DOCSLIB.ORG

Erich Wasmann, SJ: Natural Species and Catholic Polyphyletic

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Erich Wasmann, SJ: Natural Species and Catholic Polyphyletic journal of jesuit studies 7 (2020) 244-262 brill.com/jjs Erich Wasmann, S.J.: Natural Species and Catholic Polyphyletic Evolution during the Modernist Crisis James R. Hofmann Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research [email protected] Abstract During the first half of the twentieth century, “natural species” played a prominent role in Catholic efforts to accommodate evolutionary biology within the neo-Scholastic the- ology of the age. Particularly during the modernist crisis early in the century, the most influential figure in this development was the Jesuit entomologist and evolutionary theorist Erich Wasmann (1859–1931). The anti-modernist context in which Wasmann worked included two cases involving evolution that were decided by the Congregation of the Index while Franz Xaver Wernz (1842–1914), Wasmann’s future Jesuit superior general (1906–14), served as a consultor. I describe Wasmann’s introduction of the nat- ural species concept against this background and analyze his decision to abide by Wernz’s warning with respect to human evolution. I then provide examples of how Wasmann’s reliance upon natural species and polyphyletic evolution was adopt- ed in subsequent Catholic efforts to reach a synthesis of theology and evolutionary biology.1 Keywords Erich Wasmann – theistic evolution – modernism – polyphyletic evolution – natural species – Jesuit science 1 A preliminary version of this paper was presented at the 2018 meeting of the American Catholic Philosophical Association where helpful commentary was provided by Peter Distel- zweig and Kenneth Kemp. © James R. Hofmann, 2020 | doi:10.1163/22141332-00702006 This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the prevailing cc-by-nc-nd 4.0 license. Downloaded from Brill.com10/02/2021 01:51:42AM via free access <UN> Natural Species and Catholic Polyphyletic Evolution 245 1 Franz Xaver Wernz, Anti-Modernism, and Human Evolution Erich Wasmann’s most prominent efforts to reconcile his scientific research with Catholic theology took place during the height of the “modernist crisis” in the first decade of the twentieth century. Historians have reached a broad con- sensus that modernism, as a label for a set of suspect theological attitudes and methodologies, was largely the creation of Pius X during his 1903–14 papacy. One of his fears was that an emphasis upon religious experience rather than codified doctrine would encourage an understanding of both Scripture and doctrine as historically situated and subject to variable interpretations. In 1909, the Pontifical Biblical Commission issued a decree that proscribed calling into doubt “the literal, historical sense” of Genesis 1–3.2 Although the Vatican issued no doctrinal pronouncements on evolution as such, its conservative insistence upon traditional interpretations of Genesis discouraged discussion of evolu- tionary alternatives, especially involving human evolution. Wasmann’s publi- cations on this topic would be curtailed by his Jesuit superior general, Franz Xaver Wernz. Prior to serving as the twenty-fifth Jesuit superior general from 1906 to 1914, Wernz specialized in canon law and rose quickly within the Roman curia, closely supported by Pius X (r.1903–14). His association with the pope was in fact so close that there is some symbolism in the fact that he died mere hours prior to the death of the pope himself.3 Wernz taught at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome where he implemented Leo xiii’s (r.1978–1903) demand for an emphasis upon Thomistic theology. He also served as a consultor for the Congregation of the Index, a role that called for a careful reading of books de- nounced as either theologically rash or heretical and participation in discus- sions resulting in decisions forwarded to the pope. Wernz was a consultor for the cases of Dalmace Leroy (1828–1905) in 1895 and John Zahm (1851–1921) in 1898.4 In both instances the primary point at issue was human evolution from 2 Pontifical Biblical Commission, De charactere historico trium priorum capitum Geneseos, Concerning the Historical Nature of the First Three Chapters of Genesis (June 30, 1909). For the original Latin text: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/pcb_ documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19090630_genesi_lt.html or an English translation by E. F. Sutcliffe, S.J.: http://www.catholicapologetics.info/scripture/oldtestament/commission.htm (accessed October 5, 2019). 