A brief overview of the Society of Jesus (a.k.a. the Jesuits)

1. A.k.a: Who are those Jesuit Aka –
guys anyway…? “The Society of Jesus”
A combined effort of Washington Council #224 & the Holy Trinity Young Adult Community | Washington, DC

2. Jesuits in the World — January 2007[1]
Region Jesuits %
South Asia Assistancy 4,018 20.9%
USA 2,952 14.2%
South Europe 2,448 12.7%
West Europe 1,958 10.2%
East Asia-Oceania 1,672 8.7%
South Latin America 1,513 7.9%
Adolfo Nicolas
Africa 1,430 7.4%
30th Superior General North Latin America 1,374 7.2%
East Europe 1,119 5.8%
3,730 Jesuit 18 Publishing In the US: Central Europe 732 3.8%
Schools Worldwide Houses including • 68 Parishes TOTAL 19,216 100%
serving 2.5m Loyola Press & • 28 Universities
students Ignatius Press • 71 Secondary Schools
Largest single
170,000 Children in
50 countries 199 Saints & religious order
(collectively, the Franciscan
helped by Jesuit Blesseds communities are bigger)
Relief Services

3. • Orig. "Ad maiorem Dei gloriam inque
• Monogram for Christ hominum salutem“- "for the greater glory
• Adopted by St. Ignatius for of God and salvation of humanity."
whole order • any work that is not evil, even one that
would normally be considered
inconsequential to the spiritual life, can be
spiritually meritorious if it is performed in
order to give glory to God.
• Frequently used by JPII as a closing

4. WITH A CONTEMPLATIVE
AN EXTERNAL WORLDVIEW… HEART
The Spiritual Exercises
• Std: 30 day retreat, though adapted countless
Finding God Anywhere & Everywhere ways
• Focused on discerning God’s will for one’s life
MAGIS – Always looking to be more, to do • Silent reflection guided by a Spiritual Director
more for the world, to go further and farther • Includes active use of the Imagination – putting
oneself in Biblical stories
Constantly trying to become “Men & Women
for Others” Daily Examen
• Silent reflection 1-2 times per day
Focused on Discernment – finding God’s Will
• 5 Parts:
in your life
• Thinking about what we’re grateful for
• Inviting God into our lives
An outlook & approach, not a specific plan • Examining the day – paying attention to
feelings of “consolation & desolation”
• Contrition for the times when we have failed
• Praying hopefully for the future

5. A nobleman from Leading to religious conversion Studied to be a Priest,
Maimed in a
the Basque while recovering, laying down his meeting the group that
battle with
Region intending arms on altar at Montserrat & would found the
the French
to be a solider visions at Manressa Society of Jesus
Originally
intended to be an
ascetic to the
Holy Land, but
failed repeatedly
Didn’t intend to
found an Order
The idea for an
order evolved
over time
Founded the Society of
Wrote the Constitutions – Wrote
Jesus in 1540 w/ group from
modeling it after a The
Paris – incl. Francis
military organization w/ Spiritual
Xavier, Peter Faber, Francis
obedience to the Pope Exercises
Borgia

6. St. Francis Xavier The Ratio Studiorum
Matteo Ricci The Pontifical
first to India & st to find success in China a part of the Jesuit
1 Gregorian University
Japan education system
(Ming Dynasty) via first University
that would form the
integration with Confucian founded by the Jesuits
basis for modern
values in 1551
Liberal Education

7. Jacques Marquette Bento de Góis Christopher Clavius Johann Adam Schall
Went with French into Proved that the One of the first in the von Bell
Canada, becoming one legendary Cathay was Church hierarchy to Advisor to the
of the first Europeans China by traveling conclude that the Shunzhi Emperor of
to penetrate that far from India to China by heliocentric theory was the Qing dynasty that
into the continent way of Afghanistan correct; Proposed a developed new ways
and Pamirs calendar reform that of predicting eclipses
became the Gregorian
Calendar

