- Vincenzo Carafa
Vincenzo Carafa or Caraffa (
5 May 1585 , Andria (Italy ) -6 June 1649 ,Rome ) was an Italian Jesuit priest and spiritual writer, elected the 7thSuperior-General of the Society of Jesus . He is aServant of God .He was of the family of the Counts of
Montorio , and a relative ofPope Paul IV . He entered theSociety of Jesus on 4 October, 1604, and was sixty years of age at his election as general. He died four years after.He had taught philosophy and governed the principal house of the Society at Naples, and was provincial at the time of the election to the generalship. In 1635 he had published his "Fascetto di Mirra" (Bundle of Myrrh), which has been translated into several languages. He is the author of several other
ascetic al works, such as "Cammino del Cielo", "Cittadino del Cielo", "Il Peregrino della terra", "Idea Christiani hominis", and "Il Serafino", all previous to his election. He wrote under the name Aloysius Sidereus.Besides personal correspondence his only known writing as Superior General was his letter addressed to all Jesuits: "De mediis conservandi primævum spiritum Societatis" (The means of preserving the primitive spirit of the Society).
His short term in office coincided with the beginning of the controversy with
Jansenist theologians and the troubles with Palafox, Bishop ofLa Puebla . A great scandal occurred in Spain because of unsuccessful business speculations by acoadjutor brother , and in France on account of the open apostasy toCalvinism of a priest; but the martyrdom of men likeIsaac Jogues ,Brébeuf , Neville, and others in Canada and England was an assurance that the Society's ancient fervour had not relaxed.The
Confraternity of the Bona Mors was instituted at the suggestion of Father Carafa.References
*CatholicEncyclopedia
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