Since the days of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Jesuits have had a strong tradition of recording and learning from our history. Mr. Kevin Burns occasionally writes about the famous Jesuit Relations for igNation. [1] The Relations des Jésuites de la Nouvelle-France consist of letters and ethnographic documents sent to the Jesuit Superior General in Rome, chronicling the work of the Jesuits in New France. The works were written annually and appeared in print beginning in 1632.
The Relations are a significant source for the study of early Canadian history. They provide valuable information on the early Jesuits in this country, including St. Jean de Brébeuf and the other Canadian Martyrs. They also provide a good sense of the history of early Canada.
The Jesuits in English Canada continue to record our history. In the early 1990s, The Canadian Institute of Jesuit Studies produced the first volume of the Dictionary of Jesuit Biography. It presents biographies of Jesuit brothers and priests who exercised ministry in English-speaking Canada from the time of the return of the return of the Society of Jesus to Canada in 1842 down to 1987.
A second volume was published in 2007 and includes those Jesuits who ministered in English-speaking Canada from 1988 to 2006. Work continues on a third volume. These volumes consist of short biographies of several hundred Jesuits. They make fascinating reading, especially when the writers tackle those Jesuits who were colourful and unique. Most of our Jesuit communities include a remembrance of deceased Jesuits on the anniversary of their death. When I have time beforehand, I read the entry for the individual being remembered. Some presiders at daily Mass usually include a brief reference to the person and his major contribution to the Church in Canada.
The collection of our rich history continues. Novalis has just released two new volumes in what they refer to as the Jesuit History Series. The Executive Editor of the series is Fr. Jacques Monet, S.J., the director of the Canadian Institute of Jesuit Studies. Fr. Monet is a distinguished Canadian historian with a lengthy academic career and is the Archivist for the Archive of the Jesuits in Canada, based in Montreal.
Volume 1 is entitled Teachers of a Nation – Jesuits in English Canada 1842-2013. The author is Fr. Joseph B. Gavin, S.J., a Jesuit historian who also has a lengthy academic career. Fr. Gavin focuses on the Jesuits’ role in higher education and how they have made vital and lasting contributions to academic excellence, founding institutions and nurturing young minds for many generations. Novalis describes the volume as “well-researched, thought-provoking and deftly written.”
Volume 2 is Builders of a Nation – Jesuits in English Canada 1842-2013. The editorial committee is the same as for Volume 1: Fr. Monet, Fr. Gavin, and Fr. John D. Meehan, S.J. Fr. Meehan is a historian and is presently serving as the President of Campion College in Regina, SK. This volume contains contributions from several outstanding scholars and explores a number of key Jesuit endeavours in Canada: work with Aboriginal peoples, the witness of the Canadian martyrs through the history of the Jesuits in Canada, the founding of parish communities, social justice work and the focus on media and communications.
The two volumes were released at a book launch held on April 23 at Regis College, the Jesuit School of Theology at the University of Toronto. An impressive crowd gathered to celebrate the authors. The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, OC, Ont, gave the first presentation. She said she was present in order to recognize those who continue to explore our history and to publicly thank Fr. Monet for his many contributions to Canadian history. Fr. J. Winston Rye, S.J. spoke on behalf of Fr. Peter Bisson, S.J., the Provincial Superior of the Jesuits in English Canada. Mr. Joseph Sinasac, the Publisher of Novalis, offered a few words of gratitude. Fr. Monet offered his words of thanks, as did Fr. Gavin. Fr. Monet invited people to return a year from now, for the launch of a third volume: Conscience of a Nation.