Both volumes of A Journey of Faith Promoting Justice (1891–2024) are now available to download. Edited by Fr Xavier Jeyaraj, SJ, the work brings together more than 130 years of the Society of Jesus’ commitment to social justice. It offers an opportunity to explore this history and find guidance for the challenges facing our mission today.

Its pages remind us that the promotion of justice flows from faith and leads us to an ever deeper faith, as General Congregation 34 affirms. They also convey the invitation of Fr Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, SJ, to embrace justice in love as “the dream of God for us and our own clear responsibility”.

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The initiative emerged during the jubilee of the Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat in 2019. What began as a proposal to bring together key documents grew into a collection of more than 1,500 pages. Its preparation involved extensive archival research and the translation into English of texts previously available only in Latin.

The first volume includes a historical overview of the social apostolate, relevant Complementary Norms of the Constitutions, decrees of the General Congregations and letters from the Superiors General. The second brings together addresses, statements, interviews and conversations with the Superiors General, alongside other important documents of the Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat. Together, these texts offer insight into how this commitment has found expression across different areas of the mission. Understanding this journey, Fr Jeyaraj notes, helps us build on what we have learnt and shape our responses to today’s challenges.

At SJES, we thank Fr Xavier Jeyaraj, SJ, for the dedication, rigour and care with which he has brought this work to fruition. We deeply appreciate this generous service to the Society of Jesus and to all of us who share in its mission.

Learn more about the work and how it came together here:

Faith and Justice: Fr Jeyaraj brings together over 130 years of Jesuit involvement in social justice