Boston College’s Jesuit Sources has published a new book, Scars of Faith: Jesuit Letters from the Mariana Islands (1668-1684), that offers a collection of primary sources dealing with the Jesuit martyrdom in the 17th century Mariana Islands.
The documents and letters are offered in their original languages and in English from Jesuit missionaries such as Fr Diego Luis de San Vitores, Fr Luis de Medina, and Fr Manuel de Solórzano y Escobar. They tell a gripping account of the Jesuits and their encounters with the people of the Mariana Islands, including the native Chamorro people. The book traces Jesuit martyrs on the frontier missions of “the Pacific” and their accounts of sociocultural clashes, violence, and efforts for peace and evangelisation.
Editors Alexandre Coello de la Rosa and David Atienza provide exquisite commentary to place these primary sources in context with not only the martyrial context of the time, but also of the cultural complexities of the conceptualisation of death among the indigenous communities and how it affected the reception of Christianity.
The Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific has a special relationship with the Jesuits in Pacific countries, notably Micronesia, where Jesuits serve in a number of ways on the islands of Pohnpei, Chuuk, Guam, Yap, and Palau.
Scholars and readers interested in the history of the Society of Jesus, Asia Pacific, or of martyrdom will find this book essential reading.
Scars of Faith: Jesuit Letters from the Mariana Islands (1668-1684) can be purchased here.
