In March, the Macau Ricci Institute (MRI) devoted its MRI Seminar to the Suppression and Restoration of the Society of Jesus.  The one-day seminar focused first on the Suppression of the Society in Europe, and on the last Jesuits who survived in Beijing, China.  It presented the historical background and encouraged reflection on this from the perspective of the Jesuit Chinese Province and then from the Macau perspective.  It also addressed the question of the Restoration and its manifestation throughout the art and architecture of the new Society of Jesus in Macau and China.

MRI director Fr Artur Wardega SJ said the seminar was part of a series of commemorative talks organised in response to the invitation of Fr General Adolfo Nicolas’ letter to the whole Society and the wish of the Provincial of the Chinese Province.  They wanted to create an academic space for local Jesuits and their lay collaborators and facilitate reflection and understanding of this crucial period in Jesuit history.  

The purpose of the seminar, said Fr Wardega, was “to elucidate the state of the Society and to bring closer some vivid stories of our Companions dispersed in Russia and China, who were struggling with the survival and looking forward to the final restoration of the Society”.

The presentations at the one-day seminar held at the Institute on March 12, 2014, were:

“Adam Beckers (1744-1806), (ex-) Jesuit in Amsterdam, and the Restoration of the Society of Jesus in Europe” presented by Fr Paul Begheyn SJ, director of the Netherlands Institute of Jesuit studies in Amsterdam and archivist of the Dutch Jesuits.

“Beyond Suppression and Restoration: the Jesuits in China, an Essay at Some Reading of History” presented by Fr Yves Camus SJ, the MRI researcher.

“Suppression and Restoration of the Society of Jesus in China” written by Fr Fernando Mateos SJ, the 94-year-old Chinese province historian and archivist, and presented, in Fr Mateos’ absence, by Fr Wardega SJ.

“The Last Remaining Jesuits in China after Suppression” presented by Dr Liu Jingjing, MRI research fellow.

“Rising from the Ashes: the Gothic Revival and the Architecture of the New Society of Jesus in China and Macao” presented by Dr César Guillén-Nuñez, MRI research fellow.

There were general discussion sessions after the presentation of each paper with lively debate between speakers and participants, who included the superiors of two Jesuit communities in Hong Kong and Macau as well as eight mostly young Jesuit brothers from Hong Kong.

The papers presented during the seminar will be uploaded on the MRI website: www.riccimac.org for large consultation.

In October, the Institute will hold an international symposium entitled “Jesuit Survival and Restoration 1773 – 1814: 200th Anniversary Perspectives from Boston and Macau”, organized in conjunction with Boston College in the United States.