Book Launch and Exhibition: The Second World War through Jesuit Archives: The Case of Europe (1939–1945)
Wednesday 18 March 2026, 6.00pm–8.00pm
London Jesuit Centre, 114 Mount Street, London, W1K 3AH
You are warmly invited to the launch of The Second World War through Jesuit Archives: The Case of Europe (1939–1945), a distinctive collaborative publication drawing on Jesuit archival material from across Europe. Co‑edited by Rebecca Somerset, Damien Burke, and Christian Taoutel, this volume brings together correspondence, reports, personal reflections and community records to present how members of the Society of Jesus experienced and responded to the tumult of the Second World War.
As this article on the Jesuits in Britain website explains, the book highlights not only major historical events but also the daily realities of Jesuits as teachers, scholars, chaplains and pastors working under conditions of uncertainty, displacement and danger, and underscores the vital role of archives in preserving voices that might otherwise have been lost.
The evening will begin with an opportunity to view the accompanying exhibition, which showcases selected archival documents from institutions across Europe, followed by the official launch and a talk by Revd Dr Brian Mac Cuarta SJ. The book will be available for purchase on the night and copies will be signed by contributors where possible. Refreshments will be served throughout the evening, and there will be time to view the exhibition both before and after the talk.
We hope you will join us for what promises to be an engaging and informative event that brings to life new perspectives on history through the Jesuit archival record.
You can sign-up for the event here: Book Launch & Exhibition: The Second World War through Jesuit Archives
Deepen your spiritual life this Lent with a flexible retreat—pray daily, meet weekly, and discover the ‘sacred within the ordinary,’ run in collaboration by the Edinburgh Jesuit Church, Ps & Gs Church, and the Epiphany Group.