Great Risks Had to be Taken

“In this frank and highly personal account, Patrick Howell walks the reader though the twists and turns in the recent history of the Society of Jesus and artfully weaves his own story into the larger story of the Society and the Church. This is an insider's account that will often surprise you and invariably give you food for thought. I do not know of any book quite like it.”


—John O’Malley, SJ, Georgetown University





“From the Second Vatican Council to the first Jesuit pope, Fr. Patrick Howell gives an informative, engaging account of being a Catholic priest as he tells the fascinating story . . . Anyone interested in Jesuit, Catholic, or American history will find this book a great read.”


—Steven Mailloux, Loyola Marymount University





“Father Patrick Howell offers a fine history of the last sixty years of the Society of Jesus as it struggled to discern how to respond to the call of the Second Vatican Council. By framing this history within the personal events of his own life, Fr. Howell brings alive the many issues discussed around Jesuit dinner tables throughout the years . . . A deeply felt story of a Jesuit’s love for the Church and his fellow brothers.”


—Mark Bosco, SJ, Vice President for Mission and Ministry, Georgetown University





“As a lay person working in a Catholic Jesuit university, and someone without a Catholic history, the book is valuable for giving real context to stories of our mission I have heard and understood only pieces of. This book will be a great resource for learning about and inspiring for the Jesuit mission.”


—Heidi Bulmahn Barker, Regis University