Friday, July 15, 2005

i was a jesuit in a former life

While vainly Googling my Christian name, I decided to go past the usual entries that I find (Ambassador to Gabon, Sugar Regulatory Advisor, etc) and found a link to a site about Jesuit saints.

According to the link, my namesake lived from 1519 to 1575, and he "taught philosophy and theology before he entered the Society at some of the more celebrated universities of Europe: Salamanca, Paris and Louvain. He had studied at the universities of Alcalá, Paris, and Louvain and became one of the important architects of the educational program for the Jesuit schools..."

He also "published in Italy a catechism for the 'very ignorant' and another for the 'less ignorant.' The general structure of catechisms were influenced by the catechism of Peter Canisius. [His] work ran through many editions and translations well into the seventeenth century and were even used with the indigenous peoples in New France..."

I also did some Googling using a Spanish variation on my first name, "Diego", because apparently the Jesuit was also known by this name.

Interesting stuff. But I don't have time to go into it all.

Have a nice weekend, folks!

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