James Martin: Seven Last Words
Victor Fuhrman: Jesuits are known for combining both the mystical with the practical and employing compassion in action for the “greater glory of God.” What are some of the Jesuit’s worldwide missionary programs?
James Martin Well, some would be surprised to find out that we are the Catholic church’s largest men’s order and largest missionary order. Most people know us as educators in high schools and colleges, but we are just as often people who worked in the most unusual places. As Pope Francis (himself a Jesuit) said, Jesuits are called to go to “the margins,” where the rest of the church sometimes is unable to go. As a result, we have Jesuits in almost every country in the world, including in the most far-flung places you could imagine—as teachers, parish priests, retreat directors, physicians, aid workers, and on and one. One of my friends works with refugees in Uganda; another runs a parish in Jordan; another runs a high school in Micronesia. We really do take Jesus’s message seriously—to go to “the ends of the earth.”
Victor Fuhrman: Jesuits are also known for their numerous and wonderful educational institutions. What are the principles of Jesuit education?
James Martin: The core, I would say, is cura personalis—that is, care for the whole person, not just the intellect, but the soul as well. That’s probably the best summary of Jesuit education. Also, we’ve never shied away from teaching any subject, from theology to the fine arts to the hard sciences. One of my best friends is the director of the Vatican Observatory and has a Ph.D. from MIT in meteorites!
Victor Fuhrman: St. Ignatius is said to have purchased a printing press in 1556 and from that time forward, the Jesuits have been recognized for their publications. The magazine, “America”, is one near and dear to your heart. Please tell us about “America.”
James Martin: Yes, that was one of Ignatius’s first acts. He understood the value of the “ministry of the word,” broadly speaking, and so since the beginning Jesuits have been active in publishing and in all sorts of “media.”
