History of the Jesuits

By ferrjame23
  • 1534

    Meeting at Montmartre

    Ignatius Loyola, Francis Xavier, Alfonso Salmeron, Diego Laínez, Nicolás Bobadilla, Peter Faber, and Simão Rodrigues met in the Church of Our Lady at Montmarte to talk about working together for God.
  • 1540

    Society of Jesus Formed

    Pope Paul III established the Society of Jesus as a religious order.
  • 1541

    Ignatius is made Leader

    Ignatius becomes the first superior of the Jesuits.
  • 1542

    Francis Xavier arrives in India

    Francis Xavier begins spreading the Jesuit order through Asia.
  • 1548

    First Jesuit school for Lay people

    The first lay Jesuit college opens in Messina, Sicily
  • 1556

    St Ignatius Dies

    St Ignatius died in Rome on the 31st of July.
  • 1580

    Jesuits granted a fiefdom in Japan

    Following the work of St Francis Xavier, the Jesuits are gifted a fiefdom in Japan.

  • Loss of Fiefdom

    The Jesuits lose their fiefdom in Japan

  • Jesuits in Portugal

    The Jesuits are expelled from Portugal and all Portugese land.

  • Jesuits suppressed by Pope Clement XIV

    Jesuits remain intact in Russia.

  • Pope Pius VII restores the Jesuits

    The suppression is ended by Pope Pius VII with the Papal bull "Sollicitudo Omnium Ecclesiarum."

  • Austrian Jesuits Arrive in Australia

    The Austrian Jesuits Fathers Kranewitter and Klinkowstroem arrived in Adelaide after being kicked out of Austria (for being Jesuits).

  • Jesuit diocese built

    The Jesuits set up a settlement in the north of the colony with other European settlers, which they named Sevenhill.

  • Jesuits given the north of South Australia

    The Bishop assigned the entire north of the Colony to the care of the Jesuits.

  • First Australian-Born Jesuit

    Thomas O'Brien becomes the first Jesuit born in Australia.

  • Irish Jesuits

    The first Irish Jesuits arrive in Melbourne and they re-open St Patrick's College.

  • Mary Mackillop

    The Austrian Jesuits gave Mary Mackillop shelter after she was excommunicated.

  • Opening of many churches

    The Bishop opened 7 new churches in one fortnight.

  • North Sydney

    The Parish of North Sydney was founded

  • St Kilda House

    St Kilda House is acquired by Jesuits and becomes a boy's school. It soon moves to Surrey Hills.

  • Many Schools

    Fr John Dalton, SJ, had established 19 schools in Australia, including St Aloysius College.

  • St Ignatius' College

    St Ignatius College, Riverview opens in Sydney.

  • Aboriginal Mission Starts

    Nineteen Jesuits went to the Northern Territory to four stations near Darwin, three along the Daly River, in order to help set up self-governing colonies of Aborigines.

  • Jesuits have handed over most churches

    The Austrians began to move their work to the Aboriginal Mission and by 1898 had handed over all but two churches.

  • Aboriginal Mission ends

    After much disaster the Mission to the Aborigines of the Northern Territory was declared a failure.

  • Merge of Australian Jesuits

    The Austrian Mission and Irish Jesuits merged to form a nationwide Jesuit Mission.

  • St Aloysius' College Milsons Point

    The school at St Kilda House is moved to Milsons Point and is renamed St Aloysius' College.

  • Pedro Arrupe is made leader

    Pedro Arrupe is elected the 28th Superior General of the Society

  • Jesuit Jubilee year

    This Jesuit Jubilee year marks the 450th anniversary of the death of Ignatius and the 500th anniversary of the births of his companions Francis Xavier and Pierre Favre.

  • First Jesuit Pope

    Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio is elected the 266th pope, the first from the Society of Jesus, and takes the name "Francis."