The Society of Jesus is delighted with the news that Pope Francis has recognized a miracle attributed to Father Philip Jeningen SJ. This means that nothing more stands in the way of the beatification of the "good Father Philip", who worked as a popular missionary in the 17th century.

"It is special for us that one of our Jesuit brothers has been granted this honour," said Provincial Fr Bernhard Bürgler SJ. "In the Ignatian Year, in which we remember the conversion of Ignatius 500 years ago, this is a grace for all of us."

Born in Eichstätt (Bavaria) on 5 January 1642 and entering the Jesuit Order in 1663, Philipp Jeningen saw himself called to be a missionary, following the example of St Francis Xavier. However, the Order assigned him the eastern Alps in southern Germany as a mission area and sent him as a pilgrim chaplain to Ellwangen, where he built a new pilgrimage church on the Schönenberg. From there he was active as a popular missionary in the dioceses of Augsburg, Eichstätt and Würzburg. He died on 8 February 1704 and is buried in the Basilica of St Vitus in Ellwangen.

"Father Philipp Jeningen lived entirely from the spirituality of the Spiritual Exercises and thereby helped many people to be renewed by the God of their lives," says Fr Bürgler. Through simple sermons, a convincing lifestyle and Human kindness, he had a great charisma. "People felt that he believed what he said and - this was perhaps even more important - that he did not demand anything of them that he did not do himself and do in excess."

The Provincial invites all Jesuits and the Ignatian Family to take the forthcoming beatification as an occasion for renewing our life-mission from the spirit of the Spiritual Exercises. "May the pilgrim Philip Jeningen and his missionary zeal be a model for us to set out at any time to where we can be of more service to reconciliation based on justice, faith and solidarity with the poor."

The beatification process was initiated as early as 1945, and the so-called "heroic degree of virtue" was established in 1989. Decisive for the Pope's placet was an "inexplicable healing" of a man from the diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart from an incurable disease due to the intercessions of his relatives to Father Jeningen.