier instructed
Chabanel to return to Saint-Marie, the mission's cent'er
of operation. Chabanel left Garnier and walked wi th
his Huron companions, a difficult eighteen miles
40
t~~rough thick woodland. Toward midnight Chabanel
heard noises in the distance, and as the sounds came
c]()ser he rec()gnized the victory songs of the I roqu()is
rningleJ with the frantic cries or their captives.
U11known to him, the Iroqu()is had already killed
Garnier.
A native offered to take him across a river, but
Chabanel never reached the other shore. Ilis guide was
formerly a Christian I-Iuron but became an apostate and
"vas filled with hatred of the faith whic11 he saw as the
cause of all his personal problems. I-Ie tOlnahawked
Chabanel, and threw his body into the river.
#3 Anthony Daniel, S.].
(1601-1948)
Sail1t Anthol1Y Daniel was
born i11 Dieppe. He was a
law stude11t before he
became a Jesuit in 1621.
Arriving in Quebec in 1631,
he taught prayers and
catechism by setting the
lessons to music. Later he
served as director of the
I-luran boys school [or two
years. Eventually the
school had to close a11d he'
went to Huronia where he
established fourteen
mission stations.
When he first arrived
at Ossossane in 1639 a
smallpox epidemic was in
progress and he went from £i>,..
cabin to cabin nursing the
sick. When the India11s attributed the epidemic to his
~~resence, he faced them il1 opel1 council. I-Ie pointed
out that he could not have been the cause since he
41
arrived after the epidemic started. Also if he were the
cause he would not be going around trying to cure
them. He won their confidence and by the following
spring he had several hundred converts.
I-Ie worked at the mission of Saint Joseph U11til it
was overrun by Iroquois in 1649. Two thousand
Christian Hurons were massacred and the village
completed burned to the ground. Daniel was killed by
arrows after he had told the defe11ders to flee saying: "I
will stay; we will meet again in heaven." Still clad i 11
his vestments after having just finished Mass, he
walked toward the Iroquois. For a moment they paused
in confusion, then let fly their arrows, after they
bathed their faces in his blood they flung his body into
the blazing church.
Shrine of the 8 jesuit NortJ] American martyrs
at Auriesvil{e, .N. Y.
42
#4 Charles Garnier, S.].
(1605-1649)
Saint Charles GarI1ier was
born in Paris, joined the
Jesuits in 1624 and arrived
in Canada in 1636. He was
the son of a weal thy
Parisian who was a
member of I-Ienry Ill's
household. I-lis fa ther
failed in his persistent
attempts to preven t
Charles from going to the
Huron mission. When he
arrived he wrote his
father: "there is not a
place on earth where I
could be more joyous."
While he found it difficult
to gain the trust of the
I-Iurons and Petuns
initially, he eventually
succeeded in constructing
chapels in their vi llages
and convertil1g hundreds
of them to the faith. I n
Ca11ada he quickly learned
frugal living. I-Ie lived off roots and acorns during the
famine and would walk thirty miles over enemy
country i 11 order to baptize a dying native. After
laboring there for thirteen years he was struck down at
the mission of Saint Jean. During an Iroquois raid he
received two axe strokes on both temples while
ministering to the wounded.
43
#5 Rene -Goupil, 5.J.
(1606-1642)
Saint Rene Goupil was born at
Anjou in France, and studied
medicine at Orleans. In spi te
of the fact that he was hard of
hearing, he was accepted for
the Huron mission as a Jesuit
donne' (assistant). When he
arrived in New France in 1640,
he was assigned to the hospital
in Quebec to care for the
French settlers and for the
Algonquins in Sillery.
Although he was obedient to
his assignment, he wished he
were more involved in the
conversion of the natives.
Rene's chance to go among the
tribes came when Isaac Jogues
came to Quebec ill September
1642 seeking assistallts for the
Huron mission. Jogues was
eager to take Relle with him, because the frontier
always had need of people experienced in medicine.
Just a day's journey up the Saint Lawrence, the
flotilla carrying Jogues, Rene, and the Hurons, was
unexpectedly ambushed by some seventy Mohawks
who were on the warpath against the FreJ1ch. Si.nce
the Mohawks had the greater llumber, the missio11aries
and the Hurons were taken captive. 1~he captors beat
the missionaries and savagely bit out their fingernails.
After this the prisoners were agaill placed in - the
canoes to continue the journey.
Later on, when Relle made the sign of the cross
over the head of a child, all Iroquois killed him with the
stroke of an axe. I-Ie was the first to die and the OIlly
one whose story is told by another martyr.
44
#6 ]ohn de Lalande, S.].
