Editing Jesuits (section)

===Early works===
[[File:Ratiostudiorum.jpg|thumb|upright|{{lang|la|[[Ratio Studiorum]]}}, 1598]]
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The Jesuits were founded just before the [[Council of Trent]] (1545–1563) and ensuing [[Counter-Reformation]] that would introduce reforms within the Catholic Church, and so counter the [[Protestant Reformation]] throughout Catholic Europe.

Ignatius and the early Jesuits did recognize, though, that the hierarchical church was in dire need of reform. Some of their greatest struggles were against corruption, [[venality]], and spiritual lassitude within the Catholic Church. Ignatius insisted on a high level of academic preparation for the clergy in contrast to the relatively poor education of much of the clergy of his time. The Jesuit vow against "ambitioning prelacies" can be seen as an effort to counteract another problem evidenced in the preceding century.

Ignatius and the Jesuits who followed him believed that the reform of the church had to begin with the conversion of an individual's heart. One of the main tools the Jesuits have used to bring about this conversion is the Ignatian retreat, called the [[Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola|Spiritual Exercises]]. During a four-week period of silence, individuals undergo a series of directed [[meditation]]s on the purpose of life and contemplations on the life of Christ. They meet regularly with a [[spiritual director]] who guides their choice of exercises and helps them to develop a more discerning love for Christ.

The retreat follows a "Purgative-Illuminative-Unitive" pattern in the tradition of the spirituality of [[John Cassian]] and the [[Desert Fathers]]. Ignatius' innovation was to make this style of contemplative [[mysticism]] available to all people in active life. He used it as a means of rebuilding the spiritual life of the church. The Exercises became both the basis for the training of Jesuits and one of the essential ministries of the order: giving the exercises to others in what became known as "retreats".

The Jesuits' contributions to the late [[Renaissance]] were significant in their roles both as a missionary order and as the first religious order to operate colleges and universities as a principal and distinct ministry.<ref name="Principe"/> By the time of Ignatius' death in 1556, the Jesuits were already operating a network of 74 colleges on three continents. A precursor to [[liberal arts|liberal education]], the Jesuit plan of studies incorporated the Classical teachings of [[Renaissance humanism]] into the [[Scholasticism|Scholastic]] structure of Catholic thought.<ref name="Principe"/> This method of teaching was important in the context of the Scientific Revolution, as these universities were open to teaching new scientific and mathematical methodology. Further, many important thinkers of the Scientific Revolution were educated by Jesuit universities.<ref name="Principe"/>

In addition to the teachings of [[faith]], the Jesuit {{lang|la|[[Ratio Studiorum]]}} (1599) would standardize the study of [[Latin]], [[Greek language|Greek]], classical literature, poetry, and philosophy as well as non-European languages, sciences, and the arts. Jesuit schools encouraged the study of [[vernacular literature]] and [[rhetoric]], and thereby became important centres for the training of lawyers and public officials.

The Jesuit schools played an important part in winning back to Catholicism a number of European countries which had for a time been predominantly Protestant, notably [[Poland]] and [[Lithuania]]. Today, Jesuit colleges and universities are located in over one hundred nations around the world. Under the notion that God can be encountered through created things and especially art, they encouraged the use of ceremony and decoration in Catholic ritual and devotion. Perhaps as a result of this appreciation for art, coupled with their spiritual practice of "finding God in all things", many early Jesuits distinguished themselves in the visual and [[performing arts]] as well as in music. The theater was a form of expression especially prominent in Jesuit schools.{{sfn|Campbell|1921|p=857}}

Jesuit priests often acted as [[confession (religion)|confessors]] to kings during the [[early modern period]]. They were an important force in the Counter-Reformation and in the Catholic missions, in part because their relatively loose structure (without the requirements of living and celebration of the [[Liturgy of the Hours|Liturgy of Hours]] in common) allowed them to be flexible and meet diverse needs arising at the time.{{sfn|Gonzalez|1985|p=144}}