Loyola New Orleans Remembers Father Adolfo Nicolás, former Superior General

The Rev. Arturo Sosa, S.J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on May 20 shared with the Loyola New Orleans community the passing of his predecessor Father Adolfo Nicolás in Tokyo.  Beloved throughout the Jesuit community and around the world, Father Adolfo Nicolás is fondly remembered for his many great acts of service as the 30th Superior General and the warmth and joy he shared with all he encountered.

Affectionately known as “Adolfo” and “Nico” among his Jesuit brothers, Father Nicolás,was born in Palencia, Spain, in 1936. In 1953, he entered the Society at age 17. He was ordained a priest fourteen years later in 1967.

As a scholastic, Fr. Nicolás was sent to Japan, where he was professor of theology, rector of scholastics and provincial, and later dedicated himself to social work with immigrants in Tokyo. For ten years he lived in the Philippines, serving as director of the East Asia Pastoral Institute (EAPI) and as president of the Conference of Provincials of East Asia and Oceania.

Over the last four years following his resignation as General of the Society, he served as a spiritual director at EAPI and in the Arrupe International Residence in Manila.

Father Nicolás was elected Superior General by the 35th General Congregation in January 2008 and served in that role for eight years. When he presented his resignation in October 2016 to the 36th General Congregation, Father Federico Lombardi addressed Father Nicolás with heartfelt words of gratitude for his generous service.

He described the personal style with which Father Nicolás exercised authority as “always full of warmth, goodness, and joy” and recalled his innumerable contributions as Superior General to the progress of the Society and of the Church.

He also reminded the Jesuits of two words that Father Nicolás repeated constantly:  “universality” (of the Jesuit vocation and mission) and “depth” (spiritual and intellectual, for the sake of the mission).

He said that a Jesuit "needs to have a vision that sees the whole world - and at the same time immerse yourself completely where you are and be seeking God all the time," said Fr. James Grummer, S.J., in an interview with America magazine, adding that Fr. Nicolas said Jesuits to serve locally while always having their eyes on the whole world, immersing themselves in God's word.

Fr. Nicolas was a close friend of Popes Benedict and Francis. In 2013, he made a well-remembered call for spiritual and heroic leadership within Jesuit institutions of higher education.

Following an eight-day retreat with his General Council in 2011, Father Nicolás wrote a prayer that Superior General Fr. Arturo Sosa describes as “an excellent synthesis of his person and of his spirituality.”

The prayer arose from Father Nicolás’ meditation on the miraculous catch of fish in the Book of John, Chapter 21.

Lord Jesus, 

What weaknesses did you see in us that made you decide to call us, in spite of everything, to collaborate in your mission? We give you thanks for having called us, and we beg you not to forget your promise to be with us to the end of time. 

Frequently, we are invaded by the feeling of having worked all night in vain, forgetting, perhaps, that you are with us. We ask that you make yourself present in our lives and in our work, today, tomorrow, and in the future yet to come. 

Fill with your love these lives of ours, which we put at your service. Take from our hearts the egoism of thinking about what is “ours,” what is “mine”, always excluding, lacking compassion and joy. Enlighten our minds and our hearts, and do not forget to make us smile when things do not go as we wished. 

At the end of the day, of each one of our days, make us feel more united with you and better able to perceive and discover around us greater joy and greater hope. We ask all this from our reality. We are weak and sinful men, but we are your friends. Amen. 

Father Sosa shared in a letter to the Society of Jesus:

“Reading this prayer reveals the true Adolfo: a wise, humble, and free man; totally and generously given to service; moved by those who suffer in the world, but at the same time overflowing with hope drawn from his faith in the Risen Lord; an excellent friend, who loved to laugh and to make others laugh; a man of the Gospel. It is a blessing to have known him. As we pray for his eternal happiness with the Lord, whom he served so well, we ask to be able ourselves to continue serving the mission as he did, with goodness, generosity, and joy.”

Read more about Fr. Nicolás in America, Vatican News and the National Catholic Reporter.

Hear an interview with America magazine about his spiritual formation and impact on the world around him.