3 Richard Puza, “Franz Xaver Wernz: Lehrer, Kanonist und Jesuitengeneral aus Rottweil,” The- ologische Quartalschrift 174, no. 1 (1994): 22–33. 4 Mariano Artigas, Thomas Glick, and Rafael Martínez, Negotiating Darwin: The Vatican Con- fronts Evolution 1877–1902 (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006), esp. 85–91 and 152–53. journal of jesuit studies 7 (2020) 244-262 Downloaded from Brill.com10/02/2021 01:51:42AM via free access <UN> 246 Hofmann non-human ancestors. In 1891, Leroy had published his L’Évolution restreinte aux espèces organique (Evolution restricted to organic species). The sole Jesuit cardinal participant in the congregation decision to condemn the book was Camillo Mazzella (1833–1900), who had resolutely rejected evolution in his 1877 neo-Scholastic textbook De Deo creante (On God the creator).5 Consultor Luigi Tripepi’s report on Leroy was very negative, especially on the issue of the origin of the human body. Tripepi relied heavily upon Mazzella’s textbook, in- cluding references to Aquinas’s teaching that animal reproduction does not yield new species. Secretary Cicognani wrote an additional memorandum and again emphasized the problematic issue of the descent of the human body from non-human ancestors, writing that “the evolutionist system is impudent and anti-Christian, particularly when applied to the body of man.”6 In Leroy’s subsequent retraction, human evolution was the only topic mentioned as un- acceptable to the Vatican authorities. Leroy had in fact never explicitly defended a detailed thesis on the evolu- tionary origins of the human body. He had proposed several hypothetical scenarios and suggested that the church had not offered a clear doctrinal state- ment that excluded them. The hypothesis he preferred was that evolutionary processes might produce a body that would only become a human body when conjoined with a human soul, the substantial form that rendered it truly hu- man. On this account, evolution did not produce the first human body that awaited infusion of a soul. Rather, the first human body only existed as a com- posite of body and soul when soul was introduced by God into a “substrate” that was the result of evolution. However, because theological consensus pro- hibited two substantial forms coexisting in the same body, the substrate could not have an animal soul unless it was in some way subsequently replaced by a human soul. Leroy’s hypothetical discussion was frowned upon by members of the Congregation, and Wernz was a party to the decision to condemn. The 1898 John Zahm case came to a similar resolution, again with Wernz as one of the consultors. Criticism of Zahm’s 1896 Evolution and Dogma was par- ticularly severe among Jesuits writing in their journal La Civiltà cattolica based in Rome. In his denunciation of Zahm’s book, Archbishop Otto Zardetti (1947– 1902) noted that in De Deo creante Mazzella had theologically refuted the position put forward by both Zahm and Leroy. Consultor Buonpensiere went much further and proposed an action more appropriate to the Holy Office, a condemnation of the assertion that “God did not make the body of Adam 5 John Ciani, “Cardinal Camillo Mazzella, S.J.,” in Varieties of Ultramontanism, ed. Jeffrey von Arx (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1998), 103–17. 6 Artigas, Glick, and Martínez, Negotiating Darwin, 90–91. journal of jesuitDownloaded studies from 7 Brill.com10/02/2021(2020) 244-262 01:51:42AM via free access <UN> Natural Species and Catholic Polyphyletic Evolution 247 immediately from the mud of the earth, but out of the body of an anthropo- morphic brute, which had been prepared to be produced by the forces of natu- ral evolution from lower matter.”7 Although Buonpensiere’s proposal was not adopted, it was included in the report discussed at the meeting where the deci- sion was made to recommend prohibition of further publication of Zahm’s book. Because congregation deliberations were not made public, Xaver Wernz was one of a privileged few who fully understood how objections to human evolution predominated within the highest reaches of the Vatican curia. 2 Erich Wasmann: Natural Species and Polyphyletic Evolution One prerequisite for avoiding superficial discussions of theological tension with respect to science is to avoid reification of concepts or institutions into agents. Actual confrontations and negotiations take place between individu- als, not between abstractions or collectives such as religions, religious orders, ideologies, or scientific research programs. In this respect, the career of Erich Wasmann offers a pertinent case study. Although the idea that life evolved from a small set of primordial forms of unknown origin was not unusual dur- ing the nineteenth century, it was tightly circumscribed by influential members of the German scientific community such as Ernst Haeckel (1834–1919). Was- mann reacted by making a centerpiece of his synthesis of evolution and Ca- tholicism the idea that, although there are extensive lineages of evolutionary descent, these lineages began through divine production of an unknown
