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From Ohio History Central
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<p>The Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, is a significant religious order of the Roman Catholic Church. At the start of the twenty-first century, there were approximately twenty thousand Jesuits. These priests are engaged in missionary and charity activities on six continents in 112 different countries. The Jesuits have established hundreds of colleges and universities around the world to spread their message.</p>
<p>Saint Ignatius of Loyola founded this order in 1534. The society dedicated itself to education and charity work. It also sought to convert non-Catholics to Catholicism. During the 1500s, 1600s, and 1700s, Jesuit missionaries traveled around the world seeking converts. Many Jesuits came to the New World and engaged in missionary activities among the Indians in the Spanish colonies in Central America and South America, as well as in the French colonies in North America.</p>