The Jesuits
What have I done for Christ?
What am I doing for Christ?
What will I do for Christ?
One Mission,
Many Ministries
~ St. Ignatius, from the Spiritual Exercises
Community
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam –
Prayer
4511 West Pine Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63108
314.361.7765
[email protected]
www.jesuitscentralsouthern.org
Service
For the Greater
Glory of God
This is the motto of the Society of Jesus,
a phrase beginning with our founder, St. Ignatius
Loyola, a wounded soldier who became a pilgrim,
spiritual companion and priest, with a great desire
to serve God and the Church.
We are known as the Jesuits. We are a Roman
Catholic order of priests and brothers founded by
Ignatius in 1540 with the vision to seek and find
God in all things. We dedicate ourselves to the
“greater glory of God” and the good of all people.
We do so gratefully, in collaboration with others
who share our values, including laypersons who
have become part of an extended Jesuit family.
As companions of Jesus, we minister together
and with others as friends in the Lord to build
up the Body of Christ.
Jesuits find ever-new ways to spread the Gospel message,
serving the faith of the Church and promoting justice.
Is the Society of Jesus
right for you?
If you are open to exploring a vocation to the Jesuits,
some helpful questions for your reflection might be:
• What gifts do you possess that might be
beneficial to God’s people?
• How is God inviting you to share your gifts
as part of Christ’s mission today?
• What in your experience motivates you to
consider religious life?
Our Ministries
With over 16,000 priests and brothers worldwide,
the Jesuits are the largest male religious order in the
Catholic Church. We
serve the Church as
Now serving in
pastors, teachers and
112 nations on six
chaplains. Some of us
continents, Jesuits
are also writers, doctors,
number about 16,000
lawyers and scientists,
priests, brothers
among many other roles
and seminarians
in Church and society. In
worldwide.
our varied ministries, we
are called to the service
of the Catholic faith and
the promotion of justice in the world. Especially in our
education ministries, we seek to form “men and women
for others.”
Jesuits draw on the rich tradition of the Spiritual
Exercises of St. Ignatius. In our retreat centers, parishes,
campus ministries and other settings, we offer spiritual
guidance to all who want to discern God’s presence
in their lives. At the same time, we strive to be “contemplatives in action,” people who bring this spirituality into
the everyday world.
Our Shared and
Vowed Life
In the United States,
the Society of Jesus
sponsors 28 colleges and
universities and more
than 50 high schools
and middle schools,
as well as retreat centers,
parishes and other
ministries.
As members of a religious
order, Jesuits take vows of poverty,
chastity and obedience. Some
Jesuits are called to a fourth vow
to be ready to accept whatever
mission the Pope requires. This
vow reflects the broader dedication
of the whole Society of Jesus to the universal Church, and
to the greater good of all people from all faiths and cultures.
The Central and
Southern Province
covers 12 states,
Belize and Puerto Rico
and sponsors 6 colleges/
universities, 12 high
schools, 15 parishes
and 7 retreat centers.
We accept our missions
and live our vows in communities of prayer and service,
sharing goods in common. In
response to the call of Christ
today, we reach out to a broadly diverse world and seek
new ways to spread the Gospel, proclaim the faith of
the Church and work on behalf of global justice, peace,
and dialogue.
Our Province
We, the USA Central and Southern Province, are one
region in the worldwide body of Jesuits. Our province
includes the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida,
Louisiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico,
Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and part of southeast Illinois,
as well as Puerto Rico and the nation of Belize. Jesuits from
our province also serve in other parts of the U.S., and in
various missions in South and Central America, Africa,
Europe and Asia.
• Which aspects of Jesuit life interest you?
Here are some ways you can learn more about the
Society of Jesus, Ignatian spirituality and the Jesuit
vocation:
• Learn more about us by visiting the Jesuits’
vocation website, www.beajesuit.org
• Visit our province website,
www.jesuitscentralsouthern.org
• Email us at UCSVocationCoordinator@
Jesuits.org
• Contact a Jesuit community or institution near
you to connect with a local Jesuit vocation
promoter.
• Make a retreat based on the Spiritual Exercises
at a Jesuit retreat center (a list can be found at
http://jesuits.org/retreat-centers) or ask a
Jesuit vocation director or promoter about
discernment retreats.
• Above all, continue to pray for the guidance of
the Holy Spirit and share your journey with a
competent spiritual director.
.
For information specific to the USA Central and Southern
Province, please visit our website, jesuitscentralsouthern.org.