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MICHIGAN AS A PROVINCE 1 - 5
Many of the narratives are trivial , and inconsequential, but on the other hand, many deal with matters other than the mere personal incidents of individual conversions and give valuable information concerning the country, its characteristics, the people, their life, customs and superstitions. Together these relations constitute a body of unimpeachable testimony and are of profound interest to the ethnologist not less than to the historian. From these circumstances, more perhaps than from their numbers or activity, the Jesuit missionaries are better known to-day than those of any other order.
The Society of Jesus was founded by Ignatius de Loyola in 1534. He was a native of Spain and was a brave and dashing soldier with military tastes and ambition. At the defense of Pampeluna in 1521 a cannon ball disabled both his legs and cut short his military career in his youth. While slowly recovering from his wounds he devoted his time to reading and study. His attention was drawn to religious matters, with the result that he became deeply absorbed in them. He resolved to devote himself to the spiritual welfare of mankind. Disciples came to his support and in August, 1534 they assembled in the abbey church1 of Mont-martre and each took a solemn vow to go to the holy land and preach the gospel to the infidels. He instructed
his disciples that if any one should ask them what religion they professed, to answer that they belonged to the Society of Jesus, since they were Christ's soldiers. They took vows of perpetual chastity and poverty and also of unquestioning obedience to their superior, and set forth as a militant order for evangelization. So it came about that this organization was especially adapted to the work of carrying forward missionary enterprises among heathen nations.
MICHIGAN
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