(? - 1.6 4 6 )
Sai11t John de Lalandc_was
born in IJieppe and came to
New France as a settler
sonletime before 1642. But
once there he offered himself
to the Jesuits as a don11e
(assistant) desiring tC) dev()te
his life to the service (){-" Cill
and work with the
Inissionaries. Lalande was a
young but experienced
woodsman, intelligent and
brave. Upon heari11g that
jogues wanted a companion,
he volunteered for the task.
The veteran missio11ary spoke
to the young man vvith great
frankness, describing the
hardships and rigors of
missionary life, of suffering
and especially of the danger
of captivity, torture, and
death. But nothing could undo
Lalande's determination.
Jogues and Lalande went to
the Iroquois at Ossernenom on a peace mission, but
there met a Mohawk war party who tomahawked them
to death. T'he bodies of jogues and Lalande were thrown
il1tO the Mohawk River and their heads were exposed on
the palisades enclosing the Mohawk village.
45
#7 Gabriel Lalemant,S.].
(1607-1646)
:::}~ Gabriel Lalemant arrived
in Quebec in 1646, but
because of ill health, it
was two years before he
reached the I-I uron
missions. In 1649, only
six mOllths after his
arrival, he and Brebeuf
started out on their
weekly tour of dut)'. 1~hey
spent tIle night at the
village of Saint Louis on
the same night that the
Iroquois stormed a11d
overtook the village of
Saint Ignace, only four
miles south of them. 1'he
Saint Louis settlement
heard ()f the attack and
realized that they would
be next. 'The next
nlorning screeching
Iroquois clinlbed over the
palisades and swiftly murdered all who dared to defend
themselves or the village. Within a short time Brebeuf
and Lalemant \vere taken prisoner along with nlany
1·lurc)ns.
'rhe missionaries had their nails bitten oul and
their fingers chewed, and they were forced to run
througll tIle 'vvinter sno'vv and winds to Saint Ignace,
w11ere nlC)re Iroquc)is were wailing fc)r thenl. lJpon
lheir arrival the prisc)ncrs were forced tC) run the
gauntlet. After that Brcbeur and Lalemant were tied to
stakes.
46
After they had killed Brebeuf they repeated th e
saIne slow torturous murder of Lalemant. AltllOUgh of a
weak and sickly constitution, he survived seventeen
hours of torture before he expired. As he lay dying,
the crowd drank his blood that they might become as
valiant as he; the privilege of eating his heart they
reserved for the chief.
By the end of 1649 the Huron nation had been
exterminated, and the laboriously built mission was
abandoned for a while. But it proved to be "one or the
triumphant failures that are commonplace in the
Church's history." These martyrdoms created a wave of
vocations and missionary fervor in France. It also gave
new heart to the missionaries already in New rrance.
Like the Iroquois, they had taker1 the courage of
,~:~~,~~~~~
, ~ \. we / ..~ ~'iff-~-~~"'~ ~
J~';, :!~.,;.;~~j'~:;~i,~~,f#~(~:;:1
~ .. '~.' ~$~'~~:"" ~" "~""'~
~~#··lJlflJ~·~·t.· ./,,1, ... 1'.i~~· . r·'~;;~>·.·
Brebeuf unto themselves.
jesuit-Huron village of Sainte-Marie which lasted ten
years (1639-1649). Here was Ontario's first EurOpealJ
conlmunity where 6 of the 8 jesuit martyrs lived.
47
John Ogilvie, S. ].
(1579 - 1615: feast 10/14)
Saint John Ogilvie was bc)rn i.ll
Drum-11a-Keith, 13anrrshire in
Scotl8.nd, and became the
Church's only officially
recorded Scottish martyr.
Since his fa ther had
conformed to the state-established
religion, young
John was brought up a
Calvi11ist. lJp011 reac11ing his
seventeenth year, 11c
r determined to become a
Catholic and went to Louvain,
Belgium, where he was
reconciled to the Catholic
Church. I-Ie later joined the
Jesuits and was ordained i 11
Paris in 1610.
Sent to work in Rouen,
he kept importu11ing the
Superior General to send him
back to Scotland in response to
the entreaty for Jesuits from
the Earl of Angus to the Jesuit
General: "send only those who wish for this missiol1 and
are strong enough to bear the heat of the day for they
will be in exceeding danger." III earlier times
wholesale massacres of Catholics had taken place in
Scotland but at this time the hunt concentrated on
priests and for those who attended their Masses. The
Jesuits were determined not to abal1don the Catholic
laity, but to be with them and provide the consolation of
the sacraments. When captured they were tortured for
information then hanged, and while still alive taken
down and their limbs pulled out and finally cut up into
quarters and each part placed on one of the 4 city gates.
48
At last Ogilvie's request was granted and he
returned to his native Scotland in 1613 to begiI1 a brief
missio11ary career that lasted only eleven months and
ended in martyrdom. In Edinburgh and Glasgow he
worked u11derground avoiding the Queen's priest­hunters,
disguised as a soldier by the name of Watson.
