The Jesuit order, or of the Jesuits, officially called the Society of Jesus, is a Catholic religious order founded in the middle of the 16th century (more specifically in the year 1534) in the city of Paris. Its founder was the religious then declared saint Saint Ignatius of Loyola. The objectives of the founding of this company were, obviously, the extension and diffusion of the message of Jesus in those territories and communities in which it did not yet exist. One of the main and most outstanding works of this company took place in South America, in the current Argentine and Paraguayan territory.
We count among the most significant and distinctive elements of the work of the Society of Jesus the interest in sowing in its followers and faithful the message of Jesus through education and evangelizing teaching. The Jesuits not only became famous historically for teaching Aboriginal communities the Catholic message but also for instilling in them the notions of spirituality and the importance of a life dedicated to reflection and admiration of the Lord's works rather than interest for material objects and for money. At the same time, the Jesuits passed on to their faithful the idea of magis, or mission for which each one of us was created and brought into the world: discovering our own mission and carrying it out was for the Jesuits an act of courage and complete devotion to the Lord.
Although Jesuit companies exist to this day with a great presence in spaces such as Latin America, one of the most crucial moments in their history was the expulsion from America that they suffered in the 18th century at the hands of the Bourbon kings of Spain and of other European dynastic houses. The Jesuits represented political and religious values that did not coincide with those of the kings (who wanted to limit Papal power and centralize both political and religious power in their people). At the same time, the Jesuits had achieved an incredible work of evangelization in America that went beyond religious questions since they had given the indigenous communities different elements for their organization and subsistence. Today, the Jesuits continue to exist and have numerous adherents throughout the world.
