In the decade following the Second Vatican Council - roughly 1965-1975 - the Jesuit order underwent an internal transformation probably greater than any it had experienced in its previous 400 years. The Re-Formed Jesuits provides a detailed history of this Jesuit experience in the United States. This history has significance beyond itself on at least three levels. First, nearly all the other religious orders in the United States have had a similar experience. Further, the entire Catholic Church, at least in the West, has undergone a similar transformation, stemming from similar roots. A detailed history like the present one provides a unique window into that larger scene. The Jesuit history lies within still another circle of significance: it is part of a major cultural shift in the West and supplies a unique measure of the strength of that shift. The extent to which the Jesuits were affected by the general cultural shift serves as a kind of seismic measure of the strength of those trends. The Re-Formed Jesuits is based almost entirely on primary sources, which includes several hundred interviews with people who were active in bringing about changes. The history is also based on documentes of many kinds: proceedings of meetings, house histories,official published documents, and much correspondence.

"I have read every line of The Re-Formed Jesuits (vol. 1). It is a fine piece of Jesuit history."
- Very Reverend Hans Kolvenbach, S.J.
General, Society of Jesus

"In the 60's and 70's Americans went through a period of rapid and radical cultural change. Father Becker shows that the effects of that culture 'shock' were manifested in young men who entered the Jesuits during that time. They changed the Society of Jesus and made it into what it is today."
- Fr. Kenneth Baker, S.J.
Editor, Homiletic and Pastoral Review

"Fr. Becker's book will stand as perhaps the single most comprehensive and insightful work on post-conciliar American religious life."
- James Hitchcock
St. Louis University

Fr. Joseph Becker, S.J., formerly a professor at Georgetown University and St. Louis University, is presently the Director of the Jesuit Center for Religious Studies, Xavier University.