About the Journal
Focus and Scope
Studies in the Spirituality of Jesuits (SSJ) is a product of the Seminar on Jesuit Spirituality. This Seminar is composed of a group of Jesuits appointed from their provinces in the United States. The Seminar studies topics pertaining to the spiritual doctrine and practice of Jesuits, especially American Jesuits, and gathers current scholarly studies pertaining to the history and ministries of Jesuits throughout the world. It then disseminates the results through this journal. The issues treated may be common also to Jesuits of other regions, other priests, religious, and laity, to both men and women. Hence, the studies, while meant especially for American Jesuits, are not exclusively for them. Others who may find them helpful are cordially welcome to read them. SSJ is sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies (IAJS) and published by the Institute of Jesuit Sources, the publishing house of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Subscriptions
The electronic version of this journal is available in Open Access. Subscriptions to the print version of this journal are available by emailing the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies.
Publication Frequency
Studies in the Spirituality of the Jesuits is published triannual. Multimedia articles, such as interviews, are published online only on a continuous basis throughout the calendar year. Multimedia articles are made available as soon as they are ready to ensure that there are no unnecessary delays in making content publicly available.
History
The first issue of Studies in the Spirituality of Jesuits (SSJ) appeared in September 1969. After the Second Vatican Council’s Perfectae Caritatis [Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life], the ten American provincials formed a committee, the Seminar on Jesuit Spirituality, with one representative from each province. These men were to address issues raised by the Council in light of Jesuit history, the foundation documents, and lived experience. The Seminar was headed by George Ganss, S.J., director of the Institute of Jesuit Sources, then housed at St. Louis University. The Seminar began to publish the results of its work in Studies in the Spirituality of Jesuits. The organization gradually became more flexible in its membership.
In 2014, the Institute of Jesuit Sources moved to Boston College with the creation of the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies under the directorship of Casey C. Beaumier, S.J. In 2025, the operations of SSJ officially moved under the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies at Boston College, being published by the Institute of Jesuit Sources. The editorial function of SSJ remains a work of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States and the Seminar in the Spirituality of Jesuits.
Open Access Policy
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. Additionally, readers do not have to create an account in order to access issues of the journal.
This journal does not charge article processing charges (APCs) or submission charges and there is no embargo period for publication.
All content published in Studies in the Spirituality of Jesuits is licensed for re-use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Unported License.