I-Ie had considerable success there until he was
betrayed by Archbishop Adam Boyd, who feigned
interest in returning to the Catholic Church. Ogilvie
was captured and put in the prison within the bishop's
castle where he showed his il1terrogators that he was
110t to be bullied into acknowledging the King's
supremacy in religious matters. When asked why he
returned to Scotland he would only say "to unteach
heresy."
I-Ie refused to divulge the name of the (~atholics
who had attended his Masses, so they applied an
extreme measure of torture
which was called the boot by
which a wedge was forced up
into the leg causing the
marrow of the bone to spurt
out. I-Ie was fastened in such a
way that he could neither lie
down nor sit, so had to stand
up during his long ordeal.
,John Ogilvie's Prison
I-Ie annoyed his tormentors by nc)t crying out in
pain and in fact meeting their cruelty with hU111()r. "I
make no account of you and can willingly suffer more
for this cause than you are able to inflict. Your threats
cheer me; I mind them no lTIOre than the cackling of
geese." I\sked if he feared to die he said: "no more than
yC)U do to dine." The book Martyr in S~cofJal1d, hy rr.
Collins (BX470S.04 C6) is based on eyewitness accounts
cf his ordeal. Many were so touched that they asked
later to be instructed in the Catholic faith. I-Ie was
ultimately hanged at Glasgow Cross, and buried in the
crin1i11als' plot of an unide11tified burial ground outside
the city. No relic of his body remains.
49
John Francis Regis, S.].
(1597 -1640: feast 12/31)
Saint John Francis Regis was a
home missionary to southern
France, visiting hospitals and
prisons, reviving the faith of
lax Catholics, assisti11g the
needy, and bringing the hope
of Christ to the poor. }-I is
influence reached all classes
and brought about a lasting
spiritual revival throughout
. France.
As a student his
conspicuous good humor won
for him the goodwill of his
classmates. When he became a
Jesuit he requested the mission
of evangelizing the fallen-away Catholics of the
interior of France which still suffered from the sad
effects of the Wars of l{eligion - that civil strife
between French Calvinists al1d Catholics. Since a good
portion of southern Fra11ce had beell under the can trol
of the Huguenots, the Catholics in those areas had been
forced to abandon the practice of their faith. Their
churches had been destroyed and their priests slain.
Now that peace returned to the country, it was the task
of the home missionary to rekindle the faith that had
once been there.
Albert Foley's marvelous book Regis: A l)ocial
Crusader, relates how l\egis traveled through many
towns, climbing difficult mountains to carry God's
message. His sermons were simple but sincere al1d
flowed from a heart close to Gcxi Besides preaching, he
would hear confessions, celebrate Mass, and catechize.
He consoled the disturbed of heart, visited prisons,
collected clothing and food for the poor, and established
homes for prostitutes so that they might be
50
rehabilitated. 'T'herc was nothing outstanding in any of
his actions during the years he traveled as a home
missionary, but the results were truly extraordinary.
I-lis influence reached all classes a11d brought about a
lasting spiritual revival thrc)ughout France. Numerous
miraculous cures of the sick effected during his
lifetime continued after his death.
Like John Francis Regis, many of our past
graduates are aware of their interdependence on
others. r-rhey, like John, have understc)od that theirs is a
privileged position in the world where most pcc)ple are
poor and oppressed by the cunditions they live in. The
good things, matcrial and spiritual, which they wan t
for themsclves they want for c)thers tC)O. John I'rancis
l{egis is considered the Pa tron Sain t of the Soc i a I
Apostolate.
Le Puy Post mark honoring LJohn Francis Regis.
I-Ie used Le}Juy as ]]eadquarters for his apostolic work.
51
Matteo Ricci, S.].
(1552-1610)
Matteo Ricci was an Italian
Jesuit who worked in China
for twenty-seven years al1d
becan1e the co u r t
mathematician in Peking.
He made western
developments i 11
mathematics available to
the Chinese and in 1584
published the rirst maps
of Chi n a seen by the West.
For the first time the
Chinese had an idea of the
distribution of ocea11S a'nd
land masses. On the other
hand, for the first time the
West had an idea of the
geography of China.
Ricci introduced trigol10metric and astronomical
instruments to China and translated the first six books
of Euclid into Chinese. His success was due to his
personal qualities, his complete adaptiol1 to Chil1ese
customs and to his authoritative knowledge of the
sciences. He is remembered for his Chinese works on
religious and moral topics as well as works on scie11 tiric
topics such as the astro~obe, sphere, arithlnctic,
measure and isoperimeters. Needham's definitive work,
Civilization in China (Q127.C5 N414 C555) focuses
much of his attel1tion on l\icci al1d his compal1iol1S.