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Huysmans Et L'affaire De L'index (1898-1899)
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by HAL Clermont Université Huysmans et l’affaire de l'Index (1898-1899) Jean-Baptiste Amadieu, Philippe Barascud To cite this version: Jean-Baptiste Amadieu, Philippe Barascud. Huysmans et l’affaire de l'Index (1898-1899). Bul- letin de la Soci´et´eJ.-K. Huysmans, 2007, pp.111-148. <halshs-01315416> HAL Id: halshs-01315416 https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-01315416 Submitted on 6 Jun 2016 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destin´eeau d´ep^otet `ala diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publi´esou non, lished or not. The documents may come from ´emanant des ´etablissements d'enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche fran¸caisou ´etrangers,des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou priv´es. Open licence - etalab JEAN-BAPTISTE AMADIEU PHILIPPE BARASCUD Huysmans et l’affaire de l’Index (1898-1899) Jusqu’à présent, l’éventuelle mise à l’Index de Huysmans n’avait été étudiée que d’après sa correspondance, les témoignages de contemporains, les articles de presse. Jean-Marie Seillan, dans un article récent sur « Huysmans et les censeurs1 », fait le point, à partir de ces matériaux, sur les menaces de censure qui pèsent sur l’auteur dans un chapitre intitulé « Huysmans censuré ? La Cathédrale et l’Index2 ». Pierre Jourde et Brigitte Cabirol avaient quant à eux étudié l’intervention de la princesse Bibesco, le rôle joué par Mme de Sainte-Foix, les réactions de Cécile Bruyère, dans leur édition de la « Correspondance de Huysmans et de la princesse Jeanne Bibesco, Mère Bénie de Jésus », publiée dans notre Bulletin et précédée d’une riche présentation3.
    [Show full text]
  • Johann Baptist Franzelin (1816–86): a Jesuit Cardinal Shaping the Official Teaching of the Church at the Time of the First Vatican Council
    journal of jesuit studies 7 (2020) 592-615 brill.com/jjs Johann Baptist Franzelin (1816–86): A Jesuit Cardinal Shaping the Official Teaching of the Church at the Time of the First Vatican Council Bernhard Knorn, S.J. Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschule Sankt Georgen, Frankfurt am Main, Germany [email protected] Abstract Johann Baptist Franzelin (1816–86), a Jesuit from South Tyrol, was an important sys- tematic theologian at the Collegio Romano. Against emerging neo-Scholasticism, he supported the growing awareness of the need for historical context and to see theo- logical doctrines in their development over time. He was an influential theologian at the First Vatican Council. Created cardinal by Pope Pius ix in 1876, he engaged in the work of the Roman Curia, for example against the German Kulturkampf and for the Third Plenary Council of the Catholic Church in the usa (Baltimore, 1884). This article provides an overview of Franzelin’s biography and analyzes his contributions to theol- ogy and church politics. Keywords Johann Baptist Franzelin – Jesuit cardinal – Collegio Romano – systematic theology – neo-Scholasticism – First Vatican Council – Kulturkampf – Roman Curia Johann Baptist Franzelin (1816–86) was an Austrian Jesuit cardinal, who is largely unknown today. However, working silently behind the scenes, he has arguably shaped the decisions of the First Vatican Council and of Roman theology in general as only few others did—just before the triumph of neo- Scholasticism changed the course of this theology dramatically. His life can be divided into two periods. A first period of studies, transpiring in the Polish and Ukrainian parts of the Austrian Empire and then in Italy, England, Belgium, © Bernhard Knorn, 2020 | doi:10.1163/22141332-00704005 This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the prevailingDownloaded cc-by-nc-nd from Brill.com09/29/2021 4.0 license.
