Education
The Apostolate of Education
Bombay Jesuits run 31 schools in Mumbai city and its neighbouring districts. They cater to 27,431 students with the help of 934 lay staff members. The Jesuits also run one D.Ed College and one B.Ed college. St Xavier’s College (Autonomous) Mumbai, Xavier Institute of Management & Research (XIMR), Xavier Institute of Communications (XIC) and Xavier Institute of Engineering are also prestigious Institutes run by the Bombay Jesuits.
History of Jesuit Education
The first Jesuits made their mark as preachers, convent reformers, and missionaries, but in 1548 the Jesuits opened their first college intended for lay students at Messina in Sicily. It was an instant success, and petitions for more Jesuit colleges flowed into Rome from most of the cities of Catholic Europe. Quickly, education became the main Jesuit ministry. By 1579 the Jesuits were operating 144 colleges (most admitted students between twelve and twenty) in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. By 1749 the Jesuits were staffing 669 colleges and 235 seminaries world-wide.
Today, millions of people across the world have experienced the transformative power of Jesuit education. Jesuit education regards every element of creation as worthy of study and contemplation, capable of endless exploration. Education in a Jesuit Institution tries to create a sense of wonder and mystery in learning about God’s creation. Jesuit education, therefore, probes the meaning of human life and is concerned with the total formation of each student as an individual personally loved by God.