Jesuit education pursues excellence in its work of formation.

In Jesuit education, the criterion of excellence is applied to all areas of school life: the aim is the fullest possible development of every dimension of the person, linked to the development of a sense of values and a commitment to the service of others which gives priority to the needs of the poor and is willing to sacrifice self-interest for the promotion of justice. The pursuit of academic excellence is appropriate in a Jesuit school, but only within the larger context of human excellence.

Excellence, like all other Ignatian criteria, is determined by “circumstances of place and persons”. “The nature of the institution, its location, the number of students, the formulation of objectives for academic quality or of the publics to be served, etc., are elements which diversify the instrument in order to adapt it to the circumstances in which it is being employed”. To seek the magis, therefore, is to provide the type and level of education for the type and age-group of students that best responds to the needs of the region in which the school is located.


Reference : The Characteristics of Jesuit Education
                    Acta Romana Societatis Iesu
                    Vol. XIX. F, pp 767-832
                    Rome, 1987