New book on Pedro Arrupe - first responder at Hiroshima, founder of JRS

Pedro Arrupe SJ

This man may be declared a saint - the cause for the beatification of Pedro Arrupe SJ will be launched in Rome in early February 2019. Yet few people outside religious life are aware of this extraordinary individual, who was a prisoner of Imperial Japan, a first responder when the atom bomb fell on Hiroshima, a pioneer of Catholic social justice and founder of the Jesuit Refugee Service.

Best-selling author Brian Grogan SJ has written Pedro Arrupe SJ: Mystic With Open Eyes. With a foreword by Peter McVerry SJ, this booklet is a succinct account of Arrupe's life, 1907-1991, and highlights his dynamic influence on the Church of today as it labours to build a civilisation of justice and love.

Pedro Arrupe was twenty-eighth Superior General of the Society of Jesus. Fired by the spirit of Vatican II, he spearheaded the renewal of the Jesuits, refocusing the resources and works of the congregation on the mission of justice in the world. Now that the process for his beatification is underway, he is sure to become known across the Catholic world and beyond.

This booklet is one of few published accounts of Arrupe's life and works. It provides a very readable introduction to a modest man who brought about remarkable change, reforming the Jesuit charism and recasting Ignatian spirituality for our times.

Pedro Arrupe SJ -Mystic with Open Eyes by Brian Grogan SJ is published in Ireland and the UK by Messenger Publications.

Priced at €4.95/£4.50