Francisco García, S.J., (1641-1685) entered the Society of Jesus on April 9, 1658. After completing his studies, he was appointed twice as rector of the novitiate in Madrid, where he died. García preached some popular missions in Spain, but he excelled as a writer of the lives of saints, such as the hagiography of Father General Francisco Borja (Alcala, 1671); Fathers Luis de Medina (Madrid, 1673); Saint Francis Xavier (Madrid, 1676); Saint Ignatius Loyola (Madrid, 1685), and Diego Luis de San Vitores (Madrid, 1683). His baroque style was elegant, containing much information on historical data about Jesuit missions in the Far East. He was called to write the first historical text about the Mariana Islands. During many years, provincial procurators regularly brought him annual letters, reports, and detailed descriptions of the archipelago. However, his sudden death left the Jesuits with no other alternative than assigning French Jesuit Charles Le Gobien to authoring the text.
James A. McDonough, S.J. received a doctorate in Classical Philology from Harvard University (1953). He published two critical editions of works by Gregory of Nyssa under the auspices of the Harvard Institute for Classical Studies in the Netherlands: Inscriptiones Psalmorum Brill (1962) and Contra Fatum Brill (1987). He was a distinguished professor of languages and literature as well as an administrator at the University of Guam from 1969-1994 when he retired and shortly thereafter was given Emeritus status. McDonough returned to the classroom for special courses and completed his teaching career at the end of the semester in which he celebrated his 90th birthday in 2001. With a gift for languages, he read widely and conferred an enthusiasm for learning. In addition, he was a Jesuit for over 70 years and brought his experiences to bear on his work. Through his efforts this description of Jesuit missionary efforts in Guam and the Marianas written from first-hand accounts by Francisco García, S.J. is presented in translation for the first time in one complete edition.
