What are the Jesuits like?

[Dempsey1919]

Are the Jesuits still the staunch guardians of Catholic orthodoxy that they once were or have they become somewhat liberal in modern times?

I ask this because I’ve always had an interest in this Order but I don’t know whether they are still the same as they were during the reformation.

 

[ASimpleSinner]

Are the Jesuits still the staunch guardians of Catholic orthodoxy that they once were or have they become somewhat liberal in modern times?

I ask this because I’ve always had an interest in this Order but I don’t know whether they are still the same as they were during the reformation.

No.

There are still some rather loyal and traditional voices to be found in the Society of Jesus - here and there… But the norm, sadly, is largely dissident.

10 years ago I was visiting a friend at Georgetown when the whole “Hoyas for Choice” controversy was begining to erupt. The University - owned and operated by the Jesuits - couldn’t quite say no to some students that wanted University money and recognition to start a pro-abortion organization on campus.

The matter was not settled until the president of the Uni was called to Rome and “given his hat”

I went to a Jesuit high school. What was offered to us as “Catholic” was - to be charitable - a whole lot of personal speculation. What passed for “decent liturgy”… Well charity demands I don’t get into details, but it would not please even the most forgiving traditionalist.

The ones I have met over the years that I have liked the best and found to be the most traditional and conservative, time and time again it is demonstrated they are outside the “mainstream” of the order. Tolerated, but kind of put out to “do their own thing” like Fessio or Pacwa. Without exception, in the US, I have found NONE of these men are ever involved in candidate formation, and few are routinely charged with teaching theology.

There are exceptions, but when I hear “Jesuit” I start to sweat like a long tailed cat in a rocking chair factory.

 

[drafdog]

The Jesuits I knew during my university days were highly professional, excellent scholars, good men.

Matthew

 

[SemperFidelis]

Are the Jesuits still the staunch guardians of Catholic orthodoxy that they once were or have they become somewhat liberal in modern times?

I ask this because I’ve always had an interest in this Order but I don’t know whether they are still the same as they were during the reformation.

There are still a handful of very orthodox Jesuits. After Vatican II, a lot of Jesuits discovered the “spirit of Vatican II,” and kind of jumped on that bandwagon. Of the top of my head, some of the recent Jesuits I very much admire and who are staunch defenders of orthodoxy include: Fr. John A. Hardon RIP (Writer of The Catholic Catechism and many great books), Fr. Joseph Fessio (Founder of Ignatius Press, and co-founder of Adoremus), and Fr. Mitch Pacwa (does a series on EWTN).

 

[otjm]

I would hazard a guess that the Jesuits are not particualry different than any other group of priests generally (there are always exceptions) in that they have had a goodly number of difficulties. It is difficult to say with any real authority how they are as most information is anecdotal. We have a Jesuit pastor and he is no slouch; he is orthodox and does a fine job as a pastor. I have met a couple of others I would not recommend to anyone. I have also known others who are fine priests.

As with any number of situations in the Church, things change. All things do not change at once, ever; the pendulum moves slower than we would wish. But move it does. The issues that a 50 or 60 year old Jesuit deals with are not the issues a 30 year old Jesuit is facing. The difficulty is that often, we only see the 50 and 60 year old ones, as they are the most prominent; and the presumption is that if they are that way, then all of them are.

It goes the same with seminaries; there are some which had few problems; some that still have major problems; those that are in transition, those that are dealing well with the problems, those that are not. We have a tendency to paint with broad brushes, often without realizing that we are doing so. Some of that is due to the fact that those who color the paint are very obvious and attract a lot of attention; those who do not color the paint are quiet, not in the spotlight, and not hearing from them, we presume they do not exist.

If the OP is interested in the Jesuits, he would do well to investigate as much as possible, and not take the first , second or even third comments as necessarily encapsulating all truth.

 

[John_Higgins]

The Jesuits are the reason my wife became Catholic.

She was getting her doctorate at a prominent Jesuit university, and we happened to miss Mass because of a Sunday outing we were on. She recalled that there was a 10 PM campus ministry Mass and we went. It was, in essence, a Novus Ordo Solemn High Mass. Imagine about 1300 students attending Mass on a Sunday night when they could be doing anything else. The Jebs rock!

John

BTW, talking about “Orthodox” Jesuits, do not neglect to mention Avery Cardinal Dulles. He’s at Fordham, in his late 80s, and answered an e-mail question I asked him.