NOUET, JACQUES. - Ascetical writer, Jesuit, b. at Mainz on 25 March 1605, d. at Paris on 21 May 1680. He entered the Order in 1623 at Rouen. He distinguished himself by piety and sacred learning; from 1659 onward he devoted himself to the care of souls.
Endowed with a clear mind, he wrote several spiritual pamphlets and books, among which the most famous is L'homme d'oraison. Ses méditations et entretiens (6 vols., Paris 1675), which enjoyed very wide circulation and was translated into German, English, and Italian. After his death, the continuation of the work appeared in five volumes: L'homme d'oraison. Ses retraites annuelles (ibid. 1692). N. belonged to the contemplative spiritual current, guiding souls toward the higher degrees of union with God. He was also a fervent promoter of Eucharistic piety, urging souls to frequent and even daily Communion. He opposed Arnauld and the Jansenists and was one of the best apologists of the Society of Jesus, defending it against Pascal’s attacks.