Jesuit school

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Old gate of the St. Blasien college in the Black Forest

Jesuit schools are schools that were founded by the Jesuit order against the background of the Counter Reformation to train their own offspring and to influence the education and training of future decision-makers.

The Jesuit order derives its educational principles from the world and life view of St. Ignatius of Loyola . In 1599, out of the educational work of the young order and for the growing number of colleges, the Ratio Studiorum , a kind of study regulation for Jesuit schools. The schools and universities founded by the Jesuits (e.g. the University of Vilnius in what was then Poland) were intended to guarantee that future generations would grow up firmly rooted in the Catholic faith - in modern terms, they thus secured long-term cultural hegemony .

The order as an educational institution

Former Jesuit college in Heiligenstadt
Seminary in Würzburg , formerly Jesuit college

The Jesuits have long played a dominant role in Europe's educational system. The suggestion for the establishment of educational establishments went back to Ignatius von Loyola himself, who suggested in 1551 that besides theology also logic and the ancient classics be taught there; later mathematics , astronomy , physics and philosophy were added. At the beginning of the 18th century there were numerous schools all over Europe. B. the sons of nobles were taught. But representatives of lower social classes were also able to advance socially with the help of training and even get into government offices.

Although the Jesuits opposed the aims of the Enlightenment such as tolerance , belief in progress and skepticism towards everything that does not stand up to rational criticism, the age named after them would have been inconceivable without the broad educational offer of the Jesuit order. Today, Jesuit education is known worldwide as a particularly broad, humanistic and enlightened education.

Another important contribution was that in publications of the order, such as the Journal de Trévoux, contemporary literature could be discussed publicly without fear of the inquisition or censorship. For this reason even Voltaire regretted the decline of the order later in the 18th century.

Today, the Jesuits run universities, schools and boarding schools around the world, in which they impart general educational content to a total of more than 2 million young people with the aim of preparing them for their later life according to the principles of the (Catholic) Christian conception of man : “To people for others ”they should mature.

Ratio Studiorum

The Ratio Studiorum , 1598

The Ratio Studiorum is a guide or instruction for learning. The original title is Ratio atque Institutio Studiorum Societatis Iesu . The Ratio Studiorum has been the authoritative guide to Jesuit education and training worldwide since 1599 . It regulated the entire educational system of the Societas Jesu and remained binding until the abolition of the order in 1773.

The manual has several international authors, but the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome is in charge. The origins go back to the records of Ignatius von Loyola himself. Ignatius wrote down the first instructions for self-reflection to his early companions as early as 1522 and 1541 and form the basis of retreats to this day .

The establishment of a school network was not yet planned at the time the Society of Jesus was founded. This only developed later from the daily work of the young religious community . The Order, which was rapidly growing in young men, needed an equally rapidly growing system of training. In just a few years, a dense network of schools and universities emerged across Europe. By the time Ignatius died in 1556, the Jesuit order had already operated 74 schools; by the end of the century there were already over 1000 schools worldwide. The Jesuit school system was originally geared towards training the next generation of the order. At the end of the 16th century, it also opened up to secular students.

Under the order general Claudio Acquaviva in 1581 a committee of twelve Jesuit fathers was convened without any results worth mentioning. In 1584 a new committee was convened consisting of the following six Fathers: Johann Azor ( Spain ), Gaspar González ( Portugal ), James Tyrie ( Scotland ), Peter Busée ( Holland ), Anthony Ghuse ( Flanders ), and Stephan Tucci ( Sicily ). This committee developed a draft called Ratio by 1586 . The draft was sent to the various provinces of the order to be commented on by practicing teachers. It was not yet intended to be used in practical lessons. In 1591 a preliminary version was created from the draft and the reflections that were incorporated, which were to be introduced in all Jesuit schools within three years. In the following years the committee evaluated the results and published the final work in 1599.

The Ratio Studiorum is characterized by unity, firmness and clarity in aim and means as well as systematic order in the development of the students' intellectual abilities. It is not a systematic structure of the education and teaching system at the Jesuit colleges, but offers the subject matter and teaching methods in the form of a collection of practical rules for the heads of universities and grammar schools and their executive bodies. It is aimed at the provincial offices, rectors, prefects of studies and professors and contains instructions on the organization of teaching at the colleges, on teaching content, goals and methods. It defines the competencies of the various managers, specifies conditions for admission and exit and regulates the procedure for examinations and awarding of prizes.

