Br. Boynton Attends Election of New Jesuit Leader

Brother Jim Boynton, SJ, formerly of St. Ignace, was in this audience in Rome when Pope Benedict XVI received the new Superior General Adolfo Nicolás, SJ, in January. (Photographs courtesy of the Society of Jesus)

Brother Jim Boynton SJ, formerly of St. Ignace, represented North America during the 35th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus in Rome in January. He participated in the election of the new Superior General Adolfo Nicolás, SJ. Following the election, Br. Boynton also met Pope Benedict XVI.

A group of 225 Jesuit electors from around the world gathered for two months in Rome to elect the new head of the order and to write decrees and documents that will set the course for the future. There are about 20,000 Jesuits worldwide.

The election came after three days of prayers and one-on-one conversations between delegates, said Br. Boynton, who is the director of programs at Ste. Anne's Parish on Mackinac Island. Translators were available for those who did not have a common language.

"During this time," said Br. Boynton, "the large building of the Jesuits' main offices, in the shadow of the Vatican dome, was very silent, and the chapel was always very full.

Brother Jim Boynton, SJ (left) with newly elected Superior General Adolfo Nicolás, SJ.

"The election process was extremely moving, as well as interesting. At the time of the final election, all the delegates gathered in a large room known as the aula, and at the end of the vote Father Adolfo Nicolás was chosen as the 29th successor to St. Ignatius."

The 467-year-old Society of Jesuits was formed by St. Ignatius of Loyola in 1540.

The former moderator of the Jesuit Conference of East Asia and Oceania, Father Nicolás, 71, was elected January 19, succeeding Father Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, 79, who left the post due to his age. Father Nicolás, who is from Spain, spent most of his career in Japan.

"I personally find Father General Nicolás to be very personable, inspirational," said Br. Boynton, "and with a great sense of humor."

Br. Boynton is the son of Ollie and Patty Boynton of St. Ignace and a 1985 graduate of LaSalle High School. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University and a master's degree from Weston School of Theology in Boston, Massachusetts. Presently, he serves as the vocation director for the Detroit Province and directs programs for summer workers on Mackinac Island. He has taught history at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio, and the University of Detroit Jesuit High School. Br. Boynton spent a year in Mexico studying Spanish and working in a Mexican prison. He has ministered in Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and Guatemala.