    [Show full text]
  • Erich Wasmann, S.J.: Natural Species and Catholic Polyphyletic Evolution During the Modernist Crisis
    journal of jesuit studies 7 (2020) 244-262 brill.com/jjs Erich Wasmann, S.J.: Natural Species and Catholic Polyphyletic Evolution during the Modernist Crisis James R. Hofmann Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research [email protected] Abstract During the first half of the twentieth century, “natural species” played a prominent role in Catholic efforts to accommodate evolutionary biology within the neo-Scholastic the- ology of the age. Particularly during the modernist crisis early in the century, the most influential figure in this development was the Jesuit entomologist and evolutionary theorist Erich Wasmann (1859–1931). The anti-modernist context in which Wasmann worked included two cases involving evolution that were decided by the Congregation of the Index while Franz Xaver Wernz (1842–1914), Wasmann’s future Jesuit superior general (1906–14), served as a consultor. I describe Wasmann’s introduction of the nat- ural species concept against this background and analyze his decision to abide by Wernz’s warning with respect to human evolution. I then provide examples of how Wasmann’s reliance upon natural species and polyphyletic evolution was adopt- ed in subsequent Catholic efforts to reach a synthesis of theology and evolutionary biology.1 Keywords Erich Wasmann – theistic evolution – modernism – polyphyletic evolution – natural species – Jesuit science 1 A preliminary version of this paper was presented at the 2018 meeting of the American Catholic Philosophical Association where helpful commentary was provided by Peter Distel- zweig and Kenneth Kemp. © James R. Hofmann, 2020 | doi:10.1163/22141332-00702006 This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the prevailing cc-by-nc-nd 4.0 license.
    [Show full text]
  • Nel Contesto Storico Delle Migrazioni Europee in America
    SCALABRINI E LE MIGRAZIONI nel contesto storico delle migrazioni europee in America VOLUME I L’ISTITUZIONE MISSIONARIA PER GLI EMIGRANTI Appunti cronologici e note storiche di P. Antonio Perotti Primo periodo Contesto storico precedente e intervento di Scalabrini dal 1887 al Primo congresso Internazionale cattolico delle Opere sociali di Liegi (Settembre 1890). Sommario 1. Le migrazioni europpe negli Stati Uniti e in Brasile durante il XIX secolo e l‟inizio del XX. 2. I primi inteventi della Santa sede di frote alle migrazioni europee in Amarica 3. Le sfide poste dalle migrazioni alla chiese locali negli Stati Uniti e in Brasile 4. Le risposte date dalla Santa sede e dalla Chiesec locali- 5. L‟intervento di Mons. G.B. Scalabrini, vescovo di Piacenza, e dei suoi missionari sino al congresso Intenazionale cattolico delle e Opere sociali di Liegi (1890). 1 [Contesto globale delle migrazioni] 1) Per cogliere l‟importanza e l‟originalità dell‟opera scalabriniana, essa va inserita nel contesto globale che provocò durante il XIX secolo e l‟inizio del XX il grande esodo emigratorio dall‟Europa nelle due Americhe. Di più, essa va integrata nelle sfide che tale esodo presentò alle chiese locali, all‟episcopato sia d‟America che d‟Europa e al governo centrale della curia romana, tutti profondamente coinvolti, sebbene in modo diverso, dalle ripercussioni e problematiche sollevate da questo gigantesco fenomeno di trapianto umano. Va ricordato che questa problematica verrà ad aggiungersi e a sovrapporsi a quella dell‟espansione dell‟attività missionaria, soprattutto in Africa, sviluppatasi nella seconda metà dell‟Ottocento. 2) Al di là delle diverse componenti che agiscono come «concause» del grande esodo europeo verso le Americhe, va sottolineato che questo fenomeno non fu che una manifestazione di una nuova dimensione senza più confini nazionali del mercato del lavoro, apertosi ormai a una dimensione di scala mondiale.
