The Pope, Francis I, was ordained via the Society of Jesus
(aka: Jesuits, or S.J.) and is the first Jesuit elected to succeed Peter as the
head of the western/Roman Catholic Church. That has me thinking about the influence
other Jesuits have had on me, and our world. As I recall, they were founded in
response to the reformation and have long stressed educational pursuits. In
fact, when I think about it some of the finest universities in the USA are
Jesuit institutions of higher learning. So, let me briefly tell you about two
members of the S.J. that have had positive impacts on me over the decades:
Father Pierre-Jean De Smet and Father Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. I have never,
ever, been mistaken as a Francophile, but these two extraordinary individuals
certainly make me think that the spirit that was Jean Valjean was real.
Father Pierre Jean De Smet was born
in what is now Belgium, and spent the majority of his life doing mission work
amongst Native American Indian nations & tribes in the northern plains and
Rocky Mountains. Fr. De Smet is most famous for being a friend of Tatanka
Yotanka (Sitting Bull), and for having been at the Treaty of Fort Laramie talks
in 1868 (which Sitting Bull never signed). I was fortunate during my National
Park Service career to have worked as a Park Ranger-Historian at Little Bighorn
and Fort Laramie, two locations that Sitting Bull famously visited. In a
popular photo of Sitting Bull he wears a
large crucifix. From whom do you suppose that Hunkpapa holy man received such a
sacred symbol? During a senior year History honors seminar I was criticized for
not being critical enough of the man, and like a “monk writing in a cell,
trying to get De Smet canonized…” Fair enough, but during research of primary
documents I found that he’d been made aware of the presence of gold in the
northern Rockies decades before gold-rush to same (Bozeman Trail/Red Cloud War),
and remained silent (except in his journal) as he knew what an adverse impact
it would have on his friends, the nations residing there. Pretty extraordinary:
a non-interference “prime directive” long before Star Trek.
I wonder how much my career, and worldview, was framed and
impacted by this man? Was me desire to protect and repatriate cultural
patrimony a result? Probably.
Because of my studies in ancient Chinese history, when I
began graduate work I took an interest in archaeology and the works of Father
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. In addition to being a priest, he was a scientist
(geologist & paleontologist) had been involved early in his scientific
career with Piltdown Man (later found to be a hoax, not his), a decorated
veteran of World War I (stretcher-bearer), and deep cosmic thinker &
writer. Because of his emerging and evolving views, he came into conflict with
the S.J. position on “Original Sin” and was banished to China. There he became
part of an all-star science team that was responsible for the re-discovery of
Peking Man (early hominids, post Java Man) +/- ½ million years ago. Also
participating in numerous paleontological expeditions, he continued constantly
lecturing and writing throughout his life, while he tried (without success) to
get S.J. permission to return to his native France. His ideas, with evolution
being part of the divine milieu, were too controversial during his lifetime (but,
part of Vatican II perspectives). He spent his adult life enlarging and
enriching our universe and helping us to better understand…
“I believe that the
universe is an evolution
I believe that
evolution proceeds toward spirit.
I believe that the
spirit is fully realized in a form of personality.
I believe that the
supremely personal is the universal Christ.”
THANK YOU gentlemen…
