On August 15, 1534, Ignatius (born Iñigo López de Loyola – his first name was incorrectly Latinized when he enrolled in university), a Basque, and six other students at the University of Paris (Francisco Xavier, Alfonso Salmerón, Diego Laínez, and Nicolás Bobadilla, Spaniards, Peter Faber from France and Simon Rodrigues from Portugal) met in Montmartre outside Paris, probably either at Saint Pierre de Montmarte (the local abbey) or near the modern Chapel of St Denys, Rue Antoinette. This group bound themselves by a vow of poverty and chastity, to “enter upon hospital and missionary work in Jerusalem, or to go without questioning wherever the pope might direct”.

They called themselves the “Company of Jesus,” a name that had echoes of the military (as in an infantry “company”), as well as of discipleship (the “companions” of Jesus). The word “company” comes ultimately from Latin, cum + pane = “bread with,” or a group that shares meals. These initial steps led to the founding of what would be called the Society of Jesus later in 1540. The term societas in Latin is derived from socius, a partner or comrade. Much is sometimes made of Ignatius’ military background, which is reflected in some early Jesuit terminology, but the words also had wider connotations.

In 1537, they travelled to Italy to seek papal approval for their order. Pope Paul III gave them a commendation, and permitted them to be ordained priests. They were ordained at Venice by the bishop of Arbe (June 24). They devoted themselves to preaching and charitable work in Italy, as the renewed war between the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Venice, the pope and the Ottoman Empire rendered any journey to Jerusalem inadvisable.

With Faber and Lainez and Adam Tomes and Richard Wilkins, Ignatius made his way to Rome in October 1538, to have the pope approve the constitution of the new order. A congregation of cardinals reported favorably upon the constitution presented, and Paul III confirmed the order through the bull Regimini militantis (September 27, 1540), but limited the number of its members to sixty. This limitation was removed through the bull Injunctum nobis (March 14, 1543). Ignatius was chosen as the first superior-general. He sent his companions as missionaries around Europe to create schools, colleges, and seminaries.

When developed, Jesuits concentrated on three activities. First, they founded schools throughout Europe. Jesuit teachers were rigorously trained in both classical studies and theology. The Jesuits’ second mission was to convert non-Christians to Catholicism, so they developed and sent out missionaries. Their third goal was to stop Protestantism from spreading. The zeal of the Jesuits overcame the drift toward Protestantism in Poland-Lithuania and southern Germany.

Ignatius wrote the Jesuit Constitutions, adopted in 1554, which created a tightly centralized organization and stressed absolute self-abnegation and obedience to Pope and superiors (perinde ac cadaver, “[well-disciplined] like a corpse” as Ignatius put it). His main principle became the unofficial Jesuit motto: Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam (“for the greater glory of God”). This phrase is designed to reflect the idea that any work that is not evil can be meritorious for the spiritual life if it is performed with this intention, even things considered normally indifferent.

The Society of Jesus is classified among institutes as a mendicant order of clerks regular, that is, a body of priests organized for apostolic work, following a religious rule, and relying on alms, or donations, for support.

The term “Jesuit” (of fifteenth-century origin, meaning one who used too frequently or appropriated the name of Jesus), was first applied to the Society in reproach (1544-52), and was never employed by its founder, though members and friends of the Society in time appropriated the name in its positive meaning.

Source:  Wikipedia.org