    [Show full text]
  • Anglican Orders: a Report on the Evolving Context for Their Evaluation in the Roman Catholic Church
    USCCB > Beliefs And Teachings > Ecumenical And Interreligious > Ecumenical > Anglican ANGLICAN ORDERS: A REPORT ON THE EVOLVING CONTEXT FOR THEIR EVALUATION IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH INTRODUCTION The Anglican-Roman Catholic Consultation in the United States has since 1986 addressed the question of the evaluation by the Holy See of Anglican orders. In 1985 Jan Cardinal Willebrands, using a phrase taken from the ARCIC Final Report, had recognized that 'a new context' is now affecting the discussion of Anglican orders within the Roman Catholic Church because of the development of the thinking in the two Communions regarding the nature of the eucharist and ordained ministry. It has been the purpose of ARC-USA to discuss and to outline the positive dimensions of the 'new context'. We wish to underline at the outset the limits of this study. We have focused our attention on factors that seem most to encourage the reconciliation of our two Communions. Other observers may point to additional features of Anglican/Roman Catholic relationships in the last century, such as an interpretation of Apostolicæ Curæ as an infallible pronouncement of the Holy See, the encyclical Mortalium Animos of 1928, or the reluctance of some Anglicans to move toward belief in the eucharist celebration as a sacrifice. And there are recent developments which have been omitted from consideration in this statement, such as the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate within the Anglican Communion. No realistic observer can exclude these events for 'the new context'. Yet we have acted on the suggestion of Cardinal Willebrands in his 1985 letter that it is the negative judgment of Pope Leo XIII in Apostolicæ Curæ (1896) against the validity of Anglican ordinations that is still 'the most fundamental' issue that hinders the mutual recognition of ministries between the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.
    [Show full text]
  • Jesuit Cardinals: an Introduction
    journal of jesuit studies 7 (2020) 521-525 brill.com/jjs Jesuit Cardinals: An Introduction Robert A. Maryks Independent Scholar, The Berkshires, MA, USA [email protected] Abstract The strong resistance of Ignatius of Loyola (c.1491–1556), first superior general of the Society of Jesus (1541–56), to the promotion of his confrères to ecclesiastical offices of (arch)bishops and cardinals because such posts were contrary to the spirit of religious life, requires a brief explanation. Ignatius’s opposition was codified in the Jesuit Con- stitutions with a requirement that each professed Jesuit promise not to accept such dignities. Nonetheless, Loyola and his successors were occasionally pressured to acqui- esce to possible papal appointments of different Jesuits to such offices. This issue of the Journal of Jesuit Studies focuses on six of approximately forty-nine cardinals (the definition of Jesuit cardinal can be sometimes tricky for the early modern period). These six represent different historical periods from the late sixteenth until the early twenty-first centuries and different geographical areas, both of origin and of operation (they did not always coincide): Péter Pázmány (1570–1637), Johann Nidhard (1607–81), Giovanni Battista Tolomei (1653–1726), Johann Baptist Franzelin (1816–86), Pietro Boetto (1871–1946), and Adam Kozłowiecki (1911–2007). Keywords Jesuit cardinal – Péter Pázmány – Johann Nidhard – Giovanni Battista Tolomei – Johann Baptist Franzelin – Pietro Boetto – Adam Kozłowiecki In the Society’s Constitutions, its co-founder Ignatius of Loyola hoped eradi- cate ambition (ambitus), “origin of all evil in any religious order.”1 He prescribed, 1 This part of the introduction is based on Jerónimo Aixalá, “Dignidades eclesiásticas,” in Dic- cionario histórico-biográfico de la Compañía de Jesús, ed.
