Best wishes… in the Society of Jesus!
Birthdays and anniversaries are part of the life of all of us, not excluding religious men and women. Jesuits celebrate two very important moments in their journey in the Society: anniversaries of life in the Order for both fathers and brothers, and those of priestly ordination for priests.
In all the annual catalogues of the Society of Jesus, on the very first pages, the anniversaries of life in the Society and priesthood that fall in that particular year are noted: starting from 50 years of religious life, then 60 years, 70 years, 75 years and for the longest fathers, 80 years of life in the Society.
The Euro-Mediterranean Province of Jesus boasts several members who have reached 75 years of life in the Company and 60 years of priesthood.
On this occasion they receive a greeting card from the Province and one directly from the Father General of the Society of Jesus, a tradition rooted in the past and still carried on today.
In the archives, it is not uncommon to find these cards, filed in the Jesuit’s personal file, at the time of his death; today we see at close quarters the celebration of a Jesuit reaching his fiftieth year of religious life.
During the reorganisation of the Veneto – Milanese Province Fund, a corpulent fund of about 100 linear metres, where about three thousand personal files are kept, some cards donated to the Jesuits were found, precisely on the occasion of special anniversaries linked to life in the Society.
In the photo you can see a card intended for Fr Luigi Berzieri for his fiftieth anniversary of entering the Society of Jesus. It was made by Jesuits in formation who were studying philosophy in Puerto Rico in 1904, who signed themselves ‘philosophers’.
The cover depicts the Jesuit from behind, surrounded by fundamental texts, close to the bookcase. There are also personal items such as glasses and study instruments, a globe and a small owl.
On the backs of the texts one can read the names of poets such as Leopardi and Dante.
The Company’s motto: Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam.
Inside is the programme for the day, all in honour of the father: it begins with a choir that pays homage to the Jesuit’s origins, followed by stanzas, poems, sonnets, but also symphonies by Rossini performed on the flute and with the accompaniment of other instruments.
It is the brothers themselves who realise and stage the whole thing, faithful to the tradition of using theatre, song and dance as pedagogical tools typical of the Society of Jesus.
The programme is also illustrated and framed by figures of animals: a fish, a crab, birds and a snake.
On the back of the programme was the Latin motto ‘Ad perpetuam rei memoriam’ a wish that came true, today the programme will be kept forever in Father’s personal file and helps to reconstruct the daily life of the Jesuits, even at such important and heartfelt moments as the anniversary of religious life in the Society.
Maria Macchi