For four cel1turies, evel1 through the terrible
Communist persecution, the massive eight-foot tomb of
Matteo Ricci was carefully preserved - as were tombs of
the many other seve11teenth-century Jesuit scientists
who rued in China. 'The tllcyclopedia Brita]l]lica
reports: "Probably no Europeal1 l1ame of past cen turies
is so well known in China as that of Li-rna-teu (J?i-cci
52
/Vlattco)."
'I'()wn house II 14 is n a111eU in his hOllor as is a
crater ell the 1110011.
I~icci's story is told by
the Yale author Jonathan
Spence in his bo()k rrhc
MCnl()ry /Ja lace (){
/VIa lLJlew J~icci
(BV3427.1~46 566).
Spence came to SIJeak
here at Fairfield
l.Jniversity in the (}dk
room after his book had
been 011 the best seller
list for some weeks. I-Ie
spoke in glowing terms
or his admiration [c)r
I~icci. In t'act this book
was his t'ourth attempt to
write a book worthy or
ri-ma-lcu.
C'0l71l71Cl710rativc I?icci ,\,'[(.1171l)
SaIne or I:airrield lJnivcrsit.; 's best
mathematicians and science 111ajors or
past years rerlect jvlattco I~icci's love of
science as well as his desire to share it
with others. ()nc will occasionally find
1 some of these generous sL'-lgs returning to
the campus to speak to younger stags at
career nights.
53
Christopher Scheiner
(1573-1650)
Christopher Scheiner, S..]. was a
German Jesuit who was a
renowned astronomer and
mathematiciall whose constant
vigilance motivated his peers to
be very careful in articulating
their discoveries, premises and
theories. I-Ie has beell vilified by
amateur historians of astronomy
because he had the gall to
challenge the great Galileo.
Scheiner explained the
elliptical form of the SUll near
the horizo11 as the effect of
refraction, a phenomenon
discovered by a110ther Jesuit
named Grimaldi. In his Oculus, hoc est (1619) he
showed that the retilla is the seat of vis ion. I-lis 1631
invention for magnifying curves and maps, the
pantograph, is an early example of a geometric
transformation and it can still be purchased in
stationery stores.
I-Ie discovered sunspots independently of Galileo,
but erroneously thought they were small plallets. I n
his major work Rosa ursina sive sol (1630), he
confirmed his findings and method and gave his
measurement of the inclination of the axis of rotatiol1
of the sunspots to the plane of the ecliptic, which is
only off a few millutes from the true value. He gave
one of his telescopes to the archduke of Tyrol who was
more interested in the scenery than in stars and
complained that the image was i11verted. Scheiller
inserted another lens to i11vert the image again al1d so
created one of the first terrestrial telescopes.
Scheiner trained young mathematicians al1d
organized public debates on current events ill
54
astronomy, for example, the heliocentric vs. th e
geocentric theories of the universe. SC}1einer could
have had ()ur lnission statement in mind when he
emphasized "training in such essential human skills as
analysis, sy11thesis and communication, able to
assimilate and organize facts to evaluate k11owledge, to
identify issues, using appropriate methods of reasoning
and to convey conclusions persuasively in written and
spoken word."
M. W. Burke-Gaffney in his book Kepler and tile
Jesuits relates a long dispute between Scheiner and
Kepler. This debate eve11tually forced Kepler to a mc)re
precise formulation of his terms. During the dispute
Scheiner used the pseudonym "Appelles" which was
taken from Greek mythology. No c)ne cc)uld draw a
finer line than Appelles.
Scheiner is 1~ownhouse #15 and a lunar crater is
named to honor Schei.ner who illustrates [c)r our
students one of the goals of Jesuit Education: to
understand how diversity of perspective produces
diversity of opinion and to be able to define one's
positio11 within that diversity.
jesuit telescope l1lakers in tiJe time (){
Christopher ScheilJer
55
Robert Southwell, S.].
(15 61-15 95: feast 2/2 1 )
~!~~:!i:~~~g~~~~~~f~1~ ~ur/~~l~,~j
~~"~?A~"~ and quartered at Tyburn , a ,I: " ':;:":lr~-_I,'; :/':"~
for preaching the Catholic ..",:' ."~' ,- ',' , . '~,
Faith in Queen Elizabeth's
England. 'He belongs to
that band of jesuit English
martyrs during the
persecution of Catholics
from 1535 to 1681 who
were determined not to
abandon the Catholic laity,
but to be with them,
providing the consolation
of the Eucharist.
His father, Sir Robert Southwell, was a Catholic,
but later conformed to the new Protestant religion.
When sent to France for his education young l\obert
met the jesuit, Thomas Darbyshire, who had been an
eminent Protestant clergyman under Queen Elizabeth.
Robert joined the jesuits in 1578 and after ordil1ation
left Rome for England with, Henry Garne. Both were
almost arrested upon landing but escaped capture and
went on to work with the Catholics ill London.
