Superior Generals of the Society of Jesus – Jesuit Studies Digital Collection

The Society of Jesus—much like “all well-organized communities or congregations”—appoints a person “whose proper duty,” according to the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus, “is to attend to the universal good.” For the Jesuits in particular, the superior general’s “duty is the good government, preservation, and growth of the whole body of the Society.” (Rather than militaristic in tone, the name “Superior General” or “Father General” connotes the general or broad responsibilities of the position.) The qualities desired in a superior general appear Part IX of the Constitutions, the selection included in the Portal’s Essential Documents. In nearly 500 years, there have only been 31 men who have served as the superior general of the Society of Jesus. Some facts about the 31 fathers general:

At the time of their election, the men averaged more than 38 years of service in the Society. Since the restoration, that average has been 41 years.
The generals were an average of 58 years old at the time of their election; three were 70 or older upon election.
Excluding the current father general, the men have served an average of 5,215 days.

For more on the rationale for the position of the father general, please consult Antonio de Aldama’s The Constitutions of the Society of Jesus: The Superior General, Notes for a Commentary.

Creator: Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies

Description: Chronotaxis of the Secretary General of the Society of Jesus

id	N.	Name	Place of Birth	Date of Birth	Date Generalate Began	Age at Election	Years in the Society at Election	Position in the Society at Election	Date Generalate Ended	Duration of Generalate, in Days	Place of Death	Date of Death	Other Details
1	1	Ignatius de Loyola	Loyola, Spain	c. 1491	April 19, 1541	50	< 1	—	July 31, 1556	5,582	Rome	July 31, 1556	Also known as Iñigo Lopez de Oñaz y Loyola Canonized: March 12, 1622
2	2	Diego Laínez	Almazán, Spain	1512	July 2, 1558	46	17	Provincial of the Italian Province	January 19, 1565	2,293	Rome	January 19, 1565	Also known as Diego Laynez
3	3	Francis Borgia	Gandía, Spain	October, 28, 1510	July 2, 1565	55	19	Spanish and Portuguese Assistant, Rome	October 1, 1572	2,648	Rome	September 20, 1572	Canonized: June 20, 1670
4	4	Everard Mercurian	Marcourt, Belgium	1514	April 23, 1573	59	25	German Assistant, Rome	August 1, 1580	2,657	Rome	August 1, 1580
5	5	Claudio Aquaviva	Atri, Italy	September 14, 1543	February 19, 1581	37	14	Provincial of the Roman Province	January 31, 1615	12,399	Rome	January 31, 1615	Also known as Claudio Acquaviva
6	6	Muzio Vitelleschi	Rome, Italy	December 2, 1563	November 15, 1615	51	32	Italian Assistant, Rome	February 9, 1645	10,679	Rome	February 9, 1645	Also known as Mutio Vitelleschi
7	7	Vincenzo Carafa	Andria, Italy	May 9, 1585	January 7, 1646	60	42	Rector of the Roman College, Rome	June 8, 1649	1,248	Rome	June 8, 1649	Also known as Vincenzo Carrafa
8	8	Francesco Piccolomini	Siena, Italy	October 12, 1582	December 21, 1649	67	49	Professor of Philosophy at the Roman College, Rome	June 17, 1651	543	Rome	June 17, 1651
9	9	Luigi Gottifredi	Rome, Italy	May 3, 1595	January 21, 1652	56	43	Secretary of the Society, Rome	March 12, 1652	51	Rome	March 12, 1652
10	10	Goswin Nickel	Koslar, Germany (North Rhine-Westfalia)	May 1, 1582	March 17, 1652	70	48	German Assistant, Rome	July 31, 1664	4,519	Rome	July 31, 1664
11	11	Giovanni Paolo Oliva	Genoa, Italy	October 4, 1600	July 31, 1664	63	48	Perpetual Vicar General, Rome	November 26, 1681	6,327	Rome	November 26, 1681
12	12	Charles de Noyelle	Brussels, Belgium	August 27, 1615	July 5, 1682	67	52	German Assistant, Rome	December 12, 1686	1,621	Rome	December 12, 1686