Principles of Jesuit Education

Up until the Ratio Studiorum , there was initially no explicit educational program, but the Jesuit schools had a number of things in common:

  • Waiving school fees in order to be accessible to the poor;
  • Compatibility of Christianity with contemporary humanism, d. H. Representation of the optimistic image of man and orientation to the classics;
  • Conveying the subject matter in an appealing form, d. H. through disputations and theater;
  • Offer of a developed religious program alongside the school offer;
  • Emphasis on personal role models.

All of these regulations are based on the Jesuit educational concept. Characteristic for a Jesuit school are:

  • Appreciation of the individual
  • Ability to reflect
  • Commitment to Justice
  • keep the question of God alive

Today's main features of Jesuit education

An international working group of the order has reflected on the basic features of Jesuit education in recent years and formulated it in 1986. Here is a schematic overview:

  1. Ignatius sees in God as his Creator and Lord the most important and absolute reality. Jesuit education is world and life affirmative in its basic mood. This shows in a fundamental openness to all questions; also in the willingness to see the world in its innermost roots as good. Jesuit education aims at the holistic education of the individual. This upbringing has a religious dimension that influences the whole upbringing.
  2. Everyone is known and loved by God. This love calls for a personal response that must be given in full freedom. Jesuit upbringing places emphasis on individual attention and care for each student. It emphasizes personal initiative and encourages you to continue learning for a lifetime.
  3. In humans, this free answer does not come naturally. The reason for this is sin and its consequences. It is important to recognize and overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of freedom. Jesuit education aims at the ability to distinguish clearly and critically and to make a free, responsible decision.
  4. Jesus Christ is at the center. He is a person like us and calls us to love to seek the will of the Father and to follow him in the sign of the cross. Jesuit education sees in Jesus Christ the model of human life. She understands prayer, worship and commitment for the neighbor as an expression of faith.
  5. A loving, free answer cannot remain mere theory; it must necessarily lead to decisive social action. "Love must be placed more in works than in words". Jesuit education seeks to train “men and women for others” who develop a feeling for social justice and who are also ready to put their ideals into practice.
  6. Ignatius lives in a determined bond with the Church. Jesuit education encourages active participation with the church community and supports the ecumenical cause.
  7. The answer to God's call is said to be "of greater value and greater importance." Jesuit education seeks to awaken the readiness for "bigger and better". That means the most complete development of skills, combined with the willingness to use them for others.
  8. Ignatius gathers companions: Working as a community for the kingdom of God is far more effective than doing it individually or in small groups. Jesuit education emphasizes the cooperation of Jesuits and non-Jesuits in a common mission and task. It requires unity in the setting of goals and in the educational commitment and takes place in a structure that promotes community.
  9. Ignatius and his companions make decisions in a prayerful process of individual and community "discernment". Decisions made are reflected, reviewed and adapted to new circumstances. Jesuit education is adaptable in its means and methods in order to achieve its goals as effectively as possible. It supports the further training required in each case, especially the teachers.

Schools and Universities in Europe

Germany

High schools

High schools founded as Jesuit schools

Former high schools

Jesuit college and monastery in Koblenz , plan by Nikolaus Lauxen 1769

Universities

France

Italy

Lithuania

Austria

former Jesuit grammar school in Krems

Poland

Switzerland

Czech Republic / Bohemia

Other schools and universities

Argentina

Belize

Brazil

Chile

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

El Salvador

Guatemala

India

Andhra Pradesh

Gujarat

Jharkhand

Karnataka

Kerala

Maharashtra

Orissa

Tamil Nadu

West Bengal

Indonesia

Japan

Cameroon

Canada

Manitoba

Newfoundland

Nova Scotia

Ontario

Quebec

Saskatchewan

Colombia

Lebanon

Mexico

Nepal

New Zealand

Nicaragua

Nigeria

Paraguay

Peru

United States

Colleges and universities

High schools

Arizona
California
Colorado
District of Columbia
new York
Wisconsin
  • Marquette University High School (Milwaukee)

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ History of the Jesuit Church and School in Lucerne
  2. ↑ Until 1763 belonged to the Bohemian Order Province ( provincia Bohemiae ) and was then connected to the Order Province of Silesia , founded in 1755 , due to the transition of the County of Glatz to Prussia . After the repeal of the Jesuit order in 1773 by Pope Clemens XIV. The Glatzer Kolleg was not repealed until three years later by the Prussian King Friedrich II .
  3. ^ Marquette University High School