    [Show full text]
  • Camillo Mazzella
    Camillo Mazzella Da Cathopedia, l'enciclopedia cattolica. 100% Consiglia Condividi Iscriviti per vedere cosa consigliano i tuoi amici. Segui @Cathopedia Camillo Mazzella (Vitulano, 10 febbraio 1833; † Roma, 26 marzo 1900) è stato un Camillo Mazzella, S.J. cardinale italiano. Indice 1 Biografia 1.1 Prebitero e gesuita 1.2 Cardinale 1.3 Vescovo 2 Genealogia episcopale 3 Successione degli incarichi Cardinale Biografia Nacque in una famiglia benestante e molto religiosa. Due dei suoi fratelli, il gemello Ernesto e Pietro, furono pure loro presbiteri: il primo divenne arcivescovo di Bari e il secondo entrò, come Camillo, nella Compagnia di Gesù. Dopo l'istruzione di base avuta da un tutore in casa, all'età di undici anni entrò con il fratello gemello nel seminario di Benevento, dove compì gli studi in filosofia e teologia. Prebitero e gesuita Fu ordinato sacerdote a Benevento l'8 settembre 1855 da mons. Camillo Siciliano di Rende, arcivescovo di Benevento; fu necessaria la dispensa papale perché non aveva ancora raggiunto l'età canonica. Fu canonico di Vitulano del 1855 al 1857. Entrò poi nella Compagnia di Gesù il 4 settembre dello stesso anno. Emise la professione religiosa il 5 settembre 1859 e i voti perpetui il 2 febbraio 1869. Dopo l'espulsione dall'Italia dei gesuiti (1860) studiò alla facoltà francese della Fourvières , dove ottenne il dottorato nel 1867. Terminati gli studi si trasferì negli Stati Uniti, dove fu professore, dapprima presso la Georgetown University di Washington (1867-1869), e poi nell'Università del Sacro Cuore di Woodstock, Maryland (1869- 1875). Dal 1872 al 1875 fu consultore della provincia gesuita del Maryland.
    [Show full text]
  • Jv^^Aecylarlvfesiyl^!J
    ored children ever established south of Maaon under the gnidxnce of two of the scho- will be O of Scrinton. .n J * }»lght, . aociety meetings Hare, Pa.; Hon. Nathan Goff *. Bock Point. Frederick historian of the Disou liu». r"*!*-f1om Georgetown college. In Septem¬ £T7\ ?,v. *nd students of the of ?.. Md.; J1 Catholi.- church in Amtics for original d the idea .f, stablishing .n coi Motion Rev. Samuel succeeded Father ? P"f Pr;-">t Bi?hoP Northrop, Charleston. Frwlk Pr*»n.-4u- hia work. 'The Life and i imm of w Ui tlif (\i . A. Mallear ber. 1827. he entered the college as a novitiate, departments{rL'L.L of arte, medicine ar.-l Uw. In the YV*8. C.;\',rglni?r:M. F. Morris. District of Columbia; Hon. ri,hV £eW \ork; L*"!*!". Archbiahop u«,m Umli department. -hi. n Ryder in 1845. but 'here when he was » i. John M. Lswton. Washington; CarrolL'" would offer an .rrniM for the of 1!,,.r*n'f1Dfd for|two year», academic *e«- I.mile Ro»t. Louisiana; Hon. Edward D. White, i/L Prnu->e-»l«>-Chi<,n: Rev. John The edibles. disposition s,. in a few month* sent to Frederick to complete hi* theological .ion of the^.erethroewj»faculties,bf at which honorary Senator-elect from Hon. Thomas J faculty gold medal for presentation to rxtrnd tU (ppartanibm of Thomas Mul- Louisiana; i!^* «\^£?er' J- Lin-oln. the pope is < ted to arrive from the mint in other* in thai Father °*°r*eto"n * «». degree, will be conferred. Prtsident Cleve¬ Semines, Louisiana; Hon.