13	13	Tirso González de Santalla	Arganza, Spain	January 18, 1624	July 6, 1687	63	44	Missionary, Spanish Province	October 27, 1705	6,688	Rome	October 27, 1705	Also known as Thyrsus González de Santalla
14	14	Michelangelo Tamburini	Montese, Italy	December 6, 1648	January 31, 1706	57	42	Secretary of the Society, Rome	February 28, 1730	8,794	Rome	February 28, 1730
15	15	Frantisek Retz	Prague, Bohemia	September 13, 1673	March 7, 1730	56	41	Central European Assistant, Rome	November 19, 1750	7,562	Rome	November 19, 1750	Also known as Franz Retz or Francis Retz
16	16	Ignazio Visconti	Milan, Italy	July 31, 1682	July 4, 1751	68	49	Italian Assistant, Rome	May 4, 1755	1,389	Rome	May 4, 1755
17	17	Luigi Centurione	Genoa, Italy	August 29, 1686	November 30, 1755	69	52	Italian Assistant, Rome	October 2, 1757	672	Castel Gandolfo	October 2, 1757
18	18	Lorenzo Ricci	Florence, Italy	August 1, 1703	May 21, 1758	54	40	Secretary of the Society, Rome	August 16, 1773	5,566	Rome	November 24, 1775
19	—	Franciszek Kareu	Orša, Belarus	December 10, 1731	—	—	—	—	—	—	Polotsk, Belarus	August 11, 1802	Served as the Superior General of the Society of Jesus in Russia: March 1801–August 11, 1802
20	—	Gabriel Gruber	Vienna, Austria	May 6, 1740	—	—	—	—	—	—	St. Petersburg, Russia	April 7, 1805	Served as the Superior General of the Society of Jesus in Russia: October 22, 1802–April 6, 1805
21	19	Tadeusz Brzozowski	Kaliningrad, Russia	October 21, 1749	August 7, 1814	64	49	Superior General of the Society of Jesus in Russia	February 5, 1820	2,008	Polotsk, Belarus	February 5, 1820	Served as the Superior General of the Society of Jesus in Russia: 1805–1814 Became Superior General of the Society of Jesus upon the Order’s restoration in 1814
22	20	Luigi Fortis	Verona, Italy	February 26, 1748	October 18, 1820	72	58	Vicar of Rome	January 27, 1829	3,023	Rome	January 27, 1829
23	21	Jan Roothaan	Amsterdam, Netherlands	November 23, 1785	July 9, 1829	43	25	Vice Provincial of the Italian Province	May 8, 1853	8,796	Rome	May 8, 1853
24	22	Pieter Jan Beckx	Zichem, Belgium	February 8, 1795	July 2, 1853	58	34	Provincial of the Austrian Province	March 4, 1887	12,298	Rome	March 4, 1887	Also known as Peter Jan Beckx
25	23	Anton Anderledy	Berisal, Switzerland	June 3, 1819	March 4, 1887	67	49	German Assistant, Rome	January 18, 1892	1,781	Fiesole	January 18, 1892
26	24	Luis Martín	Melgar de Fernamental, Spain	August 19, 1846	October 2, 1892	46	28	Secretary of the Society, Fiesole	April 18, 1906	4,945	Rome	April 18, 1906
27	25	Franz Xavier Wernz	Rottweil, Germany (Württemberg)	December 4, 1842	September 8, 1906	63	48	Rector of the Gregorian University, Rome	August 19, 1914	2,902	Rome	August 19, 1914
28	26	Wlodimir Ledóchowski	Loosdorf, Austria	October 7, 1866	February 11, 1915	48	26	German Assistant, Rome	December 13, 1942	10,167	Rome	December 13, 1942
29	27	Jean-Baptist Janssens	Mechelen, Belgium	December 22, 1889	September 15, 1946	56	39	Provincial of the Northern Belgian Province	October 5, 1964	6,595	Rome	October 5, 1964	Also known as John Baptist Janssens
30	28	Pedro Arrupe	Bilbao, Spain	November 14, 1907	May 22, 1965	57	38	Provincial of the Japanese Province	September 3, 1983	6,678	Rome	September 3, 1983
31	29	Peter-Hans Kolvenbach	Druten, Netherlands	November 30, 1928	September 13, 1983	55	35	Rector of the Oriental Institute, Rome	January 14, 2008	8,889	Beirut	January 14, 2008
32	30	Adolfo Nicolás	Villamuriel de Cerrato, Spain	April 29, 1936	January 19, 2008	71	55	Moderator of the Jesuit Conference for Eastern Asia and Oceania, Philippines	October 3, 2016	3,180	Tokyo	October 3, 2016	Also known as Adolfo Nicolás Pachón
33	31	Arturo Sosa	Caracas, Venezuela	November 12, 1948	October 14, 2016	67	50	Delegate for Interprovincial Houses, Rome	—	—	—	—

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