Jesuit Education at SI
At SI, students learn what it means to be men and women with and for others. They grow in faith and are inspired to work for justice for the poor and persecuted.
Jesuit Education
SI was founded in 1855 by Fr. Anthony Maraschi of the Society of Jesus. The Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, is an order of Catholic priests founded in 1534 by St. Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556).
SI is part of a worldwide network of Jesuit high schools and universities. In the U.S. alone, there are well over 1.3 million living alumni and alumnae of Jesuit schools (28 colleges and 47 high schools).
At SI, students learn what it means to be men and women with and for others. They grow in faith and are inspired to work for justice for the poor and persecuted. They join Christian Life Communities and attend student-directed Friday Morning Liturgies. Some travel to places like Costa Rica and Mexico over the summer on immersion trips to live and work in solidarity with people in Third World countries, and all students volunteer in their local communities. They attend retreats and grow closer to God through Ignatian prayer. Do you have to be a Catholic to attend SI? A quarter of our students aren't Catholic, but most find themselves growing in their own faith traditions thanks to the spiritual formation that SI offers to all students.
Students at SI learn about their faith in religious studies classes and through campus ministry programs. They also find truth in the Jesuit desire to teach "faith that does justice." They put their faith into practice by helping feed the hungry at St. Anthony's, working at the Janet Pomeroy Center (formerly known as the Recreation Center for the Handicapped) and on summer immersion programs living and working with people in Third World countries. They know that it's not enough to talk a good game. Our faith calls us to change the world for the greater glory of God and to love others as Jesus loved us.
All students at SI are asked to spend 100 hours over their first three years helping disadvantaged people through SI's Christian Service Program. Many students choose to go far beyond this requirement and belong to the 200-hour club. This dedication to service doesn't stop when they leave SI. Just ask Jocelyn Sideco (SI 1995), former senior class president, who is coordinating volunteers in the rebuilding of New Orleans. Or ask Dr. Eric Goosby (SI 1970), former AIDS Czar in the Clinton Administration, who is now fighting AIDS in China through his Pangaea Foundation. Or Larry Purcell (SI 1962) who works with homeless teenagers at the Redwood City Catholic Worker House. Or Dr. Peter Raven (SI 1953), named a "Hero of the Planet" by Time Magazine for his efforts to slow the extinction of endangered plants and animals. They embody the Jesuit motto of being "men and women for others."
To learn more about the Jesuits, visit http://www.jesuit.org/.
Click here to see a list of all Jesuit high schools in the U.S.