The Society of Jesus (Jesuits) was founded in 1540 by St. Ignatius Loyola, a Spanish Basque soldier who, with six other Spanish and French students from the University of Paris, started what has today become the largest religious order in the Roman Catholic Church.
The early Jesuits served humanity as missionaries, scientists, theologians, philosophers, and hospital chaplains - any work considered, as their motto states, "for the greater glory of God." However, St. Ignatius realized that his group of men would best perpetuate their mission through education, teaching and service in colleges and universities. After Ignatius' death and through the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, the Jesuits became widely known as the schoolmasters of Europe, in part for their reputation as scholars and their demonstrated intellectual excellence as shown through the thousands of textbooks they authored.
Their status in Europe greatly changed in 1773 when Pope Clement XIV gave into pressure from groups across the continent. Pope Clement feared that many would follow the example of Henry VIII who abandoned the Catholic Church. On the heels of the pope's suppression of the Society of Jesus, many of the Jesuit's educational institutions fell under state government control, and much of the Jesuit's books and teaching materials were subsequently destroyed. Over 200 members of the order fled to Russia while over 20,000 others scattered throughout the world. Pope Pius VII lifted this suspension in 1814 and the Jesuits re-emerged as they were asked by many governments to return to the colleges they once gave up.
The Jesuits came to the United States with Spanish, French and English colonists. Rev. John Carroll, S.J., America's first Catholic bishop, founded the first American Jesuit Catholic college (Georgetown University) in 1789. As America grew westward, so did the number of Jesuit-run colleges and secondary schools. Jesuit colleges were founded in Chicago, St. Louis, San Francisco, and elsewhere. Canisius College, named after St. Peter Canisius, an apostle to post-Reformation Germany known for his dedication to education and scholarship, was founded in Buffalo, New York in 1870. To read more about the historical tradition of excellence at Canisius College, click here.
Today, the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) work in over 114 countries, educating men and women in their secondary schools, colleges and universities; preaching the good news of Christ in areas as diverse as Central America, Africa and China; and administering to the spiritual, intellectual and physical needs of people all over the world.