    [Show full text]
  • Italian Jesuits in Maryland
    Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/italianjesuitsin391incke Italian Jesuits in Maryland A Clash of Theological Cultures Gerald L. McKevitt, SJ. BX3701 .388 v.39:no,1(2007:spring) 04/03/2007 Current Periodicals 39/1 • SPRING 2007 THE SEMINAR ON JESUIT SPIRITUALITY The Seminar is composed of a number of Jesuits appointed from their provinces in the United States. It concerns itself with topics pertaining to the spiritual doctrine and practice of Jesuits, especially United States Jesuits, and communicates the results to the members of the provinces through its pubHcation, STUDIES IN THE SPIRITUALITY OF JESUITS. This is done in the spirit of Vatican II's recommendation that reUgious institutes recapture the original inspiration of their founders and adapt it to the circumstances of modern times. The Seminar welcomes reactions or comments in regard to the material that it pubUshes. The Seminar focuses its direct attention on the life and work of the Jesuits of the United States. The issues treated may be common also to Jesuits of other regions, to other priests, reUgious, and laity, to both men and women. Hence, the journal, while meant especially for American Jesuits, is not exclusively for them. Others who may find it helpful are cordially welcome to make use of it. CURRENT MEMBERS OF THE SEMINAR James W. Bernauer, S.J., teaches philosophy at Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Mass. (2004). Richard A. Blake, S.J., is chairman of the Seminar and editor of STUDIES; he teaches film studies at Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Mass. (2002). James T.
    [Show full text]
  • Henry George Dr. Edward Mcglynn & Pope Leo XIII
    HENRY GEORGE, DR. EDWARD MCGLYNN, AND POPE LEO XIII Henry George Dr. Edward McGlynn & Pope Leo XIII by Mason Gaffney THE STORY OF HOW CLERICAL HIERARCHS PERCEIVED A PROGRESSIVE ECONOMIST AND A POPULAR IRISH- AMERICAN PRIEST AS DANGEROUS THREATS TO THE CHURCH — AND HOW THIS LED TO THE WATERSHED PAPAL ENCYCLICAL THAT SHAPED ROMAN CATHOLIC SOCIAL DOCTRINE FROM 1891 TO THE PRESENT DAY. 35 HENRY GEORGE, DR. EDWARD MCGLYNN, AND POPE LEO XIII HENRY GEORGE, DR. EDWARD MCGLYNN, AND POPE LEO XIII by Mason Gaffney A paper delivered to the International Conference on Henry George, November 1, 1997, at Cooper Union, New York; Professor Edward O’Donnell, Chair. Revised 12 March 2000 1. TURBULENT TIMES IT WAS A DIFFERENT TIME, but often the same place (Cooper Union) in American life. No, it wasn’t radio, but the age of orators. One of the most spellbinding was Dr. Edward McGlynn; another good one was Henry George, who also wrote great books. They came together in 1886 to roil the waters of American politics and ideology. Through the Irish and Vatican connections, they also roiled world politics and ideology. It was a time when a Republican Presidential candidate (James G. Blaine) could be nominated by a militant atheist (Robert G. Ingersoll). Blaine could lose New York’s key Irish Catholic voters, and the election, for a supporter’s casual slur accusing them of “Rum, Romanism and Rebellion.” The slur was transient; the revelation of electoral power was permanent. New York State held the balance of power nationally; New York City held the balance in the State; and the Irish were a majority in the City (Curran p.195).
