Shock Troops of the Counter-Reformation

Shock Troops of the Counter-Reformation. . The Society of Jesus was founded on August 15th, 1534 in Paris, France, by Ignatius Loyola and a band of six other students at the University of Paris. In 1541, Pope Paul III officially recognized the Jesuits. The Jesuits are missionaries and teachers, and are the largest male Catholic religious order in the world. The organization is considered the most significant Catholic response to the Protestant Reformation., At the time of the founding of Maryland, the Jesuits were active in England, where they were under constant threat of arrest and execution. The Society founded universities and colleges on the continent during the 16th and 17th centuries, and provided training to English Catholics. Their mission activities stretched from Europe to China, India, Japan, and throughout the Americas., In 1773, the Society of Jesus was officially suppressed by the Pope as a result of political intrigue. In 1814, the suppression was lifted and the Jesuits resumed their efforts around the world., [Timeline:] , 1534 , Loyola and his Colleagues Found the Idea of the Jesuits, 1541 , The Pope Officially Recognizes the Jesuits as a Catholic Order, 1552 , Francis Xavier Dies While Attempting to Reach Mainland China, 1568 , Construction of the Gesú, Mother Church of the Society, Begins in Rome, 1622 , Ignatius Loyola and Francis Xavier are Canonized as the First Jesuit Saints, 1634 , Jesuit Priests, Andrew White and John Altham, Arrive in Maryland. The Society goes on to the Largest Land Owner in the Colony Outside of the Calvert Family, 1773 , Jesuit Order Suppressed by Pope Clement XIV, 1789 , John Carroll, Trained as a Jesuit. Becomes the First Roman Catholic Bishop in the United States, 1814 , Suppression of the Jesuits Revoked by Pope Pius VII, 1848 , Jesuits Banned from Switzerland, the Ban was not Lifted Until 19731961 , After 327 Years as the Principal Roman Catholic Clergy, the Jesuits Begin Withdrawing from Southern Maryland, 2009 , Jesuits Sell 4,500 acres to the State of Maryland to Fund Their Members in Retirement, [Aside:] , In 1970, the Vatican canonized 40 individuals to represent the many Roman Catholics who were the victims of religious oppression in England and Wales from 1535 to 1679. Of the forty chosen, one-quarter were members of the Society of Jesus. These included:

Alexander Briant, 1556-1581 , Edmund Campion, 1540,1581 , Robert Southwell, 1561-1595 , Henry Walpole, 1558-1595 , Nicholas Owen, 1540-1606 , Thomas Garnet, 1575-1608 , Edmund Arrowsmith, 1585-1628 , Henry Morse, 1595-1644 , Philip Evans, 1645-1679 , David Lewis, 1616-1679

, October 25th is the official feast day.