Jesuits in North America The Society of Jesus is a Catholic order that is still doing good work today around the world. During the age of encounters—especially during the colonization of the Americas—the Society of Jesus, also known as Jesuits, played an important role in documenting Native Americans, converting them and helping them adapt to their newly changing environment. The practice of first establishing respect, then influence, and eventually working for religious conversion proved effective at converting Native Americans in North America. Their extensive ethnographic documentation as well as everyday letters to one another have proved useful to scholars trying to understand early Native American and French encounters in North America. The Society of Jesus was first established in France by Ignatius of Loyola 1534. Ignatius was a soldier in the Spanish army and saw combat when King Francis I of France invaded Spain in 1521 and on the 20th of May he was wounded when a cannonball hit his right leg which would forever leave him with a limp. His recuperation in the castle of Loyola, however, would lead Ignatius into a conversion of the soul. John W. O’Malley author of The First Jesuits, explains Ignatius of Loyola’s transformation in the castle: “He found none of the tales of the chivalry that he loved to read. In some desperation he turned to the only literature at hand—the lives of the saints in The Golden Legend by Jacopo da Voragine and the Life of Christ by Ludolph of Saxony” (O’Malley, 24). Still, according to O’Malley, he contemplated a return to service even with his limp, however, when he entertained the notion he was left “dry and agitated in spirit,” O’Malley again: “He gradually came to the conclusion that God was... ... middle of paper ... ...ut if you will entrust this important matter to me, I promise you a favorable result. Here is how you must proceed. First you must gather everyone together, and then, presenting three fathoms of Wampum, one for each of our families you will tell us with each of these presents what is in your heart (Jesuit Relations, 143). The text shed light into how through force and the use of intimidation Pierron was able to convert the Mohawk. Unlike his predecessors he was short tempered and did not respect the wishes of the society which led to confrontation. This type of conversion could not have been beneficial to the Society as they were converting people not of their own free will but of terror and fear of genocide. Lastly Pierron was not following the doctrine of Polanco and his flexibilidad and mediocridad. And although this mission cannot be considered a total failure……
"Inquisition." In New Catholic Encyclopedia, edited by Berard L. Marthaler, 485-491. Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2003.
This primary source document has been collected, translated, and published into the Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents. Due to several language translations and lack of a professional editor, it is noted that many of the documents collected have errors. This specific entry is titled Jesuit 's Interpretation of Gender Roles and dated 1633. The author is also listed as Pierre Biard, however the author and/or date is very questionable and possibly wrong. I will explain my disagreements later on, but for the sake of this review let us just say the author is Pierre Biard.
Giles, Thomas S. "How did Native Americans Respond to Christianity?" Christian History, 1992, Volume 11, Issue 3, p20.
The Society of Jesus was founded by Ignatius Loyola in 1540, created as a military organization dedicated to missionary work across countries, the members of the association are identified as the Jesuits, they soon became known as being able to interweave the beliefs of Christianity with the customs of the local inhabitants (Bumsted, 2011). Between the years of 1632 to 1670 roughly a hundred Jesuit missionaries were sent to New France in an attempt to learn the Native languages, culture, and assimilate the local populace to European culture and Christianity (Welton, 2005). The integrating of the Jesuit s into the everyday lives of the Native peoples created more issues and hardship for the inhabitants than it did benefits. The Jesuits brought many foreign diseases to a group of people that were not accustomed to European illness like smallpox and measles. The Jesuits were also known as the “black robes”, they were known to bring sickness into most tribes they encountered. The mass epidemic of the disease ultimately leads to the down-fall of the Huron people; it lessened their numbers and made them vulnerable to attacks from the Iroquois. Lastly, the ultimate goal ofthe Jesuits was to assimilate and convert the First Nation peoples to Christianity which led to a massive erosion of culture and heritage within the tribes. The introduction of Catholicism and European values eradicated many traditional customs of the First Nation; such as the religious view of Animism, the role of females within the tribe, introduced a European educational curriculum, and illustrated a new understanding of life and death. The Jesuits were unsuccessful in their attempt to improve the lives of the First Nation inhabitants, for the reason that they brought a number of devastating diseases, aided in the down-fall of Huron people, and eroded traditional heritage
In George E. Tinker’s book, American Indian Liberation: A Theology of Sovereignty, the atrocities endured by many of the first peoples, Native American tribes, come into full view. Tinker argues that the colonization of these groups had and continues to have lasting effects on their culture and thus their theology. There is a delicate balance to their culture and their spiritual selves within their tightly knit communities prior to contact from the first European explorers. In fact, their culture and spiritual aspects are so intertwined that it is conceptually impossible to separate the two, as so many Euro-American analysts attempted. Tinker points to the differences between the European and the Native American cultures and mind sets as ultimately
I have decided to discuss the topic of Spirituality in Native Americans. To address this topic, I will first discuss what knowledge I have gained about Native Americans. Then I will discuss how this knowledge will inform my practice with Native Americans. To conclude, I will talk about ethical issues, and dilemmas that a Social Worker might face working with Native American people.
