Welcome
Thank you for your interest in the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) and in the Province of English Canada. We hope that you will find the material in these pages informative and helpful in your exploration of your vocation.
In this section you will find information about what a vocation is, about the vows, and about various elements of life in the Jesuits, including formation, ministry, and community life.
The Society of Jesus is comprised of both priests and brothers. Together they work for the greater glory of God in building God’s realm in the world through the service of faith and the promotion of justice.
The most recent General Congregation (#35 in 2008) of the Society of Jesus, in response to the mandate expressed most lovingly and frankly by His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, called “all Jesuits to live with the great spirit and generosity that is at the centre of our vocation,” and, quoting the founding document of the Society, known as The Formula of the Institute (1550), challenged Jesuits ‘to serve as a soldier of God beneath the banner of the Cross... and to serve the Lord alone and the Church his spouse, under the Roman Pontiff, the Vicar of Christ on earth.’
GC 35 also reaffirmed the mission of the Society as described in the previous Congregation: “The aim of our mission received from Christ, as presented in the Formula of the Institute, is the service of faith. The integrating principle of our mission is the inseparable link between faith and the promotion of the justice of the Kingdom.” (GC 34, Dec. 2, #14)
In our day, this mission is understood to be “dynamically related to the inculturated proclamation of the Gospel and dialogue with other religious traditions as integral dimensions of evangelization.” (GC 34, Dec. 2, #15) GC 35 goes on to say, “In this global world marked by such profound changes, we now want to deepen our understanding of the call to serve faith, promote justice, and dialogue with culture and other religions in the light of the apostolic mandate to establish right relationships with God, with one another, and with creation.” (Dec. 3, #12)