#memory
#history
Jesuits.
27 September 1540 is the foundation day of the Jesuit congregation ( SJ – Society of Jesus).
Ignatius Loyola, a Spanish teacher was able to persuade a few of his students to devote their lives to the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church.
The Society of Jesus is one of the most important congratulations of the Catholic Church and its superior general is often called the Black Pope.
A proud moment for the Jesuits is that Pope Francis, the Supreme Head of the Universal Catholic Church is a Jesuit.
Francis Xavier and a few other priests arrived in India in the 16th century along with the Portuguese and are responsible for the conversion of a sizable number of natives , especially in the Southern States to Christianity.
The Jesuits are respected the world over for their educational institutions.
India is also proud of some of the oldest and most reputed educational institutions established by the Jesuit community. St Xavier’s Calcutta, St Xavier’s Bombay, Loyola Madras, St Joseph’s Bangalore etc are among the most sought after by students.
Jesuits established the first management institute in India, XLRI Jamshedpur which remains among the top 10 institutes in the country.
– Joy Kallivayalil.
p.s: I am proud that I and all my brothers and sisters are Jesuit alumni. The education at AKJM High School Kanjirapally, under revered priests led by Fr Antony Manjil SJ ( born in a Namboodiri family) made me what I am today. I had close association with Jesuits during my engineering studies at Calicut including Rev Aldo Mario Patroni, an Italian missionary who was the Bishop of Calicut.
My daughter Nithya Joy had her management post graduate studies in the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar ( now part of the Xavier University) and she is a senior HR manager in IKEA at Bangalore.
On the foundation day I remember with gratitude and love all my Jesuit teachers and mentors.
