- Anton Anderledy
Anton Maria Anderledy, (
June 3 ,1819 , Berisal (Valais), Switzerland -January 18 ,1892 , Fiesole (Florence), Italy) was a Swiss Jesuit, elected the 23dSuperior General of the Society of Jesus .Religious and academic formation
Son of a director of the
postal services , Anderledy entered theJesuit novitiate at Brig in 1838. After the novitiate, he taught for 2 years (1842-44) the classics at the college ofFribourg , where he excelled as aLatin scholar.Philosophy was done inRome (1844-47) where he began also his theological studies. For reason of health, however he moved back to Fribourg. When the Jesuits were expelled from Switzerland (November 1847), Anderledy carried on his theological studies for a while inChambéry (Savoy ) from where another expulsion order (March 1848) drove him with fifty others to theUnited States . Still a student ofTheology he completed the course inSt. Louis, Missouri , and was finally ordainedpriest (29 September 1848) there, by ArchbishopPeter Richard Kenrick .Missionary, Rector, Provincial
For two years (1848-50) Anderledy took care of the pastoral needs of the German migrants at
Green Bay, Wisconsin , where he devoted himself with great energy to his flock. He was recalled to Europe in 1850, first in order to make his final year of formation (called 'Tertianship') inDrongen ,Belgium and soon after (1851), in Germany, to be a member of the 'missionary band' led by FatherPeter Roh . With him he took part in more than 40 popular missions in different German towns. In 1853, he was chosen to be rector of Jesuit students inCologne . He accompanied them toPaderborn and remained in charge of their studies until 1859, when he was appointed Provincial of the German Province. During Anderledy's term of office, which lasted six years, he purchased the splendidmedieval abbey of Maria Laach, nearBonn , where he established the province-house of higher studies. In 1865, he was himself sent to Maria-Laach as professor ofmoral theology . From there he launched the well-known Theological journal "Stimmen aus Maria-Laach". In 1870, Anderledy was called toRome as Assistant to the Jesuit Superior-General, for the German-speaking provinces.General Congregation XXIII
Superior General
Pieter Beckx , 88 years old and infirm, had called a General Congregation in order that a Vicar General (with rights of succession) be given him. Due to the great uncertainty of the political situation in Italy, General Congregation XXIII did not meet in Rome but atFiesole (Firenze) in 1883. The electors chose with near unanimity Anton Anderledy as Vicar-General (and Successor to be) ofPieter Beckx . The same Congregation passed also a decree that condemned 'Liberalism in the Church' and strengthened Theological and scientific formation in the Society. It did express also strong support for the Gregorian University.Vicar General, General
In January 1884 Anderledy assumed all the duties of the Superior-General as Beckx went into retirement in Rome. On Beckx's death in 1887, Anderledy became in title the
Superior-General of the Society of Jesus .
* The few circular letters he wrote to the Society are largely on religious and spiritual themes: the canonization ofEdmund Campion (and others), promotion of the devotion to the Sacred-Heart, and again canonizations ofAlphonsus Rodriguez ,John Berchmans andAloysius Gonzaga .
* He expressed strong support toPope Leo XIII , first by backing strongly (in a letter of 1884) the Pope's condemnation offreemasonry in "Humanum Genus ", and later by condemning vicious anti-papal writings that were circulating in France.
* During this time, the Jesuits were banned in many of the nations ofEurope ; indirectly this promoted apostolic work overseas. The Canadian mission was upgraded and made independent fromEngland . New missions were started inMoldavia (1885),Pune (India , 1886),El Minya (Egypt , 1887). Several Theologates andUniversities were founded too:Enghien (French Jesuits in exile inBelgium , 1887), Los Gatos (California ),Kurseong (India , 1888),Tananarive (Malagasy, 1888), etc
* He edited and published a new edition of Reuter's "Neo-Confessarius", which he annotated.Appreciation
* Anderledy's term is characterized by its brevity, coming as it does after his immediate predecessors' long terms of office. He had to run the Society also from a situation of exile: his headquarter ("Curia Generalizia") was at
Fiesole (Firenze) and not Rome. This caused much inconveniences to hisgovernment .
* In his handling of the Jesuits he was known for great firmness of character. He showed also a modern interest in scientific studies inJesuit schools .
* In spite of very difficult circumstances - at one point all Jesuit schools ofFrance andItaly were confiscated and their staff sent into exile - the number of members of the Society continued to increase: from 11481 when he was elected, to 13275 in 1892.References
* BAUMGARTNER, A., A.R.P. Antonius Anderledy, in "Stimmen aus Maria-Laach", vol.42 (1892), pp.241-265.
* STAEHELIN, E., "Der Jesuitenorde und die Schweiz", Basel, 1923.
* SYRE, O.J. (ed), "Jesuiten", Graz, 1954.
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