jesuit

The Jesuits, or the Society of Jesus (Societas Iesu), are a religious order of the Catholic Church. They were founded in 1540 with papal approval from Pope Paul III, after Ignatius of Loyola and a small group of companions ordained their mission. The original members included Francis Xavier, Peter Faber, Diego Laínez, and Alfonso Salmerón. Members take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to the constitutions of the order, plus a special fourth vow of obedience to the pope regarding mission assignments. The Spiritual Exercises, a program of meditation and discernment crafted by Ignatius, remains central to their spiritual tradition.

Historically, the Jesuits have been known for education, scholarship, and missionary work. They established a global network of schools, colleges, and universities and were active in science, humanities, and the arts. Their educational institutions have played a major role in higher learning in Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa, and many modern universities trace their origins to Jesuit foundations. In addition to education, Jesuit missionaries spread across Asia, the Americas, and Africa, often engaging in dialogue with different cultures and contexts.

The order experienced suppression in 1773, when Pope Clement XIV dissolved it, an edict reversed in 1814 by Pope Pius VII. In contemporary times, the Jesuits focus on education, social justice, research, and interreligious dialogue, while continuing their tradition of spiritual formation and discernment, known as Ignatian spirituality. The term “Jesuit” thus denotes both a historic religious order and the broader network of institutions and individuals associated with it.