1. A. Taylor ill his book Robert Southwell,S.}. 'Priest
and Poet describes Southwell's An Epistle of Comfort
which was addressed to a prisoller in the Tower al1d is
one of the finest prose works of the late Elizabethan
Age. His writings were extremely popular with his
contemporaries such as Ben Johnson who declared that
he wished he had written some of Robert's poems. rThe
best known of his poems are The Burning Ba be and
Saint Peter's CompJaint (1595), in which he made
experiments with verse that were further developed by
other poets, including Shakespeare.
56
I-Ie spent six years il1 zealous a11d successful
missionary work and moved under various disguises
movi11g from one Cathollc, house, 'to another~ :'Finally, he
was betrayed in 1592 to the' '11otorious 'pri~st-hun'ter
l{ichard T'opcliffe who" wrote to Queen, Elizabeth: II I
never did take ~o weighty a'man, 'if he ,be 'rig1)tl,y" us~d,." ,
'"ropcliffe and the Queen vvere both disapp'ointed ill their
prize since Robert ,never, gave" any information, about
other priests or Catholics,' even though' for three years
he was interrogated".under atrc)cic)us torture. 'LIe was
moved to ,Newgate pr.iso:~ where' he was ,conli11ed in a.­dungeon
swar'ming, with, vermin 'and fr~q,uently
c11ained in such away,thafhe'could neither' stand"sit
nor lie dOWl1. 1-1is ,jailers we're 'exaspe'rated,' at his
answers. When asked' his age' he' would" reply:, "near
that of our Blessed S~vior." He ,was hange'd drawn and
quartered. The executiql1 of this young, ,talented po~t,
shocked the court ari,dthe w'hole 'country. He 'shares his
feast, 2 February, with,', twe11ty other English Jesuits
martyred around the saine time.
.:4 CliiU my Cfwice
'Thougfi young/ yet wise/ tliougfi sma[G yet strongi
tfiougfi lnan/ yet Cjoa fie i.~i
JIs wise fie k..rwUJs/ as strqng fie can/ as Cjoa fie kJves to b[ess.
Jiis k..twuJ[eage ruus/ fiis s,trengtfi defends! fiis rove doth cfierL~h adi
J{is birth our joy! fiis rife ou'r [iglit/ IiL~ deatli our end of thra[[
Jllas! He 'Weepsl fie signs/ lie pants) yet do liis ange[~ Sillgi
Out of fiis tears! fiis sighs and throsl aotfi bud ajoyfu[ spring.
JI[migfity 'Babel uJliose tender anns can force a[[foes to f[YI
Correct lny jau[ts! protect my rife) airect me wlien I aie.
..St. ~~)6ert Southu.Je[G ..S.J.
57
Teilhard de Chardin
(1881 - 1955)
Pierre 'Teilhard de Chardin,
S.j. was a Jesuit
/ paleontologist who attempted
to i11terpret the findi11gs of
modern science in the ligh t
of the Christian message.
The world has been baffled
and 'amazed by the
developments of nuclear
energy, space travel, and
many other inventions of
modern science. People read
in Teilhard a message 0 f
hope and optimism and his
work was perhaps even more
influential outside the
Catholic Church than wi th in
it.
Teilhard's i n1'l uence
and the exceptional response his work has called forth
from all quarters, as well as the controversy that it has
e11gendered, are explained principally by his inquiry
into the human phenomel1on. 111 'rei1l1ard's eyes the
humal1 species constitutes the thrust of cosTIlle
evolution and is the key for understanding the
universe. This fact leads him to understand the
Christian phenomeno11 in an evolutionary c()ntext, as
the ultimate source il1 Gex:l's plal1 of that hunlall energy
needed for evolution's success.
'Teilhard has been characterized by Claude Cuenot,
in T'eilhard de Chardil1 (132430.T'374 C8), as one ()!"' the
great minds of the modern w()rld. Eminent churchmen
have invited scholars to elaborate his marvelous and
seductive "global visio11 of the universe wherein
matter and spirit, \body and soul, nature and super­nature,
science and faith find their unity ill Christ."
58
1\10st ()f his works appeared only arter his death. Sil1ce
th.e publicatiol1 of Tile ]JhCIJOl11enOIJ of /VIall ill 1955 and
rrlJe j)ivil1C Milieu in 1957 he has been the 1110St widely
read and discussed Jesui~ thinker or the twen tieth
century.
rreilhard insists tIlat
0111y by cultivating
oU'r moral sense of
obligation to life ca'n
.we overc()me Otlr
present fear and
anxiety for the
human future. For
him the fU11damentai
law of mc)rality' is
thus to liberate that
conscious energy
that seeks further to
unify the world. This is the energy of human lovc,an
impulse toward unity, an impulse of lnind and hcart
that manifcsts itself particularly in the re Ush a person
has for creative tasks undert~ken from' a. SCl1se of duty.
lie leaves the. practical applications and. ru.les of
conduct to those working. in'· a university e11virOl1ment
who are motivated to· do so. 11:is challenge is met he're' at'·
Fairfield University becausc" one of' the objcctives
mentioned in our mission statement is:"l() {osl.cr ethical
and religious values and a sense o[s()ci:ll resp()]]sibilily.