8. • Colonial Powers & Treatment of natives
Challenged • Corruption, spiritual sloth, venality, etc inside the
Church
• Their techniques had given them wealth, power, &
Meanwhile
success
Suppressed in 1767 Except in Russia (and Restored in 1814 by
by Clement XIV a few others) Pius VII
• For essentially political • Included Poland under • Papal Bull Sollicitudo
reasons Russian Rule omnium ecclesiarum
• Places where Church’s
authority didn’t extent
• Polish leader became de
facto Superior General

9. England & Wales, St. Peter
St. Ignatius 1535-1679 Canisius St. Stanislaus
de Loyola
The Martyrs
N. American
of Nagasaki,
Martyrs, 1649
1597
The Mexican
Martyrs, 1929
St. Francis
St. Aloysius Xavier
Gonzaga
Martyred
El Salvador St. Peter
Martyrs, 1989 Claver Saints & Blessed

10. James Martin Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
• Chaplain of The Colbert Report • Author of The Phenomenon of Man
• Writer of The Jesuit Guide to
(almost) Everything
Joseph O'Callahan Gerard Manly Hopkins
• Navy Chaplain & Recipient of US • English Poet
Medal of Honor
Pierre-Jean De Smet José Gabriel Funes
• Native American Missionary • Director, Vatican Observatory

11. You may have met Jesuit Formation is The Jesuits have a lot
one without realizing the longest of any… in common with the
it 14-20 years Special Forces…
• They’re to dress, eat, live • Expected to have reached • They can be sent
like the people around mastery in a field other anywhere in the world
them so as to better than theology (typically a with 48hours notice or
minister to them PhD) less… and they often are…
• Explicitly NOT monastic • Includes a required period most keep a set of bags
in a mission perpetually packed

12. They’re not stranger to They view the laity (incl. & esp.
controversy women) as active partners
• Most of their institutions, ministries,
• Will engage in politics & Challenge the
parishes, etc are run as an active joint
Status Quo
venture with the laity
• All parts of the political spectrum
Close Knit Community They’ve been portrayed in some
• Those trained, taught, ministered to, etc
famous films…
by the Jesuits have an extremely active • The Mission
community furthering & protecting them • Exorcism series
• Anything with “Loyola” in it
Social justice is a BIG deal Masters of Modern Media
• Advocate regularly for the • Associated with Loyola Press & Ignatius
poor, refugees, and the disenfranchised Press
• Numerous partnership groups exist to • Run websites such as Pray as you Go (MP3
promote & further Daily Reflections) and Other 6

13. Pope Francis will
He will bring reform & He will challenge us to
challenge us with “the
transparency to the remember the poor - the
silence that the world
Church “lowly but chosen”
hates”
He will remind us that
He will remind us that in
Christ is “present in us
He will have a sense of the midst of the wealth of
and among us as a friend,
humor the modern world – there
a brother” meeting us
is virtue in the simple
where we are
He will see himself as “a
sinner nonetheless called He will seek the Magis –
He will call us to be Joyful
to be a companion of the Greater Good
Jesus”

14. Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you
as you deserve;
to give and not to
count the cost,
to fight and not to
heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labor and not to ask for reward,
save that of knowing that I do
your will.

15. Name Category URL
Jesuits in the US General Information http://www.jesuit.org/
Creighton University General Information http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/
Online Ministries CollaborativeMinistry/online.html
Pray as You Go Ignatian Spirituality http://www.pray-as-you-go.org/
Ignatian Spirituality Ignatian Spirituality http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/
Other 6 Ignatian Spirituality http://www.other6.com/
Loyola Press Publisher http://www.loyolapress.com/
Ignatius Press Publisher http://www.ignatius.com/
Loyola Productions Inc Video Publisher http://www.loyolaproductions.com/
Jesuit Relief Services Ministry http://www.jrsusa.org/
America Magazine Ministry http://americamagazine.org/
Knights of Columbus #224 Presentation Author http://www.kofc224.org/
Holy Trinity Young Adults Presentation Author http://www.trinity.org/yac