To the Other Towns: The Life of the Blessed Peter Favre, First Companion of St. Ignatius

by William V. Bangert

William Bangert, S.J. While it is well remembered that St. Francis Xavier was an original companion of St. Ignatius at the beginning of Jesuit Order, it has too often been forgotten that there was a very important third person who made up the original trio that were the foundation stones upon which Ignatius built the Society of Jesus. That third person was Blessed Peter Favre, the quiet, gentle and congenial companion of Francis Xavier and Ignatius who labored tirelessly to preach the Gospel with ceaseless travel through Italy, Portugal, Germany and the Netherlands, going wherever he was ordered by Ignatius to lay Jesuit foundations and win souls for Christ. This is the life of Peter Favre, first companion of St. Ignatius, a holy and energetic missionary who, as a young college student had met Ignatius and Francis Xavier at the University of Paris in 1525, and there began the origins of the great Society of Jesus. In this inspiring biography, Fr. William Bangert, S.J., has drawn on many essential historical sources and consulted various experts and documents to present a detailed, moving portrait of this prayerful, humble and zealous Jesuit who spent himself for the cause of Christ, packing into the last seven years of his forty years on earth an incredible program of travel and work that kept him always on the move "to the other towns" to proclaim the Kingdom of God.

346 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

Father William V. Bangert, SJ (1911 - 1985)

Reviews

[Brendan Koop · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a student of St. Ignatius of Loyola and someone who reads any history of 16th and 17th century Jesuit saints that I can get my hands on, I loved this book. Not only does it give a beautiful profile of a beautiful saint, St. Peter Favre, but you really get a flavor for how the Jesuit order truly came to be and how they won so many souls for Christ. Cameos along the way from many other Jesuit saints include St. Peter Canisius, St. Francis Xavier, and of course St. Ignatius of Loyola. Through their correspondence you get such a great look at the early Jesuits, and you also get a unique feel for how they were employed by the Pope to defend the Church intellectually and spiritually against the personalities of the reformation. St. Peter Favre, recently canonized, is truly worthy of this great recognition by the Church, as you will see in the book. Incidentally, he is a personal favorite of Pope Francis and was canonized by him, so you get the extra bonus of insight into the mind and spirituality of Pope Francis.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reads more like an early history of the Jesuits than a strict biography. Lots of names and dates- more for scholarly than pleasure reading. The best parts were the excerpts from Peter's letters- so inspirational and beautiful. I kind of wish I had been reading his "Memoirs" (straight to the source) instead. I think the author may have had Jesuits in mind as his readers, or else people were more informed in Catholic tradition when he wrote this book in 1958. He talks over and over of the Spiritual Exercises as the core foundation of the Jesuit order but he never describes them at all- if you don't know what they are a little independent research there is a must. The Jesuit spirituality which permeates the book is quite refreshing- one sees that it has changed and/or diminished VERY much in modern times.

[Nathaniel nSJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

IHS

Is it the quiet silence of the Carthusians that draws me? Or is it the reverberating echoes of the sons and brothers of Ignatius who, in reverent silence, silence that witnesses the triumph of the Christ, follows this Christ in His trampling of the gates of death on Earth? The life of St. Peter Favre is such an echo: though often overshadowed in modern devotion for His brothers Francis Xavier and Ignatius of Loyola, Peter's labor, far from loud, is a quiet testament to the secret and slow work of God in our lives. In the inexplicable movements of the heart, one's life becomes entirely dense in the total love of Jesus.

AMDG