Jesuits in Britain

the jesuits, also known as the society of jesus, are an international religious order of men within the catholic church. jesuits take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and live together in community. founded in rome in 1540 by ignatius of loyola and nine companions, the society now numbers just under 20,000 men and is present in more than 100 countries. the head of the order is the superior general, fr adolfo nicolas sj based in rome. the head of the order in britain is the provincial, fr dermot preston sj. in britain the jesuits run 11 schools, 9 parishes, 4 centres of spirituality, 2 university colleges, 3 university chaplaincies, and 4 volunteering missions. jesuits are at work throughout scotland, england and wales, and there are british branches of the international jesuit refugee service and jesuit missions. across the globe jesuits are engaged in a wide variety of works: there are jesuit parish priests, spiritual directors, writers and teachers, but also actors, lawyers,