Jesuit Ethos : A Social And Spiritual History

The Jesuit Ethos aims at revisiting important moments in Jesuit history from the margins, and in light of the current global challenges. It argues that by examining Jesuit history from the margins, one better appreciates this history as a spiritual journey, a constant quest for the unity of hearts and minds among the members. Their cultural and political origins, the diversity of their ministries, their apostolic dispersion amid the “First Globalization,” and constant assaults from declared enemies kept the Jesuits on the verge of implosion and immolation and made the unity among their members a matter of survival. By analyzing how the Jesuits exploited their diversity of cultures and politics to build a global ethos, and how this global organization was sustained for the last 500 years, relevant lessons can be learned to address the ongoing challenges of our global community. While speaking to a broader, global-oriented audience, such a history might be the first of such by an African (thus its originality), in a context of shifting demographics in the Church and Society of Jesus, and questions about the identity of its institution and mission.