Simão Rodrigues

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Simão Rodrigues

Simão Rodrigues de Azevedo (* around 1510 in Vouzela , Viseu district , Portugal ; † July 15, 1579 in Lisbon , Portugal) was a Portuguese clergyman (SJ) and companion of St. Ignatius of Loyola and co-founder of the Jesuit order . He was also the first religious provincial of the Society of Jesus in Portugal and was instrumental in the expansion of the order overseas.

He is one of the seven founding members alongside the order's founder Ignatius von Loyola. He was also one of the most important Portuguese Jesuits alongside Father Manuel da Nobrega and Father Antonio Vieira in the history of the Order in Portugal.

Live and act

Rodrigues came to Lisbon in 1527, where he went to Paris on a scholarship from the King to study theology , literature and philosophy. He has a PhD in theology. During his student days he met Ignatius von Loyola, the founder of the order, who was later canonized, and his companions, whom he joined. In 1534 he was involved in the founding of the Jesuits and is considered one of the founding fathers of the order. In 1537 he was ordained a priest.

In 1546 he became the first religious provincial of the Society of Jesus in Portugal. Already in 1552 there were 300 members in Portugal, however Rodrigues had already been deposed in 1551 due to his quick temper and mistakes in the organization of the province under his control. He was also the teacher of Crown Prince Johann Manuel . In 1542 the religious house for Portugal was established by King Dom João III. Solemnly opened in Evora , Rodrigues himself founded other houses, such as the Collegio de Jesus in Coimbra and the Collegio Espirito Santo in Evora. Evora became the Jesuit capital of Portugal. During his tenure, Father Manuel Nobrega founded the first Jesuit mission in Brazil and thus carried the Jesuit idea into the areas of the Portuguese colonies.

In 1553 Rodrigues was summoned to Rome because of the problems with the order , directly to Ignatius' headquarters. He listened to his version and met him with respect and love. Nevertheless, he set up a commission to investigate what was going on. Rodrigues was finally removed from office for good. He had to repent and was not allowed to return to Portugal.

From 1564 he lived in Besano , Italy . In 1573 he got permission to at least come to the Iberian Peninsula and from then on lived in Spain . He stayed with Ignatius von Loyola and King Dom João III until his or her death. in correspondence.

With the permission of the general of the order, he spent the last years from 1574 in Lisbon to prepare for death. He died there and was buried in the São Roque Church.

Rodrigues' correspondence and writings were published in Portuguese in 2016.

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  • Memorias fundacioneis e outros escritos (letters, sermons, other writings), Editorial AO Lisbon 2016

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