Arsonists Who "Set The World On Fire"!

The Society of Jesus commonly called The Jesuits was founded in 1540 by Saint Ignatius Loyola and since then has grown from the original seven members to over 25.000 members who work out of 1,825 houses in 112 countries spread across six continents. In the intervening 482 years the Society has served the Church with outstanding men - men who have worn many hats: educators and preachers; writers and scientists; priests with the poor; confessors to the royal courts of Europe; missionaries in Asia, India, Africa and the Americas and and scholars famed for their explorations and discoveries in every conceivable field. And has produced 41 Saints, 285 Blesseds.

And one Pope!

Ignatius Of Loyola -  From Sword To Cross
It all began with a Spanish knight from a Basque noble family - Iñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola (Ignatius of Loyola). Ignatius was an unlikely candidate for sainthood. He had a reputation for being a womaniser and a compulsive gambler whose contentiousness had him engaged in duelling to add to his vices.

From its earliest years, the Society of Jesus recognized education as a powerful instrument for the formation of both mind and character. Guided by its motto Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam ("For The Greater Glory Of God") - Jesuit education rests upon the conviction that every pursuit of knowledge, every intellectual endeavor, and every act of service should ultimately contribute to the greater glory of God.

Within this vision, education is not confined merely to the acquisition of knowledge. Rather, it seeks the holistic formation of the individual—cultivating intellectual excellence, moral integrity, disciplined character, and a deep commitment to service. Jesuit institutions across the world have long striven to nurture men and women who combine academic distinction with compassion, leadership, and a sense of responsibility toward society.

The extraordinary influence of the Jesuits in the realm of education has been widely acknowledged. The British historian Thomas Babington Macaulay famously described them as “the schoolmasters of Europe,” recognizing the order as one of the most disciplined, intellectually formidable, and effective educational organizations in history. After a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, he decided he could serve God best by studying for the priesthood. While at the University of Paris, his manner of life, his religious views, and gift for leadership attracted followers.
And so he gathered a group of six :
Saint Francisco Xavier (Spain),
Blessed Peter Faber(France)
Diego Laynez (Spain)
Alfonso Salmeron (Spain)
Nicolás Bobadilla (Spain)
Simão Rodrigues de Azevedo (Portugal)
Friends who vowed themselves to poverty and chastity and placed themselves at the disposal of the Pope This band of energetic well-educated men who desired nothing more than to help others find God in their lives called themselves the Company of Jesus, and also Amigos en El Señor or Friends in the Lord, because they felt they were placed together by Christ

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (For The Greater Glory Of God)
In 1537, they traveled to Italy to seek papal approval for their order. Pope Paul III gave them a commendation, and permitted them to be ordained priests. These initial steps led to the founding of what would be called the Society of Jesus. Besides the three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, they would also make a separate fourth vow: to go anywhere the Pope would send them. On Sept. 27, 1540, Pope Paul III approved their petition to form a religious order and also approved their constitution without a single word altered.
Eventually, they decided that it was for God’s Greater Glory that they unite themselves into a formally constituted organization by the vow of religious obedience to a superior. They drew up a document outlining the characteristics of the religious order they had in mind. The Compañia de Jesus (Companions of Jesus) would be primarily apostolic, not hidden away in some monastery, but out in the world.

And so the Society of Jesus was born

The Schoolmasters Of Europe
However the Jesuits are especially known for their educational institutions. During the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, the Jesuits were called the schoolmasters of Europe not only because of their schools but also for their pre-eminence as scholars scientists and the thousands of textbooks they composed.