The Jesuits Are Headed by a Superior in the 1000'S) Names His Court Fool, Goles

Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette History Faculty Research and Publications History, Department of 1-1-1996 The esJ uits John Donnelly Marquette University, [email protected] Published version. "The eJ suits," in The World Book Encyclopedia. Ed. World Book Inc. Chicago: World Book Inc., 1996: 103. Publisher Link. © 1996 World Book Inc. The publication can be found in Volume 11 of the The orldW Book Encyclopedia 1996 Edition. Jesuits 103 The jester was sometimes called the court fo ol jesters Spiritual coadjutors and the professed are priests. The earned their support with their wit and by performing professed take a vow of special obedience t9 the pope antics much like those of today's clowns. Jesters usually in addition to taking vows of celibacy, obedience, and specialized in jokes and riddles. A jester wore a check poverty. ered coat and hose (called motley) of many colors. He jesuits must study for many years before becoming wore a hood, sometimes decorated with an ass's ears or spiritual coadjutors or professed. This period of study, the head or comb of a cock. He also wore bells attached which usually lasts about 15 years for a high school to his skirts, the elbows of his coat, his long, pointed graduate, provides both spiritual and academic training. shoes, and the peak of his ho od. A jesuit's superiors determine if he is qualified for the It is not known when jesters first appeared. There rank of professed. They base their decision on the indi may have been jesters in Britain during the time of the vidual's record in his studies and on his qualities of spir Saxons. Licenses were issued to jesters in the 1600's. Be itual leadership. fore that, a history of William the Conqueror (who lived Organization. The jesuits are headed by a superior in the 1000's) names his court fool, Goles. Many later general who lives in Rome. He has broad powers to kings had jesters. Henry VIII's jester, W ill Somers, was a make decisions that affect the entire order. jesuits live in gift from Cardinal Wolsey. The practice of keeping a about 100 countries. For administrative purposes, the fool began to decline in the 1600's. order is divided into regions called provinces, vice The court jester enjoyed an unusual position with his provinces, and mission territories. An official called a employers. He was almost a member ofthe fami ly, tak provincia! supervises each province and vice-province. ing part in private gatherings, sharing family secrets, Provinces that share a common language or cultural and playing with the children. It is easy to understand background are grouped together into assistancies. An how William Shakespeare's Hamlet felt when gravedig assistant serves as an adviser to the superior general on gers uncovered the skull of hi s father's jester, Yorick. matters involving each assistancy. A local superior ap Hamlet describes him as "a fellow of infinite jest, of most pointed by a provincial or by the superior general gov excellent fancy." Most jesters were clever. Some jesters erns individual communities of jesuits within each prov are believed to have given their kings advice. ince or mission territory. Don B. Wilmeth The superior general is elected for life by a congrega Jesuits, JEHZH u ihts or JEHZ uh wihts, are members tion made up of assistants, provincials, and elected dele of a Roman Catholic religious order of men. The offi cial gates from the order. The congregation also elects sev name of the order, founded by Saint Ignatius Loyol a in eral principal assistants to the superior general. The 1534, is the Society of jesus (Sj). superior general appoints provincials. He also appoints The jesuits are especially noted for their work in edu superiors, who supervise local groups of jesuits. Most cation. The order operates more than 4,000 schools, col provincials and superiors serve six-year terms. leges, and universities throughout the world. In the History. Saint Ignatius and six fellow students from United States, the jesuits direct about 45 high schools the University of Paris began the Society of jesus, which and 28 colleges and universities. Leading jesuit universi Pope Paul III formally approved as an order in 1540. He ties in the United States include Boston College, Ford originally limited the jesuits to 60 members. But in 1544, ham University, Georgetown University, and Marquette the pope authorized the o rder to increase its member University. ship without limit. Ignatius wrote the order's constitu The order has produced many important explorers, tions (sets of ru les), which have become models for hun missionaries, scientists, theologians, and writers. For ex dreds of other Roman Catholic religious communities. ample, Saint Francis Xavier, a Spanish jesuit, converted Under the leadership of Ignatius, the jesuits grew to . thousands of people in the Far East during the 1500's. almost 1,000 members. By the time he died in 1556, the Jacques Marquette, a French jesuit, helped explore the order had become firmly established in Europe, prima Mississippi River in the late 1600's. Gerard Manley Hop rily through its activities in education. The jesuits also kins, an English jesuit, ranks among the leading poets of conducted widespread missionary work in Africa, Asia, the 1800's. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a French jesuit, and North and South America. The order played a major became a leading paleonto!ogist {ex pert on prehistoric role in the church's self-renewal movement called the life) and theologian in the 1900's. Counter Reformation (see Roman Catholic Church [The Many jesuits have been canonized (declared saints) Counter Reformation]). by the Roman Catholic Church. The best-known jesuit The jesuits aroused opposition as their membership saints include Robert Bellarmine, Peter Canisius, and and influence increased. In France, for example, the jes Isaac Jogues. uits came into conflict with a powerful religious move Membership and training. Immediately after enter ment called jansenism (see Jansen, Cornelius). Finally, in ing the order, a jesuit begins two years of spiritual train 1773, Pope Clement XIV banned the order. Pope Pius VII ing. During this period, a jesuit is called a novice. After removed the ban in 1814. See Roman Catholic Church training, he takes vows of poverty and of obedience to (S uppression of the jesuits). his superiors. A jesuit also vows to stay celibate (unmar From 1814 until the 1960's, the jesuits steadily in ried). creased their membership. Then membership began to The jesuits have four groups of mem bers: (1) scholas decline, especially in Europe. Today, the largest concen tics (younger men in training fo r the priesthood); (2) tem trations of jesuits are in the United States and India. poral coadjutors (brothers); (3) spiritual coadjutors; and John Patrick Donnelly (4) the solemnly professed. The brothers are full mem Each jesuit mentioned in this article has a biography bers of the order but are not ordained to the priesthood. in World Book. .

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