On March 20th, 2024, a worldwide workshop that got together at the Loyola University Chicago, took place and its objective was to reflect on the most effective way to write a global history for a post-1801 Society of Jesus. Co-organized by Institutum Historicum Societatis Iesu at Archivum Romanum Societatis Iesu and the newly established Jesuit Heritage Research Centre at Loyola University of Chicago, the symposium featured top professors and scholars from around the world.
After a welcoming address by Stephen Schloesset S.J., one of the organizers, Camilla Russell of Archivum Romanum Societatis Iesu moderated a first panel featuring John McGreevy of the University of Notre Dame and Jean Luc Enyegue, S.J, of the Jesuit Historical Institute in Africa.
Dr. Enyegue’s book “Competing Catholicisms” demonstrates the attempts of the missionaries to mold the surroundings in Chad in accordance with the European model and the role of Catholic churches in French global geopolitical strategy. It presents a global history of the New Society from a local perspective.
John T. McGreevy’s book “Catholicism: A Global History from the French Revolution to Pope Francis”, baits the audience with all the details regarding the history of the Catholic Church from the French Revolution to the time of Pope Francis. He depicts Catholicism as a dominant piece of the historical picture that contains elements that are interlinked and influenced by one another which eventually contributed to its native growing trends.
McGreevey’s macro-global approach and Enyegue’s micro-global helped shape the conversation during the rest of the day, with extraordinary and productive exchanges among Jesuit scholars.
We hope that this workshop will yield excellent fruits in the field of Jesuit history for years to come.
By Geoffrey Obatsa,
Administrative Assistant, JHIA
