From Father José de Mena to Father José Soares S.J.

Abstract

This study outlines the biographical journey of a Jesuit priest named José Soares, who
apparently had no other significance than having been a companion of Father António Vieira.
The references made to him, mainly in the Letters of Father Vieira, allow us to contextualize key moments in his life. According to the current practice of the Society of Jesus, they were assigned the role of being companions of each other, at least since the expulsion of the Jesuits from Maranhão, during Father Vieira’s exile in Coimbra, the trial and imprisonment in the prison of the Holy Office. Above all, it is worth noting that Father José Soares accompanied Father Vieira to Rome, where the Clavis Prophetarum was written, and collaborated intensely in the editing of part of the volumes of the Sermons, acting as his alter ego as collaborator and amanuensis.