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St Ignatius recognized the importance of letter writing. In the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus, written in 1558, Ignatius was particularly concerned to ensure that those dispersed members of the Society sent to all parts of the world retained a sense of belonging and union. Ignatius issued detailed instructions on the frequency and subject matter of letters to ensure that individual Jesuits remained in contact with their local superiors, that superiors stayed in contact with provincials and, in turn, that provincials stayed in contact with Fr General. As well as prescribing the frequency of letters, Ignatius expected a certain standard of letter writing and he is said to have returned letters which were unfinished, incoherent, or simply written in poor Latin.

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Collection's Items (Sorted by Submit Date in Descending order): 21 to 40 of 43
Issue DateTitleAuthor(s)
1552-10-25To Father Gaspar Barzaeus, in Goa: From Sancian, October 25, 1552 (EX II 503-505; FX N 630.632)Xavier, Francis
1552-04-06First Instruction for Father Barzaeus, on Temporal Administration: From Goa, between April 6 and 14, 1552 (EX 1393-399; FX IV 534-536)Xavier, Francis
1549-01-20To Father Simão Rodrigues, in Portugal: From Cochin, January 20, 1549 (EX II 35-44; FX III 587-589)Xavier, Francis
1544-09-11To Francisco Mansilhas, in Punicale: From Manapar, September 11, 1544 (EX I 234-235; FX II 454-455)Xavier, Francis
1540-07-26To Fathers Ignatius Loyola and Pietro Codacio, in Rome: From Lisbon, July 26, 1540 (EX I 47·49; FX 620-621)Xavier, Francis
1546-11-05Letter of Nicolo Lancilotto to Ignatius of Loyola, in Rome: From Goa, November 5, 1546 (D! I 131-146)Xavier, Francis
1544-12-18To Francisco Mansilhas, in Punicale: From Cochin, December 18, 1544 (EX 1244-247; FX II 473-474)Xavier, Francis
1545-01-27To Ignatius of Loyola, in Rome: From Cochin, January 27, 1545 (EX I 257-260; FX II 537-538)Xavier, Francis
1542-09-20To his Companions Living in Rome: From Goa, September 20, 1542 (EX I 119-128; FX II 271-273)Xavier, Francis
1542-01-01To his Companions Residing in Rome: From Mozambique, January 1, 1542 (EX I 91-93; FX II 95-96)Xavier, Francis
1545-05-08To Master Diogo and Father Micer Paulo, in Goa: From Mailapur, May 8, 1545 (EX I 291-294; FX II 593-595)Xavier, Francis
1549-06-22To Fathers Paulo, Antonio Gomes, and Baltasar Gago: From Malacca, June 20-22, 1549 (EX II 123-135; IV 15-18)Xavier, Francis
1555-02-26To Melchior Carneiro: Rome, February 26, 1555 (Letter 5218: VIII:489f. ; in Spanish)Ignatius, of Loyola
1554-09-15To the Jesuits Leaving Rome for Portugal and thence traveling on to Ethiopia: Rome, September 15, 1554 (Appendix de rebus Aeth., no. 1.: VIII:677-S0; in Spanish)Ignatius, of Loyola
1547-10-26To Simio Rodrigues: Rome, October 26, 1547 (Letter 202: I:599f.; in Spanish)Ignatius, of Loyola
1546-10To Simao Rodrigues: Rome, October 1546 (Letter 141: 1:429f.; in Spanish)Ignatius, of Loyola
1555-04-07To João Nunes Barreto, Patriarch of Ethiopia Appendix about Ethiopian Affairs: Rome, ca. April 7, 1555 (Vol. VIII, no. 2,680-90; in Spanish)Ignatius, of Loyola
1546-10To King John III of Portugal: Rome, October 1546 (Letter 140: 1:429; in Spanish)Ignatius, of Loyola
1555-02-23To Claudius, Negus of Ethiopia: Rome, February 23, 1555 (Letter 5205: VIII:460-67; in Spanish)Ignatius, of Loyola
1555For the Jesuit Superior in Ethiopia Regarding Ethiopian Affairs: Rome, 1555 (VIII: 696-98: Appendix no. 5; in Spanish).Ignatius, of Loyola
Collection's Items (Sorted by Submit Date in Descending order): 21 to 40 of 43
As the Society expanded rapidly with more members, houses and provinces, so the web of correspondence became ever more complicated. Some of Ignatius’ early instructions, particularly regarding the frequency of letters, had to be adjusted. Despite these changes, the Jesuit predilection for letter writing was firmly established.