Coming of Age in the Archdiocese of Boston

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas K. Rademacher
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Coming Of Age ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Washington Dc ◽  
Parochial School ◽  
Ignatian Spirituality ◽  
Boston College ◽  
Catholic University ◽  
Catholic University Of America

Paul Hanly Furfey’s childhood and young adulthood in the Archdiocese of Boston introduced him in direct and indirect ways to broader developments with in the Roman Catholic Church. He attended parochial school, and attended Jesuit run Boston College High School and Boston College. The Jesuits introduced Furfey to Ignatian spirituality, in particular the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Fufey’s early years were influenced by broader developments in the church concerning centralization of ecclesiastical operations and a rise in authoritarian governance. Debates surrounding Americanism and Modernism were a factor during this era. As he matured, Furfey wrestled with intellectual and spiritual doubt. He resolved to remain committed to Catholicism. Upon graduation from college, Furfey served as a lay evangelist with the Catholic Truth Guild before departing to Washington, DC to attend graduate school at The Catholic University of America.

DIALOG Z HUMANIZMEM RENESANSOWYM W DZIEŁACH PIOTRA SKARGI / PIOTR SKARGA’S DIALOGUE WITH RENAISSANCE HUMANISM

2013 ◽  
Vol 54 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 405-424
Author(s):  
Alina Nowicka -Jeżowa
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Ignatian Spirituality ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Renaissance Humanism ◽  
Cultural Conditions ◽  
Political Views ◽  
The City ◽  
The Church

Summary The article tries to outline the position of Piotr Skarga in the Jesuit debates about the legacy of humanist Renaissance. The author argues that Skarga was fully committed to the adaptation of humanist and even medieval ideas into the revitalized post-Tridentine Catholicism. Skarga’s aim was to reformulate the humanist worldview, its idea of man, system of values and political views so that they would fit the doctrine of the Roman Catholic church. In effect, though, it meant supplanting the pluralist and open humanist culture by a construct as solidly Catholic as possible. He sifted through, verified, and re-interpreted the humanist material: as a result the humanist myth of the City of the Sun was eclipsed by reminders of the transience of all earthly goods and pursuits; elements of the Greek and Roman tradition were reconnected with the authoritative Biblical account of world history; and man was reinscribed into the theocentric perspective. Skarga brought back the dogmas of the original sin and sanctifying grace, reiterated the importance of asceticism and self-discipline, redefined the ideas of human dignity and freedom, and, in consequence, came up with a clear-cut, integrist view of the meaning and goal of the good life as well as the proper mission of the citizen and the nation. The polemical edge of Piotr Skarga’s cultural project was aimed both at Protestantism and the Erasmian tendency within the Catholic church. While strongly coloured by the Ignatian spirituality with its insistence on rigorous discipline, a sense of responsibility for the lives of other people and the culture of the community, and a commitment to the heroic ideal of a miles Christi, taking headon the challenges of the flesh, the world, Satan, and the enemies of the patria and the Church, it also went a long way to adapt the Jesuit model to Poland’s socio-cultural conditions and the mentality of its inhabitants.

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