,Jesuit educatioIJ, wlJich begaIJ ill 1~)47, is' C0l11111itled
today to thc service or raith, of which the pro111otio[) (){
j ustice is a11 a bs0 1ule r eq uire111eIll".
59
Francis Xavier, S.].
(1'506-1552: feast 12/3)
Saillt Francis Xavier was a
missionary in Illdia, the
East Indies, alld japall.
Sillce the time of the
Apostles there has 110t
been a greater missionary
than Francis Xavier.
A Basq ue, he was
born in the castle of
Xavier, the youllgest of
fi'vc children. I-Ie loved
sports and was very
popular because of his
generous nature. I-I is
ambitions to becolne a
. ulliversity professor were
put aside when l1e met
another Basquc, Ignatius
Lc)yola whc) conv,illced
him that the best way to
use his talents was to
spread the Gospel. Xavier
became one of Ig,natius'
first C()mpalli()llS in a
fellowship that later became the 5~ociely of Jesus. I-Ie
was the first jesuit missionary.
The story of his journeys is all epic or adventure
that found him dining with head hUllters, washillg
sores of lepers ill Vellice, teachil1g catechism to Indiall
children, baptizing 10,000 in a single mOllth. I-Ie could
put up with the most appallillg conditiollS all his long
sea ,voyages anQ endure the most agollizi~lg extremes of
heat and cold. Whereyer he went he would seek out and
'help the' poor a11d forgottell. Because of the slave trade
he scolded his patroll Killg jOhIl of Portugal: "you have
no right to spread the Catholic faith while you take
60
away all the country's riches. It upsets Ine to know
that at the hour of your death you may be ordered out
of paradise."
Th.c book, The Odyssey of Francis Xavier, by
Theodore Maynard (BX4700.F8 iV132) describes Xavier's
life. In a ten-year span he traveled thousands of miles
- most ()n his own bare feet. I-Ie saw the greater part of
the Far East. I-Ie died in 1552 on a lonely island of
Sancian, near the China coast, while trying to reach
mainland China. It was an astonishing feat when one
considers the primitive Ineans of transportation
available, together with the danger inv()lved in allY
form of travel due to incessant wars and piracy. But
what is especially remarkable is the fact that he left
behind him a flourishing church wherever he went.
lYfany miracles were attri.buted to him, but the real
Iniracle ()f his life was the miracle of his personality,
by whic11 he was able to win over thousands to the Faith
wherever he went and to win their passionate devotioI1.
The faith planted by him
lasts to today. In 1638, Japan
closed its gates t() foreigners
and tried t() uprc)ot the Church
and eradicate . nearly a
century of Jesuit progress. I n
the purge, forty thousand
Christians were n1artyred by
beheading or cruci fixion
rather than deny their faith;
probably the largest group of
martyrs in the history of the
Church. Of the one hundred
Jesuit martyrs listed forty­four
were Japanese. Xavier
was declared the Patrol1 of
Navigators as well as the
Patron Saint of all Missions.
The media ceI1ter is housed in
Xavier - the communicator
par excellence.
