The General Congregations of the Society of Jesus are its legislative body. They are held for two reasons: either to elect a general and/or to address matters of greater moment, hence, the title of a collection in English of the first thirty General Congregations, For Matters of Greater Moment, The First Thirty Jesuit General Congregations--A Brief History and a Translation of the Decrees, by John W. Padberg, S.J., et al (Institute of Jesuit Sources, St. Louis, 1994). The major value of this volume is that John Padberg has given a very succinct introduction to these General Congregations and has provided a readable translation of their decrees. The post-Vatican II congregations, GC 31, 32, 33 and 34 are all available through the Institute of Jesuit Sources. One will note immediately that there is a quantum leap between the first 30 congregations, with their focus primarily on common life and juridical questions, and the post-Vatican II congregations, which are efforts to bring a spiritual theology into the reflections of Jesuits and their colleagues.
There have been 34 General Congregations since the founding of the Society in 1540. The ones that are best know today are the 32nd General Congregation (1974-1975), because it linked "the service of faith" with "the promotion of justice" as constitutive elements in every Jesuit ministry, and the 34th General Congregation (1995) for several documents: on inter-religious dialogue, on inter-cultural dialogue, on partnership between Jesuits and lay men and women, and on Jesuits and women. Cf. the relevant headings below.