Bartolomeu de Las Casas noted the treatment of the Native Americans by the Spanish as an affront to God and the very essence of Christianity - using what influence he had to decry the actions of the local corrupt Spanish forces and bring to light their transgressions. While Las Casas was noble in his fight against the genocide of the Native Americans - his message was did not capture as massive attention as that of Loyola and the Counter-Reformation against Protestantism due to the remoteness of the New World and the more immediate threat of heresy spreading throughout Europe. Therefore, Las Casas was facing an incredibly distracted audience that was not even entirely sure that Native Americans had souls, and it took years for the Catholic Church just to determine that these natives did indeed have souls and could be
Religion in Latin America was carved from a blend of Spanish colonial Catholicism and indigenous super natural practices. The story of a Death Comes for the Archbishop represents the general struggle that the Roman Catholic Church experienced during the religious “reconquest” of America post 1820’s. The story follows a French Priest, Father Latour, and his attempt to bring back the Catholic religion to the southwestern part of America. Although the story is fictional it brings to the forefront several key problems that the Catholic Church went through trying to reassert its control. The ethnic diversity, local religious traditions, and politics of the region presented a completely insurmountable hurdle for the Roman Catholic Church to clear in its attempt to recapture its dominance in the religion of the region.
Despite helping individuals, it is clear that rival tribes displayed animosity in larger scale interactions. Tribes engaged in war against each other, much like Europeans engaged in war against each other. The fact that de Vaca draws this comparison shows an equality in how native tribes and European peoples handled adversaries. For the most part, de Vaca's writing shows neutrality in Indian to Indian relations. “When the Cultalchulces, who were in company with our Indians, were ready to return to their own hearth.”
In this way the religion practiced by the Native Americans was taken as contradictions to Christianity. The natives were informed that Christianity was designed to be an eternal rule of significance and a means from which they could use to return to God from their religions that had deviated (Eliot par. 3). Through sermons given by Whitfield, the minds of the natives were engaged in religion and making religion the subject of most of their discussions. They embraced all the opportunities to hear what was been taught on Christianity. The Christian revivals were attended by the young and old alike (Edwards par.
As the Amerindian found it difficult to understand some of the priests’ religious dogmas, - sin, quilt, and hell, the Jesuits could not also accept nor grasp, the idea of Shamans religious exploits like soul leaving the body or that a man could injure or kill, a far away enemy. However, both were in New France to convert the Indians to catholic Christianity. They were highly intelligent and creative educators who used different methods and even tricks, theatrics, pictures and extreme campfire discursions to subvert the indigenous lifeworld to persuade Amerindian to embrace the fictional Christ. The missionaries would cease every opportunity to discredit Shaman. They employed the element of fear and intimidation to teach. Knowing that native
The discovery of the Americas inspired the desire to explore for a multitude of counties and societies throughout Europe as it represented opportunity during a time in which this was often restricted. Social mobility was limited due to absolutism in government and religious freedom was becoming a dilemma due to the conflicts between Protestants and Catholics. One faction, the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, became known for traveling to regions all over the world to strive for their specific objective. They aimed to convert nonbelievers in order to spread the teachings of Catholicism as a response to the Reformation movement that shook Europe. Jesuits also placed a great emphasis on created educational establishments. To them, the Americas represented a land full of uneducated, potential Catholic converts and this inspired them on missions of discovery. They were especially impactful in South America, specifically in what is now known as Brazil and Paraguay. While their efforts are often portrayed as a sacrificial effort with the noble intention of saving souls, it truly sought to increase the power of their order, the Catholic Church, and the country of Spain. Jesuits used religion as a justification for the political advantages gained by their
St. Ignacio de Loyola is the founder of “Society of Jesus,” or the Jesuits. Not only was he the founder of a major Catholic order, before this, he was a soldier. His experience as a soldier, particularly at an attack in Pamplona, marked the beginnings of his mystical transformation as the time needed for his recuperation allowed him to read and reflect on religious texts. From there, Loyola embarked on a pilgrimage throughout Europe promoting missionary work and prolific knowledge of religious texts. His mystical venture took root not only in the spiritual reveries, but also within historical context, as the Protestant Reformation emerged to reform the Catholic Church.
The first Catholic priests came to South America with the conquistadors and through social and political force superimposed 16th century Catholicism upon conquered peoples and in subsequent generations upon slaves arriving in the New World. Catholicism has, likewise, frequently absorbed, rather than confronted, popular folk religious beliefs. The resulting religion is often overtly Catholic but covertly pagan. Behind the Catholic facade, the foundations and building structure reflect varying folk religious traditions. (2)
St Ignatius of Loyola is an inspiring person and has touched the lives of many people even now centuries after his death. Loyola has affected the lives of an uncountable number of people, either directly or indirectly. He started as an extremely brave and tough soldier and turned into the founder of a powerful religious order. He was born in 1491 in Spain and founded the Jesuits in 1540 at the age of 49.The Jesuits today are still a devoted religious order. Everything they do is in God’s name, hence their motto AD MAIOREM DEI GLORIAM this literally means “for the greater glory of God”. (Linten, Seven Things) Many Jesuits (and even non Jesuits like Pope John Paul II) sign their documents with amdg at the end to show that they do their work for God and not solely for themselves. (Linten, Seven Things) The Jesuits have survived multiple persecutions and yet have still remained a major influence in the church and in universities around the world. If it were not for an unfortunate cannonball shattering a soldier’s leg then none of this may have happened.