By Stephen J. Pedroza
With the theme Ite inflammate omnia which means “Go, set the world on fire,” the Philippine Provincial Jesuits commemorated the 200th anniversary of the re-establishment of the Society of Jesus in Cagayan de Oro City on August 6-7.
Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan hosted the event that served as an opportunity for the Jesuits to recollect and reflect from their challenges and accomplishments over the years.
XU president Fr. Roberto “Bobby” C. Yap SJ related the reflection of Superior General Fr. Adolfo Nicolás SJ on this celebration.
“[Fr. Nicolás] does not want a restoration of the glory of the Society. Something has to die of the desires of power, security and worldly ambitions. Rather Fr. Nico wishes that during this anniversary, we make an effort to live more profoundly the spiritual aspects of our vocation,” Fr. Bobby said.
Among the aspects the Jesuits must inculcate according to Fr. Nicolás are: creative fidelity, love for the institute, fraternal companionship, universal mission and faith in providence.
Rewriting Mindanao history
The celebration started with a forum on how the Jesuits can help in addressing various social issues, especially in Mindanao and the different pronouncements of Pope Francis, the first pope from the Society of Jesus.
One of the members of the discussion panel, CDO Archbishop Most Rev. Antonio J. Ledesma SJ, DD, underscored the importance of inter-religious dialogues and peace talks in the conflict areas of the second largest island of the Philippines.
“Peace-building and the completion of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro are major concerns. We can focus on the rewriting of a more balanced history of Mindanao that includes the perspectives of Muslims and the indigenous people (IP),” he said.
Sustainable agriculture, the challenges faced by the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), rehabilitation of the environment to mitigate climate change and reduce disaster risks, among others were also tackled in the forum.
Officials of the SJ Philippine Province, the presidents and faculty of the different Ateneo universities and representatives from non-government organizations (NGOs) attended the event.
The dissolution of the Jesuits
This year, the Society of Jesus looks back on one of the most challenging periods in their history—the abolishment of their religious order, following the political tremors in Europe during the 18th century.
The curtailment of the Society transpired at the height of the numerous tensions between the Catholic Church and the different European royal states, as kings and princes were already “getting fed up” with the Church’s thirst for political control and wealth.
“In his papal brief of July 21st 1773, Dominus ac Redemptor, Pope Clement XIV suppressed the Society of Jesus. The Jesuits worldwide including those in the Philippines were expelled,” Fr. Bobby said in his Red Mass homily.
The Society, at that time with over 22,000 members worldwide and the leading youth educator all over Europe, became the first religious institution inflicted by the papal suppression.
In 1767, six years earlier from the official papal brief, the Spanish throne already ordered the banishing of the Society from all its dominions but the royal decree only reached the Philippines a year after, on May 17, 1768.
“Why was the Society targeted during that fight? She was the most developed and powerful religious congregation. The Society had been very close to the political powers, as some Jesuits were spiritual directors of kings and princes. To suppress the Society was to weaken the Church in one of her most decisive institutions,” Fr. Bobby continued.
However, only Russia, under the power of Catherine the Great, was able to resist the promulgation of the said papal decree.
Jesuits in the Philippines
On Aug 7, 1814, came the official restoration of the Jesuits with Pope Pius VII’s issuance of Sollicitudo omnium ecclesiarum, the papal bull by which he reinstated the Society worldwide.
The restoration encouraged the return of the Jesuits to the Philippines.
On December 10, 1859, Spanish Jesuits started operating the Escuela Municipal, a small school for the children of Spanish residents in Manila, which is presently known as the Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU).
In the following years, the Society concentrated its missionary work in Mindanao and they were able to establish 3 Ateneo schools (in CDO, Davao and Zamboanga) and a number of parishes across the island.
PH Provincial Superior Fr. Antonio F. Moreno SJ said in his homily during the celebratory mass that the support from their partners has continued to be overwhelming to this day, adding that the curtailment of the Society of Jesus was a revelation of its obedience and submission to “God’s great plans.”
“The story of the suppression and restoration of the Jesuits is a narrative of God’s graciousness. We have nothing to claim as absolutely ours. Everything we have is a result of admitting that there are always other people involved in our mission,” he said.
“Our mission will not be done without the support of the lay people, teachers, parents, students, alumni and other partners.”
“Go, set the world on fire” was the same line said by the founder of the Society of Jesus, St. Ignatius Loyola to his good friend and colleague, St. Francis Xavier when he sent Xavier on a mission to the Far East.