Luis Martín
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Luis Martín y García, S.J., (August 19, 1846 - April 18, 1906) was the twenty-fourth Superior-General of the Society of Jesus. Martín was born of humble parentage at Melgar de Fernamental, Burgos, Spain in 1846. After a six year course in the Burgos seminary, he entered the Jesuits in 1864. He moved to France and studied philosophy at Léon. He studied and taught theology at Poyanne. He was ordained in 1876. Not long after his ordination, the Loi Ferry of 1880 forced Jesuits to leave France. Fortunately the restoration of the Spanish monarchy in the 1870s had now made it possible to repatriate Jesuits back to Spain. On his return to Castile, Martín rose rapidly to high office, and was successively rector of the seminary of Salamanca, superior of the college of Deusto-Bilbao, provincial of Castile, and vicar. Martín was general of the Society from October 2, 1892, until his death.
After his election, Martín took a round-about route back to Fiesole, Italy in order to visit England, Ireland and the Netherlands. It was his only visit to countries which would provide many of the problems of his generalate. Martin's problems in dealing with Northern European Jesuits can be better understood if one remembers that the Jesuit dissidents with whom he was familiar in Spain were of the reactionary and anti-intellectual type. This experience did little to prepare him to understand the more liberal ideas of northern European Jesuits.
His talents were shown in such works as the rebuilding of the great seminary at Salamanca, the foundation of the Cornillense seminary, and his plan for compiling the history of the Jesuits. He was known as one of the great orators and writers of his time. His published works include: Discurso leido en el tercer centenario de la muerte de Sta. Teresa (discourse on St. Teresa's centenary); De Studiis Theologicis ordinandis; an epistle to the fathers and brothers of the society; articles in El Mensajero, of which he was editor for some years; and some uncollected poems.
Even at the beginning of his term Martín's physical health had been poor and it grew steadily worse with the years. In 1905, a tumor forced the amputation of his right arm. Pope Pius X granted him permission to celebrate mass despite his disability, a privilege for which he was most grateful. The cancer, however, soon invaded his lungs and he died at Fiesole, on April 18, 1906.
| Preceded by Anton Anderledy |
Superior General of the Society of Jesus 1892–1906 |
Succeeded by Franz Xavier Wernz |
- This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.
