On May 20th, 1521, a cannon ball shattered a leg, changed a life and brought to birth a religious order whose influence is still felt among us. Ignatius of Loyola, a Basque from the northwest region of Spain, was wounded in a border skirmish as he tried to defend Pamplona against the French. He was about thirty at the time. As a young man, he was given over to the follies of the world and had great and foolish desire for fame. May 20th, 1521, may rightly be termed as the turning point in his life. This historic event completely changed his life. Thereafter Ignatius of Loyola referred to himself as the pilgrim. It was an apt description of the man who wandered in search of God's glory. The pilgrim's journey took off from the battlefield of Pamplona to the feet of the Pope in Rome. It transformed him from a solitary pilgrim to a contemplative in action. It turned the noble knight into a soldier of Jesus Christ. The thirst for human glory gave way to the "Greater Glory of God". He gradually rallied round him like-minded persons. They agreed to set up a company of friends in Jesus Christ, and Ignatius was given the task of putting together the proposal for a "new" order, which was presented and approved by Pope Paul III in 1540. Members of this Religious order are called Jesuits. At present there are 19,590 Jesuits all over the world, of whom about 4,030 are in 19 Provinces of India.

Jesuit Education derives its inspiration from Ignatius, the educator. For St. Ignatius, the education of students was a means to help them make spiritual progress. Once imbued with the doctrine and spirit of God, he hoped that they would act as leaven in their social set-up. This called for strong intellectual formation. He did not pioneer any new system, but took the best elements in the educational system of his time, catholicized them and organized them into an instrument fit to achieve his purpose. A Jesuit educational institution is not merely a place for transmission of knowledge, but also for fresh application of old truths to new situations. The goal of all branches of learning is to be able to reason deeply. The training is intended to enable a student to reason carefully and to have a scientifically well-grounded Catholic outlook on life so that he or she could contribute intelligently and scientifically to the welfare of the society. Mental discipline is to be the natural outcome of the learning process and students have to study in order that their thoughts may stimulate in them lofty ideals. The approach is vocation oriented as it offers subjects that help people earn livelihood and at the same time help them to love a good life.

Therefore Jesuit Education…

1. Is world affirming. It assists in the total formation of each individual within the human community. It includes religious dimension that permeates the entire education. It promotes dialogue between faith and culture.
2. Insists on individual care and concern for each person, emphasizes activity on the part of the students and encourages life-long openness to growth.
3. Is value oriented. It encourages a realistic knowledge, love and acceptance of self and provides a realistic knowledge of the world in which we live.
4. Is preparation for active life commitment. It serves the faith that does justice, seeks to form men and women for others and manifests a particular concern for the poor.
5. Pursues excellence in its work of formation and witness to excellence.
6. Stresses lay-Jesuit collaboration. It relies on a spirit of community among teaching staff and administrators; the Jesuit community; governing boards; former students and benefactors.
7. Adapts means and methods in order to achieve its purpose most effectively.

The IHS is a symbol of Christ used by the Roman Catholic Church. This monogram consists of the Greek letters iota, eta, and sigma, the first three letters of the name Iesous (Greek for Jesus), the letters of which are also used to spell out the phrase "Iesous Hominum Salvator," "Jesus, savior of man." The symbol originated in Rome with the early Christians, and was popularized in the fifteenth century by Franciscan disciple Bernardine of Sienna, who promoted it as a symbol of peace. Some evangelicals have theorized that the initials stand for "Isis, Horus, and Seb," and are related to Egyptian sun worship, but this is a spurious claim that has never been supported by any solid evidence. The IHS emblem today most commonly represents the communion wafer, and is closely asociated with the Jesuit Order. The solar rays often depicted surrounding the emblem represent the monstrance (Ostensorium),* a decorated vessel used to display the Communion Host. The solar symbolism is probably ancient in origin, and probably borrowed from Roman ritual implements. The three nails pictured on some examples represent the nails of the crucifix.