Xavier Church in Yanlaguchi, Japan
61
BIBLIOGRAIlHY
concerlling these tlvelltY-lline Jesuits
General Collections of JOesuits
The Fifth Week by William 0' Malley BX 3755 .065
Wings of Eagles by Francis Corley BX 4655 .C6
Jesuits edt by Roben Nash BX 3755 .N3
I Lift My Lamp by John Leary BX3708.lA
Better a Day by John Leary BX3755.LA
Saints and Blessed of the Society by A. Ambruzzi BX 3755 .A5
Jesuits by Robert Nash BX3755.N3
Jesuit Saints and Martyrs by Joseph '-rylinda XXX
Jesuit Yearbook BX 3701 .153
Jesuits in Modern Times by John LaFargc BX3702.L3
The Jesuits in Histol)' by Manin Harney BX 3706 H3
Jesuit Relations (Jesuit Letters [rorn the Missions) F l030.7.Z 896
A Histol)' of the Society of Jesus by William Bangert BX 3706.2 .B33
The Origin of the Jesuits by James Brodrick BX3706.B7
The Progress of the Jesuits by James Brcxirick BX3706.B72
Books and articles about individuals
Bellarmine Hall
The Life and Work of St. I<obcrt Bellannine by Jarl1es Brcxhick XXX
Robert Bellarmine Saint and Scholar by James Brcxirick BX4700.B25 B73
Historical Scholarship of S1. Bellarmine by E.A. l~yan BX4700.B25 1{9
Berchmans Hall
A Modem Galahad by A. S. Foley BX4700.B451 F699rl1
St John Berchmans by 1. J. Daly EX 4700.B4 })3
Campion Hall
Edmund Campion by Evelyn Waugh BX4700.C19 W38
Edmund Campion, Jesuit Protomartyr of England by Richard Sirnpson X
Canisi us Hall
S1. Peter Canisius by James Brodrick BX 4700.C2 87
Der Katechisnlen by Peter Canisius BX4700.C2 B68
Claver Hall
A Saint in the Slave '-[rade by Arnold Lunn BX4700.P441C.C973s XXX
Peter Claver, Saint of the Slaves by Angel Valtierra BX 4700.C65 V33
Gonzaga Hall
Vocation of Aloysius Gonzaga by C. C. Martindale BX 4700.L75M33
Hopkins Pond
Gerard Manley Hopkins by W. H. Gardiner XXX
62
Irnnlortal Dianlond by Nonnan Weyand PI~ 4803.H44 Z65
Jogues Hall
Isaac Jogues by M. Scott FI030.8.166
Kostka Hall
Portrait of a Champion by Joseph Kcnls BX4700.S7 K4
The Spiritual Odyssey of Stanislaus Kostka by J. Gense BX4700.S7G45
Loyola Hall, Loyola Chapel and Saint Ignatius Hall
St. Ignatius Loyola by James Brodrick BX4700.L7 B7
Ignati us Loyola by Henry Sedg\tvick XXX
Regis Hall
Saints and Blesseds of the Society of Jesus HX3755.A5
St. Regis, A Social Crusader, by A. S. Foley XXX
South'vvell Hall
The Life of Robert 50uth\tvell: by C. Devlin PR2349.S5 Z65
Saints and Blesseds of the Society of Jesus BX3755.A5
Teilhard De Chardin House
Teilhard de Charclin by Claude Cuenot B2430.T374 C8
The Phenonlenon of Man by Teilhard Dc Chardin, SJ.
Xavier Hall
St. Francis Xavier by George Schurhammer
BX4700.F8S2313
St. Francis Xavier by Jalnes Brodrick BX 4700 .F8 B765
Fire of Francis Xavier by A.R. McGratty BX 4700 .F8 M32
The Odyssey of Francis Xavier by Theodore Maynard BX4700.F8 M32
Student Townllouses #1 to #7 (N. A. Martyrs)
Saint Among the Hurons by Francis Talbot XXX
The Jesuits: A History by Christopher Hollis BX3706.2 H64
The First Martyrs of North Anlcrica by John O'Brien BX3707.02
Pioneer Priest of North America by 'T. J. Campbell FI030.7 CIS
Jesuit Manyrs of North America by J. 1. Wynne BX3707.W8
The Jesuit Manyrs of Canada by E. J. Devine XXX
Jesuit I~elations (Jesuit Letters fronl the Missions) F 1030.7 Z 8965
Student To\vnhouses #8 to #10
John de Brito, 5.1.,
From Royal Page to Martyr by Henry Doering XXX
Paul Miki, S. J.
Wings of Eagles by Francis Corley and R WillInes BX4655.C6
Saints and Blesscds of the Society of Jesus BX3755.A5
John Ogilvie, S.J.
John Ogilvie by W. E. Bro\tvn XXX
A Scottish Knight-Errant by F. Forbes and M. Cahill XXX
Martyr in Scotland by T. Collins BX4705.04 C6
From Royal Page to Martyr by Henry Doering XXX
63
Student Townhouses #11 to # 15
(all in the Dictionary ofScientific Biography)
Roger Boscovich, SJ. (1711-1787)
Roger Joseph Boscovich by Lancelot Whyte Q143.B7 W5
Christopher Clavius, SJ. (1538-1612)
liThe Correspondence of C. Clavius" by E. C. Philips in A.H.S.!. 8
Athanasius Kircher, SJ.
Athanasius Kircher by Josceln Gcxhvin XXX
Matteo Ricci, S.J.
The Wise Man from the West by Vincent Cronin BV3427.R46 C7
The Memory Palace of Matthew Ricci by Jonathan Spence BV3427.R46 S66
Civilization in China by Joseph Needham Q127.C5 N414 C555
Christoph Scheiner, S.J.
Galileo, Scheiner and the Interpretation of Sunspots in Isis 61 (1970) 498-
The symbol XXX refers to books that are not kept in the F. U. library.
