The Fifth Week: Second Edition [Paperback]

William J. O'Malley (Author), Joseph F. Downey (Introduction), James Martin SJ (Afterword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0829409289 | ISBN-13: 978-0829409284 | Publication Date: January 1, 1998 | Edition: Second Edition, Second

What is THE FIFTH WEEK?

  Every Jesuit novice makes a long retreat—the full Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. One month long, this retreat is divided into four flexible weeks of  meditation: the first week is on the principle and foundation of life; the second on the life of Jesus; the third on the passion and death he suffered; and the fourth on the new, resurrected life of the children of God.

  And the fifth week is the rest of the Jesuit’s life.

  The Fifth Week by William J. O’Malley, SJ, has sold over 26,000 copies since its first publication in 1976. Its pages have encouraged young men listening for their vocations and intrigued countless other readers with stories of Jesuit saints and martyrs, as well as ordinary Jesuits, each fulfilling his unique mission—whether as carpenter, poet, mathematician, or mystic—each living according to his individual talents and interests, but all for the greater honor and glory of God.
  Because the accidentals of Jesuit life and training have evolved in the past two decades, this new edition updates the original by adding James Martin’s new afterword  in which he explores recent developments in Jesuit formation. Father O’Malley has updated other chapters to reflect educational initiatives and training programs launched in the wake of Vatican II.
  The body and soul of this Second Edition of The Fifth Week are still the stirring accounts of the lives and deaths of Ignatius the founder and Xavier the missionary to the East; of Campion, Ciszek, and Chardin in Europe; of Brébeuf and Lord and Pro in the West. We follow O’Malley’s personal journey through questions and doubts to self-knowledge and the dynamic equilibrium of his commitment to life in the Society of Jesus. With humor and  tolerance he records the drama and daily grind with sundry companions.
  The Fifth Week is a great companion for prospective Jesuits: it asks—with them—do you want to be a priest? a religious priest? a Jesuit?

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

Every Jesuit novice spends four weeks making the Spiritual Exercises. The fifth week is the rest of a Jesuit’s life.

From the Back Cover

 What is THE FIFTH WEEK?

Every Jesuit novice makes a long retreat—the full Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. One month long, this retreat is divided into four flexible weeks of meditation: the first week is on the principle and foundation of life; the second on the life of Jesus; the third on the passion and death he suffered; and the fourth on the new, resurrected life of the children of God. And the fifth week is the rest of the Jesuit’s life.
The Fifth Week by William J. O’Malley, SJ, has sold over 26,000 copies since its first publication in 1976. Its pages have encouraged young men listening for their vocations and intrigued countless other readers with stories of Jesuit saints and martyrs, as well as ordinary Jesuits, each fulfilling his unique mission—whether as carpenter, poet, mathematician, or mystic—each living according to his individual talents and interests, but all for the greater honor and glory of God.
Because the accidentals of Jesuit life and training have evolved in the past two decades, this new edition updates the original by adding James Martin’s new afterword in which he explores recent developments in Jesuit formation. Father O’Malley has updated other chapters to reflect educational initiatives and training programs launched in the wake of Vatican II.

The body and soul of this Second Edition of The Fifth Week are still the stirring accounts of the lives and deaths of Ignatius the founder and Xavier the missionary to the East; of Campion, Ciszek, and Chardin in Europe; of Brébeuf and Lord and Pro in the West. We follow O’Malley’s personal journey through questions and doubts to selfknowledge and the dynamic equilibrium of his commitment to life in the Society of Jesus. With humor and tolerance he records the drama and daily grind with sundry companions.

The Fifth Week is a great companion for prospective Jesuits: it asks—with them—do you want to be a priest? a religious priest? a Jesuit?

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Loyola Press; Second Edition, Second edition (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0829409289
• ISBN-13: 978-0829409284
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #163,767 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Congregations & Orders > Specific Congregations & Orders
  • #1 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Clergy > General
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heroes for Today, Hope for the Future, June 22, 2001

By 

James Gallen (St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fifth Week: Second Edition (Paperback)

After my son had studied "The Fifth Week" in his high school religion class I told him to retain it at the end of the class for my reading. It was one of the best literary decisions I ever made.

"The Fifth Week" is divided into three sections: Jesuits of the Past; Jesuits of the Present; and Jesuits of the Future.

It was the first two sections which primarily attracted me to this book. Jesuits of the Past and Jesuits of the Present consist of brief biographies of Jesuit heroes. As a product of Jesuit education, I had heard many of these names, either in sketchy legends or on the nameplates of schools or buildings. This book put stories to these names.

