How important was the Society of Jesus in the Catholic Reformation?

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How important was the Society of Jesus in the Catholic Reformation?

The Society of Jesus was founded by the Spaniard, Ignatius Loyola and a group of his companions in 1534 who committed themselves to preserve and expand Catholicism and undertake whatever task the papacy might set them. They were recognised to be the “foot soldiers” of the Catholic Reformation.

One of the key importance’s of the Jesuits in the Catholic Reformation was their commitment to education; this began solely for the order but mixed colleges were also set for non-Jesuits. Jesuit colleges were extremely popular for several reasons, they offered a unmatched education with a structured curriculum which combined classic humanist and Christian approaches; they also offered boarding and despite this were completely free of charge, being funded by wealthy men such as princes; and finally because they allowed the children of ordinary men to be educated by the very best teachers, and among the future rulers of Catholicism, the sons of ruling elite – men such as Ferdinand II and Cardinal Richeliu. Ignatius Loyola once said “Give me the child … and I will give you the man” and the extent of the successful expansion of Jesuit colleges can be illustrated by the fact that in 1565 the Society of Jesus had 2500 members, but by 1626 there were 15,500 – it is clear that the Jesuit colleges provided a ready supply of recruits, who could then go on to be missionaries and spread Catholicism, essential to the Catholic Reformation.

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Another reason for the importance of the Jesuits in the Catholic Reformation is their worldwide missions which allowed Catholicism to be spread all over the world. Francis Xavier was one of the most successful missionaries; he travelled from Europe to India in 1542 where he preached to the Portuguese settlers in Goa about their Christian duties, convincing many to follow in his own footsteps, he also travelled to Japan in 1549 where he founded a church. Although Xavier himself was successful in converting people to Catholicism, the main success in his actions were the “epic tales” of his successes in ...

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