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guides the balloting that according to Formula 84 ‘The man
elected cannot refuse the election.”
The Jesuit electors’ mission was not just to listen carefully, said
Fr. Grummer, “but also to trust that even if I need batteries in my
spiritual hearing aid, I can trust that through this band of
brothers the Spirit will identify the man he has chosen. We can
trust that Jesus will give us his Spirit, no matter how locked we
may feel.”
Fr. Grummer noted that St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the
Society of Jesus, did not talk about the Holy Spirit often in his
writings. “I believe Ignatius said so little about the Holy Spirit
because he did not want words to distract doubters and
Inquisitors from the deeds of the Spirit, from experiencing joy,
gifts and mission of the Holy Spirit.
for one hour, before voting began. In order to be named as the
Jesuits’ new superior general, Fr. Sosa would have had to have
received 107 votes (50 percent plus one of the 212 electors). All
aspects of the election are strictly confidential, although the
congregation confirmed that the first person to be notified of Fr.
Sosa's election was Pope Francis.
While Fr. Sosa’s election as Superior General completes one of
the main tasks of GC 36, the group’s work is not over. Now the
delegates will tackle matters of mission, governance and the
state of the Society. Topics may range from the Society’s
changing demographics to challenges in worldwide ministries, to
the Jesuit response to a rapidly changing world, environmental
concerns, poverty and violence. [Sources: GC36.org, Crux]
Do you want to learn more about vocations to the Society of
Jesus? Visit jesuitvocations.org for more information.
“Ignatius’ silence about the Spirit leaves more room to contem-
plate the deeds of that Spirit. As we celebrate the Eucharist at
this altar this morning, may the Spirit fill our silence with the joy
and all the gifts we need to embrace the special mission this day
of choosing the one the Lord has chosen.”
After Mass, the Jesuits assembled in silence in the Aula (Latin for
hall) back at the Jesuit Curia. The delegates then prayed silently
Reprinted from JESUITS magazine (Winter 2016) with permission of
the USA Northeast Province of the Society of Jesus. All rights reserved.
For a free subscription, email [email protected].
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