Jesuit Ministries

Teaching: In the United States Jesuits are teachers, administrators, and campus ministers in many schools in the United States. We sponsor colleges and universities, high schools, and middle schools. We also sponsor and work in a number of seminaries, specifically the Jesuit School of Theology (JSTB) and Weston Jesuit School of Theology (WJST).

Scholarship, Research and Writing: The Jesuits sponsor the Center of Concern in Washington, DC, Woodstock Theological Center in New York City, and the Seminar on Jesuit Spirituality in St. Louis. These centers stand as vital centers to U.S. culture. We also publish a number of periodicals and magazines such as America Magazine, Theological Studies, Review for Religious, and National Jesuit News.

Retreats and Spiritual Direction: Jesuits sponsor 26 retreat houses and spirituality centers across the nation. Many Jesuits working in universities, high schools, and parishes also do spiritual direction at the same time. However, the Jesuits and our partners who work at our retreat houses give retreats and spiritual direction as their full-time ministry.

Parishes: In almost every large city, Jesuits staff one or two parishes. Sometimes they are adjacent to or part of a Jesuit college or university, or sometimes a parish had been founded by Jesuits when there were not enough diocesan priests to take on new parishes. And a few Jesuits, who are good at pastoring, are “loaned” to the local bishop to lead a parish.

Missionaries: Many Jesuits are assigned to a mission, either at home or abroad. Jesuit priests and brothers from the United States are serving in missions to the Native Americans, and in almost every country of Asia and Africa. Missouri Province Jesuits have worked in places such as Japan, Korea, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Belize, Zimbabwe, Kenya, South Africa, Iraq, Turkey, Egypt, and Israel.