Articulating a Jesuit Philosophy of Education in the Twentieth Century: A Critical Translation and Commentary on the Instructio of 1934 and 1948

This article critically examines the development and revision of the Instructio issued to the American Assistancy in 1934 and 1948, foundational documents for Jesuit educational philosophy in the twentieth century. The first section provides a detailed analysis of the Instructio’s context, its discourse on Jesuit education, and the ideals it promoted, with particular focus on the evolving understanding of personalis alumnorum cura—a precursor to the more familiar cura personalis. This analysis highlights the document’s role in shaping Jesuit educational frameworks and its response to modern educational needs. The article then presents a critical translation of the 1934 Instructio, followed by a critical translation of the 1948 Instructio. Through these translations and their contextual analysis, the study explores the Instructio’s contributions to unity and cooperation among provinces, its approach to religious and scholastic philosophy, and its integration of the Ratio studiorum in American Jesuit schools.