The Society of Jesus (Jesuits – SJ)

The Society of Jesus (SJ), commonly known as the Jesuits, was founded by Ignatius of Loyola and his companions in 1540, and approved by Pope Paul III that same year.

Their first and most famous mission was undertaken by Francis Xavier, who departed in April 1541, arriving in Goa (India) in May 1542. He later continued his missionary journeys to Japan (1549–1552).

From within the current Belgian regions that, several 17th-century Jesuits were among the earliest missionaries abroad, including:

• Philippe Couplet, SJ (Mechelen, 1623–1693): departed in 1656 and worked in China from 1656/1658 onward.
• Ferdinand Verbiest, SJ (Pittem, 1623–1688): left in 1657 via Lisbon, arrived in Macau in 1658, and later served at the imperial court of Emperor Kangxi in Beijing.
• a 19th-century example: Pierre-Jean De Smet, SJ from Dendermonde, who became a missionary among Native American peoples in North America from the 1820s–1840s onward.

In the “Formula of the Institute” (1540), the Jesuits define their calling as “the defence and propagation of the faith,” their readiness “to be sent anywhere by the Pope,” and their service to the Church “for the greater glory of God” (AMDG) — expressed precisely through preaching, education, pastoral ministry, missionary work, and later also through science, social justice, and other apostolates.

Early mission fields

The Jesuits began their overseas missions primarily in India (Goa) — the first major mission established by Francis Xavier in 1542.
In Africa (the Kingdom of Kongo), the first Jesuits arrived in 1548, while in Brazil, a first mission was founded in 1549 by Manuel da Nóbrega and his companions. That same year, Jesuits also entered Japan, continuing the expansion initiated by Francis Xavier’s work.

The Jesuits today

The Society of Jesus is active in about 110 countries, organized into provinces and regions worldwide.
In the field of education alone, the Jesuit Global Network of Schools (2024) lists thousands of institutions across Africa & Madagascar, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and North America.

The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) — the humanitarian branch of the order — is currently active in about 60 countries.

Today, the largest Jesuit population can be found in South Asia (especially India), while numbers in Europe and the Americas have declined compared to earlier centuries, while Asia and Africa continue to grow.
Worldwide, the Jesuit mission focuses on faith and justice — especially through education, social commitment, and explicit work among refugees and migrants via JRS.