The Roman archives of the Society of Jesus hold over twenty thousand letters—litterae indipetae—in which young Jesuits petitioned their superiors for missions abroad. While these letters are currently well-studied, there is limited insight into the broader social, religious, and political contexts that shaped missionary appointments. This book fills that gap by presenting, translating, and analyzing three early modern documents that offer invaluable perspectives on mission readiness and application.

The first document is a Latin collection by Franz Xaver Amrhyn, S.J. (1655–1731), containing meditative and ascetic texts to help aspiring missionaries discern their vocation. The second is a manuscript formerly held at Ingolstadt, featuring practical advice on qualities required for Eastern missions and a Q&A section on petitioning Rome. The third, Misión a las Indias, is a 1620 Spanish handbook by Girolamo Pallas, S.J. (1594–1670), who upon arriving in Peru detailed his experiences and outlined strategies for navigating the application process.

Together, these documents shed light on the blend of spiritual, practical, and political considerations that informed missionary applications in the Jesuit order during the early modern period.

Front Matter

Pages: i–iii
DOI: 10.51238/IqlKQ7A
Publication Date: 24 October 2025

Preface

Author: Aliocha Maldavsky
Pages: v–viii
DOI: 10.51238/276MJyf
Publication Date: 24 October 2025

Introduction

Authors: Elisa Frei, and Christoph Nebgen
Pages: 1–3
DOI: 10.51238/u771Edf
Publication Date: 24 October 2025

Part I: A Handwritten Manuscript from Ingolstadt

1.1. “For the Candidates to the Indian Missions”

Authors: Elisa Frei, and Christoph Nebgen
Pages: 5–12
DOI: 10.51238/4qw86Ep
Publication Date: 24 October 2025

1.2. “For the Missionaries in the Indies and in the Americas”

Authors: Elisa Frei, and Christoph Nebgen
Pages: 12–25
DOI: 10.51238/759mcu4
Publication Date: 24 October 2025

Part II: Girolamo Pallas’s Handbook for Aspiring Missionaries

2.1. Pallas’s Life and Treatise

Authors: Elisa Frei, and Christoph Nebgen
Pages: 27–31
DOI: 10.51238/dU2CM8j
Publication Date: 24 October 2025

2.2. Book IV—“Spiritual Advice”

Authors: Elisa Frei, and Christoph Nebgen
Pages: 31–34
DOI: /10.51238/iagCSn5
Publication Date: 24 October 2025

2.3. How to Apply for this License

Authors: Elisa Frei, and Christoph Nebgen
Page(s): 35–38
DOI: 10.51238/tPJt885
Publication Date: 24 October 2025

2.4. How to Bid Farewell to Relatives and Other Practical Questions

Authors: Elisa Frei, and Christoph Nebgen
Pages: 38–42
DOI: 10.51238/4ISdu94
Publication Date: 24 October 2025

Part III: Documents

3.1. Critical edition of the manuscript Documenta pro Candidatis ad Missiones Indicas

Authors: Elisa Frei, and Christoph Nebgen
Pages: 43–47
DOI: 10.51238/d7yc3Wz
Publication Date: 24 October 2025

3.2. Critical edition of the manuscript Pro Missionariis Indiarum et Americae

Authors: Elisa Frei, and Christoph Nebgen
Pages: 47–70
DOI: 10.51238/79E4z94
Publication Date: 24 October 2025

3.3. English translation of chapter 4 (“De algunas advertencias espirituales para los religiosos que huvieren de emprender la missión de las Indias”) of Misión a las Indias by Girolamo Pallas

Authors: Elisa Frei, and Christoph Nebgen
Pages: 71–127
DOI: 10.51238/7Hj2bO5
Publication Date: 24 October 2025

Bibliography

Pages: 129–133
DOI: 10.51238/I7GBzJ0
Publication Date: 24 October 2025

Index

Pages: 135–138
DOI: 10.51238/Vxm09Fg
Publication Date: 24 October 2025

Primary manuscript sources

Pro Candidatis ad Missiones Indicas. In Beckmann, “Missionsaszetische Anweisungen.”

Pro missionariis Indiarum et Americae. Munich. Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Library (UBM). 4 Cod. Ms. 118 (digitized and available on the Internet at: urn:nbn:de:bvb:19-epub-15025-9).

Rome: Archivum Romanum Societatis Iesu (ARSI)

Peru 22
Peru 2 (1)
Hispania 86°
Epistolae Nostrorum 9
Fondo Gesuitico 750, 754
Germania Superior 18 I, II, III
Rhenania Inferior 15
Rhenania Superior 42

Primary published sources

Epistolae praepositorum generalium ad patres et fratres Societatis Iesu, tomus secundus, complectens epistolas from 1650 to 1847. Rollarii: Typis Iulii de Meester, 1909.

Intorcetta, Prospero. Compendiosa narratio de statu missionis Chinensis ab anno 1581 usque ad annum 1669. Rome, 1671.

Pallas, Gerónimo. Misión a las Indias: De Roma a Lima; La Misión a las Indias, 1619 (Razón y visión de una peregrinación sin retorno). Edited by José Jesús Palomo Hernández. Sevilla: Ministero de Educación y Ciencia; Consejo superior de investigaciones científicas, 2006.

Schurhammer, Georg and Joseph Wicki, eds. Epistolae S. Francisci Xaverii aliaque eius scripta. 2 vols. Rome: Monumenta Historica Societatis Iesu, 1944–45.

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Frei, Elisa. Early Modern Litterae Indipetae for the East Indies. Leiden: Brill, 2023.

Frei, Elisa. “In Nomine Patris: The Struggle Between an Indipeta, His Father, and the Superior Generals of the Society of Jesus (1701–1724 ca.).” Chronica Mundi 13, no. I (2018): 107–23.

Frei, Elisa. “The Many Faces of Ignazio Maria Romeo, SJ (1676–1724?), Petitioner for the Indies: A Jesuit Seen through his Litterae Indipetae and the Epistulae Generalium.” Archivum Historicum Societatis Iesu 85, no. 170 (2016): 365–404.

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APA

Frei, E., & Nebgen, C. (2025). Interview with the missionary: Frequently asked questions for Jesuit petitioners for the Indies. Chestnut Hill, MA: Institute of Jesuit Sources. https://doi.org/10.51238/oaJY41a

CMOS

Frei, Elisa, and Christoph Nebgen. Interview with the Missionary: Frequently Asked Questions for Jesuit Petitioners for the Indies. Chestnut Hill, MA: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2025. https://doi.org/10.51238/oaJY41a.

MLA

Frei, Elisa, and Christoph Nebgen. Interview with the Missionary: Frequently Asked Questions for Jesuit Petitioners for the Indies. Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2025. https://doi.org/10.51238/oaJY41a.

Turabian

Frei, Elisa, and Christoph Nebgen. Interview with the Missionary: Frequently Asked Questions for Jesuit Petitioners for the Indies. Chestnut Hill, MA: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2025. https://doi.org/10.51238/oaJY41a.