In 1950 Father Ernest J. Burrus, S.J., of the New Orleans Province was transferred to Rome to work with the Jesuit Historical Institute. From the beginning his involvement was primarily with the history of the Society in the Americas, especially North America and Mexico. Over the twenty-four year period of his apostolate he produced more than forty volumes of historical documentation and commentary. During that same period he assisted in the microfilming irreplaceable and scattered Jesuit documents; the depository for those microfilms was chosen to be St. Louis University which helped substantially in their acquisition and maintenance.
A half-century has now passed, and the needs and goals of the historical apostolate in the Society have changed, although its importance has not diminished. During the time Fr. Burrus spent in Rome he developed an active and vigorous American Division of the Jesuit Historical Institute. Supported in part by the American Provincials (now the Jesuit Conference) and in part by private grants and book sales, he initiated a publication program entitled "Sources and Studies for the History of the Jesuits" and "Sources and Studies for the History of the Americas." Both of these series remain outside the subject concern of the Monumenta publications of Rome, but they involved subjects of significance to the Society and the Church in each field. The publications program enjoyed Europe's favorable economic climate for the decades of the 50's and 60's; printing quality was good and production costs were low.
The deteriorating health of Fr. Burrus, the rising costs of publication, and the internal problems of the Jesuit Historical Institute converged to make a reassessment of the American Division's operations advisable. Although Burrus remained productive, his strength diminished markedly and employment in Rome imperiled his survival. The cost and complexity of printing books in Rome began to match comparable production costs in the United States; hence, sales and distribution as well as production within the United States seemed more reasonable for the immediate future. And finally problems beset the Jesuit Historical Institute in Rome such that few younger historians were replacing the members of the Roman community. Father Assistant Horatio de la Costa, appointed as special consultant on the future of the Historical Institute by Father General Pedro Arrupe, recommended decentralization -- not a dissolution -- of the historical apostolate. As a professional historian, Father de la Costa recognized that the goals of the Rome-based Institute were nearing completion and regional centers offered more immediate response to the needs of research and publication. His observations and suggestions were made to Father General Arrupe in anticipation of the 32nd General Congregation, which, he presumed, would specifically address the situation. The Congregation, however, deliberated on broader issues, particularly on Jesuit identity and the Mission of the Society. The emphasis on working with the non-believer and within the context of secular society embraced the concepts central to De la Costa’s critique. Thus, the letter of Father General Arrupe (below) confirming the transfer of the ADJHI materials to Tucson was an implementation of the decrees of the recently concluded Congregation.
Several options were open to a possible transfer of the American Division operations. Father Burrus could have accepted the offer of several colleges or universities to retire into their communities while attempting to sustain some level of productivity. His return to the United States and continued work required the transfer of the documentary collection; a return to St. Louis was considered unwise for health reasons. Consequently, the relinquishment of the materials in Rome was ruled out. Added to this was the fact that the collection had little relevance to projects real or anticipated at the Roman Institute. The major thrust of Fr. Burrus' work and the nature of the collection focused on northwest Mexico. Fr. Burrus had as a collaborator in some of his later work, Fr. Charles Polzer, S.J., (CAL). Through his auspices the University of Arizona was made aware of the problems faced by Fr. Burrus. They in turn extended an invitation to the American Division to house its collection of microfilms and reproductions there. A faculty appointment, salary, and research assistant were provided to the American Division in return for access to the collection, which would enhance research and advance academic potentials at the University. This plan reflected precisely the kind of cooperative use recommended for the Society's extensive archival holdings.
Consequently the American Division of the Jesuit Historical Institute appealed to the Jesuit Conference that they approve the arrangements which were mutually worked out with the University of Arizona. The requisite permissions were sought and enthusiastically granted by Rome. Father General Arrupe gave his approbation. On the occasion of the transfer it was proposed that the Jesuit Conference recognize the establishment of an American Research Center for Jesuit History. This research center was to provide materials for the study and publication of historical and anthropological works bearing on the apostolic efforts of the Society in America. It was to provide assistance to the several national and regional agencies in matters of historical preservation and cultural understanding. The research center therein proposed was to be functional and not institutional by design. That is, the proposal of this center was for the recognition of a research group and not the erection of a separate, institutional apostolate requiring real estate, buildings, or other large material acquisitions.
The concept of the center involved a continuation of the productive work that was based in Rome with the correlative responsibility on the part of the center's staff to encourage, facilitate, edit and publish deserving studies in the history of the Society or of the Americas. The establishment of this center was to give visibility to the separate apostolic thrust of the American Division of the Jesuit Historical Institute as distinct from the other widespread educational and intellectual efforts of the Society in the United States.
Several reasons were given for the choice of the University of Arizona as the site for this transfer. First, the content of the materials in the microfilm collection deal largely with the missions of northwest New Spain (Mexico). The usefulness of this material bears directly on cooperative research with the University of Arizona, the Instituto National de Antropología e Historia of Mexico, and the U.S. National Park Service. Secondly, the existence of a Jesuit residence in Tucson made it possible for Jesuits to consider spending time there to do research and writing in a suitable climate and setting. Third, the arrangement with the University of Arizona created new possibilities of cooperation with secular institutions that not only enhance the apostolic value of the work but add to the opportunities for financial support from sources not otherwise available from hard-pressed Jesuit institutions. Fourth, the developing interest in the early history and multi-cultural background of the region is intimately involved with the history of the Society of Jesus who introduced this part of the world to Christianity and western civilization. Fifth, because there are no institutions of higher learning operated by the Church in the entire state and only three Jesuit universities offering higher degrees on the extreme peripheries of the Southwest (Loyola-Marymount, Los Angeles; Loyola of New Orleans; and Regis University, Denver), it seemed only correct that the Society of Jesus maintain some activity that has reasonable hope of contributing to the cultural climate in one of the fastest growing parts of the United States. For these reasons Tucson was chosen with the hope that some new start might be made to discharge our apostolic obligations in an other wise neglected region.
Charles W. Polzer, S.J.
Kino House, Tucson
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This page last updated 29 June 2003
All contents copyright by the American Division Jesuit Historical Institute 1998.