A Jesuit Education

From its simple roots of seven men, The Society of Jesus, founded in 1540 by St. Ignatius Loyola, now numbers over 20, 000 members today who work in 93 provinces worldwide, ten of which are in the United States. Ignatius learned in the early years of the Society that the spiritually based educational system he had developed for new members of the Order he had hoped would become missionaries, The Ratio Studiorum, was of equally great service to non-Jesuits in their service of God and the Church. Quickly and certainly not intentionally, the educational thrust of the Society of Jesus was born.

In 1789, Archbishop John Carroll founded the first school of the Society of Jesus in the United States-Georgetown Academy. From that one institution, the enterprise has grown today to a network of 49 high schools which employ over 3,000 faculty members and educate over 44,000 students annually.

Ignatius saw education as a way to lead young people not simply to care for others but to "find God in all things."

Ignatius saw education as a way to lead young people not simply to care for others but to "find God in all things." Thus, the gifts and talents we enjoy are not for our own enjoyment but rather for the service of advancing God's work in today's world. Since 1851, when Father John Nobili, S.J. and his companions founded our school [the first Jesuit school west of the Mississippi River] to our present day operation, the spiritual tradition of St. Ignatius is present in the work of all 170 faculty and staff who take great pride in working with our 1550 young men. We form "Men for Others," leaders who will make a difference in tomorrow's world.