The Society of Jesus

The Society of Jesus was founded in 1540 by St. Ignatius Loyola with the approval of Pope Paul III. Beginning with 10 companions who desired nothing more than to help others find God in their lives, Ignatius’ original plan was for the Jesuits to be traveling missionaries who would preach and administer the sacraments wherever there was the hope of accomplishing the greater good.

Very soon after the foundation of the Society, it became clear to Ignatius that schools offered the greatest possible service to the Church, by making devotional life accessible to the young and by teaching the Gospel message of service to others. And so, beginning with its first school in Messina, Sicily, in 1548, the Jesuits would build a global educational network that today includes nearly 3,500 schools that educate approximately two million students from a wide variety of religious, cultural, social, and language backgrounds in five continents and 80 countries.

Today, the 15,000-plus Jesuits worldwide come from 112 countries and belong to approximately 80 provinces and regions, but the order has a universal character that transcends these boundaries. Indeed, Jesuits are called on to go anywhere across the geographical and cultural frontiers where there is need of working with Christ in educational, intellectual, pastoral, and missionary endeavors for the greater glory of God.