The first and longest biography belongs, fittingly enough, to St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society. During a forced convalescence from battlefield wounds, a reading of the Lives of the Saints transformed this servant of the King of Spain into one of the most illustrious servants of the King of Heaven.

Other biographies bring the brightest stars in the Jesuit sky to life. St. Francis Xavier, after whom my College Church is named, was the great missionary who took the Faith to the Orient. St. Edmund Campion had to me been merely the patron of a building at college. From this book I learned that he was a 16th century Jesuit who trained in Prague before returning to his native England to minister to Catholics during the height of the Reformation persecution of the Church until his martyrdom in 1581.

Another interesting English Jesuit of the Reformation era was St. Nicholas Owen. St. Nicholas was a Jesuit brother who's main ministry was the building of priestly hideouts in the great houses of English Catholics until he was captured and tortured to death in 1606.

One of the most notable exemplars of the Jesuit charism is Matteo Ricci who followed in the footsteps of St. Francis Xavier in bringing the Gospel to the Orient. In keeping with the Jesuit theme of using all things to bring people to God, Matteo followed St. Paul's entreaty to be all things to all men. Immersing himself in Chinese culture and adopting Chinese dress, he obtained acceptance into the Chinese Imperial Court. From this position started a movement which in 50 years was to include 150,000 Chinese Catholics.

Among my favorite heroes are the North American Martyr, St. John de Breboeuf, and Peter DeSmet, the St. Louis based western missionary and patron the high school at which my son studied this book.

The explanation of the suppression of the Jesuits occurring in various places from 1759-1814 was a movement of which I had heard and read but which I did not understand until reading this book..

The Jesuits of the Past section concludes with the biography of Blessed Miguel Pro, "Jesuit Clown.". My family and I had first heard of Miguel Pro during a passing reference in a homily to "Viva Christo Rey-Long Live Christ the King!", his last words while facing a firing squad. His story was, actually, similar to that of St. Edmund Campion. Driven from his native Mexico by anticlerical persecutions, Pro studied in California, Spain, Nicaragua and Belgium. Sneaking back into Mexico after ordination, his skillful use of a series of disguises permitted him to minister to the faithful for 2 years during which he avoided capture by the authorities.

Section 2 highlights contemporary Jesuits. Daniel Lord used teaching, writing, theatre and social action to bring God to his people. World War II made heroes of Carl Hausman, a prisoner of the Japanese in the Philippines and Joseph O'Callahan, a chaplain aboard the U.S.S. Franklin during a devastating Kamikaze attack. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was a paleontologist who brought the faith to the world of science.

Fr. O'Malley begins the transition from Section 2 to Section 3 by introducing the story of his own vocation.

Section 3 is the story of the Jesuits of the Future. An inquiry into the Society of today, the challenges of the world and obstacles to a religious vocation are viewed reflectively. The book concludes with the questions a man must confront in discerning whether he has a vocation to the priestly or religious life. The final pages are devoted to the practical steps one must take in order to explore the possibility of living the Jesuit life.

I began this book I with high expectations. At its conclusion my expectations were fulfilled. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the stories of Jesuit heroes as well as anyone who wants to understand what has attracted so many outstanding men of the past to the Society of Jesus and what continues to attract the Church leaders of tomorrow.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hope For Man, January 12, 2001

By 

Brian Hutzler - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fifth Week: Second Edition (Paperback)

The Fifth Week is meant to be a book to inform those who are interested in becoming Jesuits. However, I feel that this book is meant for anyone at any level of spirtuality. This book provides examples of heroism that anyone can look up to and become inspired, I know that I was. The heroic Jesuits portrayed in the book were real men, with real weaknesses, with real strengths. This authenticity is further strengthened by Fr. William O'Malley's own vocational story, which entailed struggle, hardship, love, and peace. These are realities that we all face, so the book has the ability to coincide with some of our own experiences and trials. The most important thing that this book offers the reader is "the hope for man." We may have hope in the fact that The Society of Jesus will set the world on fire by living out the Good News.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Apropos Introduction to the Society of Jesus, February 21, 2002

By 

Jeff A. Reed (Waller, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fifth Week (Paperback)

Since the founding of the Society of Jesus by Ignatius Loyola, the Jesuits have been a powerful force in the areas of missionary activity, teaching, and preaching. In THE FIFTH WEEK, Father O'Malley writes of renowned Jesuits in the past, and also describes the Jesuit training process. For anyone seeking general insight into the Society of Jesus, THE FIFTH WEEK is a very apropos introductory survey.