    [Show full text]
  • Downloaded 4.0 License
    Brill Research Perspectives in Jesuit Studies 2.2 (2020) 1–112 brill.com/brp Jesuits in the North American Colonies and the United States Faith, Conflict, Adaptation Catherine O’Donnell Arizona State University, Tempe, USA [email protected] Abstract From Eusebio Kino to Daniel Berrigan, and from colonial New England to contem- porary Seattle, Jesuits have built and disrupted institutions in ways that have funda- mentally shaped the Catholic Church and American society. As Catherine O’Donnell demonstrates, Jesuits in French, Spanish, and British colonies were both evangelists and agents of empire. John Carroll envisioned an American church integrated with Protestant neighbors during the early years of the republic; nineteenth-century Jesuits, many of them immigrants, rejected Carroll’s ethos and created a distinct Catholic infrastructure of schools, colleges, and allegiances. The twentieth century involved Jesuits first in American war efforts and papal critiques of modernity, and then (in ac- cord with the leadership of John Courtney Murray and Pedro Arrupe) in a rethinking of their relationship to modernity, to other faiths, and to earthly injustice. O’Donnell’s narrative concludes with a brief discussion of Jesuits’ declining numbers, as well as their response to their slaveholding past and involvement in clerical sexual abuse. Keywords Jesuits – Society of Jesus – American colonies – United States – Catholic schools – Catholic higher education – Vatican II – Jesuit slaveholding – John Carroll – Pierre-Jean De Smet © Catherine O’Donnell, 2020 | doi:10.1163/25897454-12340006 This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC BY-NC-NDDownloaded 4.0 license. from Brill.com09/27/2021 07:44:43AM via free access 2 O’DONNELL 1 Introduction Members of the Society of Jesus first set foot on land that would become part of the United States in the earliest days of European colonization.
    [Show full text]
  • Founding Father: John J. Wynne, Sj, and the Inculturation
    FOUNDING FATHER: JOHN J. WYNNE, S.J., AND THE INCULTURATION OF AMERICAN CATHOLICISM IN THE PROGRESSIVE ERA Dissertation Submitted to The College of Arts and Sciences of the UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree Doctor of Philosophy in Theology By Michael F. Lombardo Dayton, Ohio May, 2014 FOUNDING FATHER: JOHN J. WYNNE, S.J., AND THE INCULTURATION OF AMERICAN CATHOLICISM IN THE PROGRESSIVE ERA Name: Lombardo, Michael F. APPROVED BY: __________________________________ William L. Portier, Ph.D. Faculty Advisor __________________________________ Michael S. Carter, Ph.D. Faculty Reader __________________________________ Anthony B. Smith, Ph.D. Faculty Reader __________________________________ Sandra A. Yocum, Ph.D. Faculty Reader __________________________________ Patrick W. Carey Outside Faculty Reader __________________________________ Daniel S. Thompson, Ph.D. Chairperson ii © Copyright By Michael F. Lombardo All rights reserved 2014 iii ABSTRACT FOUNDING FATHER: JOHN J. WYNNE, S.J., AND THE INCULTURATION OF AMERICAN CATHOLICISM IN THE PROGRESSIVE ERA Name: Lombardo, Michael F. University of Dayton Advisor: William L. Portier The dissertation explores the life and work of John J. Wynne, S.J. (1859-1948). Widely recongized as an editor, educator and historian, Wynne was among the foremost Catholic intellectuals of the early twentieth century. In addition to serving as founding editor of the Catholic Encyclopedia (1907) and the Jesuit periodical America (1909), Wynne was vice-postulator for the canonization causes of the first American saints, the Jesuit Martyrs of North America, and for St. Kateri Tekakwitha. He was also a founding member of a number of important early twentieth century professional organizations, including the American Catholic Historical Association, the National Catholic Education Association, the American Federation of Catholic Societies, and the National Catholic Welfare Council’s Bureau of Education.
    [Show full text]