Article published in the Italian philosophy review “Lo Sguardo” – French translation by Teilhard Monde –
Document Summary – Since its founding by St. Ignatius in 1540 and in conjunction with its educational work, the Society of Jesus has maintained an ongoing institutional commitment that is unmatched by any other religious order in the Catholic Church. Because its foundation coincided with the beginnings of modern science and educational activity in colleges and universities, mathematical and experimental sciences were introduced into their programs very early. This is how the Jesuit scientific tradition was established. This tradition can be explained by the characteristics of Jesuit or Ignatian spirituality, a mysticism of service, understood as the service of God through the apostolic ministry to men. At the heart of this attitude is the importance of ” finding God in all things ” and the search for the greater glory of God in one’s activity. This led the Jesuits to take on unconventional frontier work at times, one example being scientific work. Jesuit scholars have discovered an affinity between scientific work and their spirituality and strive to integrate both aspects in their lives.
