ABSTRACT
Jean Guenolé Marie Daniélou was born on 14 May 1905 into a cultured family closely linked to the elites of early twentieth-century France. His father, Charles, a politician of the Centre Left, several times achieved ministerial office in the administrations of Aristide Briand. The elder Daniélou’s Republicanism and disapproval of clerical interventions in politics made him, for the period, an unlikely believer. Daniélou’s mother, Madeleine, a more traditional Catholic, was a professional educationalist, much involved in projects to secure the entry of women into higher learning. Daniélou deemed her religious faith, which was both intelligent and deeply spiritual, the chief formative influence on his own. 1 The attraction to her of Ignatian spirituality heralded her eldest son’s eventual entry into the Society of Jesus. 2
