Barbara Robbins, age 13, of Chattanooga, Tenn., for her question:
WHO STARTED THE JESUIT ORDER?
Jesuits are members of a Roman Catholic religious order of men. The official name of the order is the Society of Jesus. The order was founded in 1534 by Saint Ignatius Loyola.
Saint Ignatius Loyola and six companions formed the Society of Jesus in Paris. Pope Paul III formally approved the order in 1540 and originally limited the Jesuits to 60 members. But in 1544, the Pope authorized the order to increase its membership without limit.
The Jesuits grew to almost 1,000 members under the leadership of Ignatius. By the time he died in 1556, the order had become firmly established in Europe, primarily through its activities in education.
Today the Jesuits are especially noted for their work in education. The order operates more than 4,000 schools, colleges and universities throughout the world. In the United States, the Jesuits direct about 45 high schools and 28 colleges and universities.
Leading Jesuit universities in the United States include Boston College, Fordham University, St. Louis University and the University of San Francisco.
Back in the 1500s, in addition to education the order conducted widespread missionary work in Africa, Asia and North and South America.
Then the Jesuits aroused opposition as their membership and influence increased. In France, as an example, the Jesuits came into conflict with a powerful religious movement called Jansenism. Finally, in 1773, Pope Clement XIV banned the order. But Pope Pius VII removed the ban in 1814.
Since 1814, the Jesuits have steadily increased their membership. Today, about 25 percent of the order's members come from North America, where the influence has been especially significant.
The Jesuits are headed by a superior general, who lives in Rome.
After entering the order, a Jesuit begins two years of spiritual training. During this period he is called a novice. After the training period, a Jesuit takes vows of poverty and of obedience to his superiors in the order. He also vows to remain celibate or unmarried.
There are three groups of Jesuits: temporal co-adjustors or brothers, spiritual co-adjustors and solemnly professed.
The brothers are full members of the order but are not ordained to the priesthood. Spiritual co-adjustors and the professed are priests.
Jesuits must study for many years before becoming spiritual co-adjustors or professed. This period of study, which lasts from 10 to 12 years for a high school graduate, provides both spiritual and academic training.
A Jesuits superiors determine if he is qualified for the rank of professed. They base their decision on the individual's record ' in his studies, but especially on his qualities of spiritual leadership.