„In Societatem affectu“
„In Societatem affectu“

Celebrants and Preachers at Jesuit celebrations in Telč in the first half of 18th Century

Summary/Abstract: Based on the excerpt from the annual reports, the study brings a list of celebrants and preachers who were invited to celebrate the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Francis Xavier to Telč (Jesuit Church of the Name of Jesus) between the years 1700–1740. It focuses on celebrations of the feast taking place in the House of the Third Probation, where the Jesuits were preparing to make their final promises and where, as we suppose, the cult of Jesuits saints could be even more alive than in other colleges. The article shows that both roles – both the preachers and the celebrants of the celebratory/famous mass – were usually assigned by the rectors of the college to persons other than the priests of their own community. Based on the identification of these invited persons, the following conclusions are formulated: domestic Jesuits preached only exceptionally during the feasts of the Jesuit saints and if they did, it was more likely on the feast of St. Francis Xavier; the Jesuits most often entrusted the sermon to the priests from the circle of their own patron parishes, next in line were the Mendicant priests. The celebrants were most frequently the superiors from the Canonry of Nová Říše or deans from the nearby area. This way the celebrations followed the vision of the superiors of the college as the “subordinate” clergymen quite certainly preached according to the Jesuits’ ideas. In addition, the patrons verified their abilities and loyalty. Thanks to their authority, abbot and provost from the Canonry of Nová Říše undoubtedly contributed to the splendour of the whole event.

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