One can, however, use an inter-library loan to borrow theIne
fJJu Windhover
rro Clirist our Lord
I cauglit tliis morning morning's minion! King-dom
ofday[iglit's daupliin! dapp~-dawn-drawn J'a[con! in liis riding
Of tfie ro[Cing Ceve[ underneatli liim steady air! ami striding
1iigft t!iere! how lie rung upon tfte rein ofa 'WimpCing wing
In liis ecstasy! t!ien offi offfort Ii on s'Wing!
JLs a sf(ate 's !iee[sweeps smootli on a oookgru{j tfie liur[ anag[iding
f}(gouffed tIU oig wing. My /ieart in ftiding
Stirredfor a oireL . t!ie acliieve of t!ie 1fUlStery oft!ie tliing!
13rute oeauty and vawur and act! oft! air! pride! p[ume! liere
13ucf(Ce/ Jl9fjJ tlie fire that oreak.$ fro In tliee tlien! a oi[[ion
'limes toU wve[ier! more dangerous! amy clievaCier!
9{g wonder ofit: slieer pWd maKf,s pwugli down si[[ion
Sliine! ami o[ue-6Ceaf(emoers! ali my dear!
J'aC0 gaff tliemse[ves! andgasli goU-verrni[Cion.
(juard Man[ey :J{opf(jns! S.J.
64
Ten Books by Joseph MacDonnell, S.J.
JESUlrr GEOMErrERS A study of 56 Prominent Jesuit Geometers who
Vvere influential during the first t\VO centuries of Jesuit history
Published by The Vatican Observatory Publications and distri buted by
Institute of Jesuit Sources in St. Louis: {tel. 314-652..S737})
JESUITS BY THE rrIGRIS Menfor others in Baghdad.
~rhe story of Baghdad's 2 Jesuit colleges (1932-1969)
(distributed by N.E. Jesuit Mission office: {tel. 617-267-7530})
Eight other books are presently available from
Joseph MacDonnell, S.J. Fairfield University Fairfield, CT 06430
{email: IN%"macdonnell@fairl.fairfield.edu"}
COM})ANIONS OF JESUITS A Tradition in Collaboration
Rubens, Bernini, Carissimi, Volta, Ampere, Cauchy and other
Jesuit colleagues who were inspired by the Spiritual Exercises
IF rrHESE STONES COULD SllEAK
The phenomenal growth ofFairfield University's campus
(Also available is a 28-minute video tape.)
WHY ARE THE F.U. BUILDINGS NAMED AFTER DEAD JESUITS4!
What do these 29 Jesuits have to do with the life in the classroom and
residence halls and with the mission of Fairfield University?
JESUIT FAMILY ALBUM Sketches ofChivalry (Early Society)
Lives, portraits and data concerning 202 pre-Suppression Jesuit scientists,
rnatllematicians, scholars, explorers, artists and martyrs
GALERIE ILLUSrrREE Alfred Rainy's 405 Jesuit Portraits
These are portraits and essays (in French) concerning three
centuries of 405 educators, scientists, scholars, explorers, artists
GOSPEL ILLUSTRATIONS
A Reproduction of Nadal's 153 Gospel scenes specially chosen for
contemplations during the Spiritual Exercises
RULED SURI~ACES
Descriptions of six types of ruled surfaces \vhich were on display in
the Fairfield University Nyselius Library in 1997.
SI)IRI1'UAL EXEI~CISES Retreat in Daily Life program at F.U. (Also
available is a 14-minute video tape concerning the same subject)
N~
Fairfield
University
Campus Map
1. Bellarmine Hall 14. Alumni Diamond 24. Recreational Complex 34. Jesuit Residence - St. Robert
2. Donnarumma Hall 15. Dolan Campus 25. Alumni Hall - Sports Arena 35. Jesuit Residence - St. Ignatius
3. Canisius Hall A. John C. Dolan Hall 26. Tennis Courts 36. Bellarmine Pond
4. Gonzaga Hall B. David J. Dolan House -27. Barone Campus Center 37. School of Business
5. Regis Hall C. Thomas F. Dolan Commons 28. Bannow Science Cen ter 38. Barlow Field
6. Jogues Hall 16. Student Town House Complex 29. School of Nursing 39. Southwell Hall
7. Campion Hall 17. Alumni Field 30. DiMenna-Nyselius Library 40. PepsiCo Theat.re
8. Loyola Hall 18. Walsh Athletic Center 31. Central Utility Facility 41. fvlaintenance
9. Alumni Softball Field 19. McAuliffe Hall 32. Grauert Field 42. Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
10. Basketball Courts 20. Alumni House 33. The Village 43. Hopkins Pond
11. Campion Field 21. The Levee A. Kostka Hall 44. Egan Chapel of St. IgnOatills
12. University Field 22. Xavier Hall B. Claver Hall Loyola and Pedro Arrupe, SJ
13. Varsity Field 23. Berchmans Hall C. New Apartments Campus Ministry Center