JESUIT EDUCATIONAL CREDO MAGIS:
Exploring Greater Heights The Society of Jesus, a Christian Religious Order founded by St Ignatius of Loyola in 1540, has been active in the sphere of education throughout the world, ever since its foundation. In India, today, the Society of Jesus is responsible for the education of hundreds of young people belonging to every social class, community and religious group. Jesuit education is inspired by the vision of Man drawn from the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. It is also based on the principles of character-formation elaborated by St Ignatius of Loyola. It is this which gives Jesuit education its special character. In general, the Jesuit school aims at the integral personal formation of the students. To this end, special efforts are made:
— To help the students become mature, spiritually oriented men of character,
— To encourage them continually to strive after excellence in every field,
— To be clear and firm on principles, courageous and resolute in action,
— To be unselfish in the service of their fellow men and become agents of progressive social change,
— To instill in them a true national spirit, a deep love for the motherland, an appreciation of Indian culture, values, language and things Indian, and a keen civic and social sense. In particular, excellence in education is measured not by the quality of the work produced by the ablest students but by the degree to which every student has realized his full potentialities. In other words, it is not the highest point our best students reach but the distance through which all our students move from the point where they start, to the farthest reaches of their development. In the development of the intellect, accent is placed on the cultivation of a creative, critical intellect so that the students are able to see, perceive, understand, discern and evaluate true-life situations. However, education is not merely the development of the mind but also the heart, feelings, emotions, so that the students are more aware, more alive to situations in which people live, especially the poor and the oppressed. In the formation of character, emphasis is laid on the qualities of commitment, initiative, team spirit, integrity, honesty, austerity, simplicity and service of others. Obviously, the end-product is a very special type of person. Bearing the above principles in mind, we spell out the type of persons this educational institution seeks to fashion:
They are convinced that the value of people lies more in what they are, than in what they have.
They are likewise convinced that ‘it is more joyful to give than to receive’ as Jesus has taught us.
So, they are generous persons who know how to give what they have, not only leftovers but even what they badly need. Even more, they know how to give themselves in the service of others.
They are noble persons who always follow their conscience. They remain unswayed by advantages, promises, offers or privileges which might cause them to compromise their sense of duty.
They honour their promises and commitments. They can be taken at their word.
They respect others, looking on them as persons having rights, not as things to be manoeuvred to their own advantage.
They are free, not enslaved by money, because they know that ‘he who has, wants more’ and ‘that money is a good servant but a bad master’.
They work diligently, knowing how to use time, convinced that time is already eternity. Since time lost is never retrieved, they try not to waste time.
They are modest, seeking to do good without proclaiming it from the roof-top. Indeed, they do not want the right hand to know what the left hand is about.
They are prudent and discreet in speech, bearing in mind the proverb that ‘He who wants to speak well, must think clearly’.
They have big hearts, envious of none, love and esteem everyone; they know how to forgive and do not make enemies.
They do to others what they would want others to do unto them.
They love and respect their country’s rich, cultural heritage. They are conscious of their duties as citizens and take an active interest in national affairs.
They have a keen sense of justice. They are filled with an inner sense of revulsion for unjust situations and take positive steps to build a better world.