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Venerable Luis de la Puente SJ | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Luis de la Puente | |
| Born | (1574-11-11)11 November 1574 Valladolid, Spain |
| Died | 16 February 1624(1624-02-16) (aged 49) Valladolid |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Feast | 16 February (Jesuits) |
Luis de la PuenteSJ (also D'Aponte, de Ponte, Dupont)[1] (11 November 1554 – 16 February 1624) was a SpanishJesuit theologian andascetic writer. He was one of the most esteemed ascetical writer of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.[2] A few years after his death, theSacred Congregation of Rites admitted the cause of his beatification and canonization.
Puente was born inValladolid, the son of Alonso de la Puente, an official of the Chancery, and María Vázquez. At the age of thirteen, he started at the university and obtained a bachelor of arts in 1572. He then attended the DominicanColegio de San Gregorio.[3]
Although his brothers becameDominicans, Luis chose to enter theSociety of Jesus. He began to attend lectures at the Jesuit college given byFrancisco Suarez. In December 1574 he entered the Jesuit novitiate atMedina del Campo, where he took his first vows. In 1576 he resumed his studies in Valladolid at theColegio de San Ambrosio. In 1578 he spent a year at theUniversity of the Holy Spirit, inGuipúzcoa preparing for future teaching work. He spent histertianship inVillagarcía de Campos.[3]
He was ordainedpriest in March 1580 at theColegio de San Ambrosio. Between 1581 and 1584 he was a reader of Arts at the College of León. He worked in preaching, in teaching Christian doctrine and, most especially, as a confessor. Luis de la Puente began to be more a spiritual director than a teacher. He became the spiritual director ofMarina de Escobar.[4] From the end of 1585 to the end of 1589, La Puente was effectively responsible for the training of the Jesuit novices at Villagarcía. In 1589 he returned briefly to Valladolid, and was sent the following year to the College of Salamanca, to serve as prefect. He professed his four vows in January 1593.
In 1598 La Puente was commissioned by the superior general,Claudio Aquaviva, to be inspector of different schools in Castile. In 1599 he devoted himself to the care of theplague-stricken inVillagarcia. He was appointed visitor or inspector of theEnglish College of St. Alban. Much of his work as visitor involved resolving various conflicts at the institutions.[3] As his health was never strong, La Puente had to relinquish his heavy administration burden as rector to become prefect of studies in 1602.
He died in Valladolid.[1]
The 1913Catholic Encyclopedia praises de la Puente's writings as "replete with practical spirituality", describing him as "among the most eminent masters of asceticism". HistorianRobert Ricard [fr] calls him "the architect of a practical theology of spiritual guidance that incorporated different strains of Augustinianism and Thomism with Dionysian mystical theology."[5]
The cause for de la Puente was formally opened on 4 October 1667, granting him the title ofServant of God. He was declaredVenerable byPope Clement XIII on 16 July 1759.[2][6]
La Puente largely dedicated the last sixteen years of his life to writing. Besides a commentary in Latin on theCanticle of Canticles, he wrote (in Spanish):
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Ven. Luis de Lapuente".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
