(Photos by Caitlin Cunningham)
Historical perspectives
on Jesuit education
Speaking at a campus forum on Jesuit and Catholic education, University President William P. Leahy, S.J., extolled the far-reaching vision of Jesuit founder Saint Ignatius of Loyola that continues to guide Boston College.
“The genius of St. Ignatius was to combine study of the humanities with character formation,” said Fr. Leahy at the April 9 event in Gasson 100, “Jesuit and Catholic Education: Perspectives on its History and Future,” sponsored by The Church in the 21st Century Center.
Jesuit education, Fr. Leahy said, is about trying “to shape the world, influence the world through students.”
The conversation on the history of the Jesuit educational model featured Fr. Leahy and Professor Cristiano Casalini, Endowed Chair in Jesuit Pedagogy and Educational History in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development and a research scholar with the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies at Boston College (IAJS). Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Associate Dean of the Core Curriculum and Professor of the Practice Elizabeth H. Shlala served as moderator. C21 Center Director Karen Kiefer introduced the event.
Fr. Leahy, who has announced his intention to step down as University president in the summer of 2026, created The Church in the 21st Century initiative 23 years ago to examine issues relating to the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. In 2004, BC established The Church in the 21st Century Center as a permanent commitment to explore compelling questions facing the Catholic Church and serve as a catalyst and resource for the Church’s renewal.
According to Casalini and Fr. Leahy, St. Ignatius and his early companions—who shared a faith and interest in intellectual life—developed a very powerful vision and mission around education. They opened the first Jesuit school in Messina, Sicily, in 1548, and more than 470 years later, Jesuit education is a worldwide enterprise.
Speaking about the rise of Jesuit higher education in the United States in the 19th century, Casalini said, “What marks the continuity of Jesuit thinking on education throughout the century is this strong belief in the transformative power of education, in the societal power of education.”
“Jesuits started schools because they saw it as a way of not only helping individuals develop their talents, but also to use those talents for the good of others. And so mission is just critical,” said Fr. Leahy, noting that vision shapes mission. “Mission should in turn lead to decisions that reinforce the vision and mission.”
Fr. Leahy spoke about how essential it is for an institution to have a clear sense of mission: Without it, an institution can drift and decline. “Institutions that have a compelling sense of mission have a much higher likelihood of attracting students, faculty, staff, and supporters.”
Adapting the mission to changing times is also necessary for Jesuit institutions, he said, crediting St. Ignatius with the characteristic of adaptability: “If you are really going to be effective, I think you have to be able to evolve and read the signs of the times.” Where Boston College’s mission at its founding in 1863 was focused on Boston, he said, “Now, it’s the world.”
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During the conversation, Fr. Leahy cited four critical aspects to BC’s approach to formative education: curriculum, residential life, volunteer service, and reflection.
Shlala spoke about formative education at Boston College and how faculty across campus embody it in a way they might not be asked to at other institutions.
Casalini shared an insight highlighted in the , a scholarly journal relaunched by the IAJS after a 55-year absence. He said the familiar Jesuit phrase cura personalis, translated as care for the whole person, had its roots in another Latin phrase: personalis alumnorum cura, which means “personal interest in the student.” This nuance adds another dimension to the Jesuit philosophy of education, extending it to include having instructors who care about students beyond the classroom and strive to offer guidance, counsel, and encouragement.
The event served as a complement to the on “Liberal Arts Education: Its Value and Impact.” Shlala served as the issue’s guest editor and a contributor. Fr. Leahy, Casalini, Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J., Messina College Dean Erick Berrelleza, S.J., and numerous BC faculty, staff, students, and alumni also had pieces published in the issue.
“Jesuit education is very much about influencing, helping people be better, and I think it’s tremendous that we are explicit about that,” said Fr. Leahy. “We say we want to, through our students, change the world. We want our students to be better human beings…We inform, but we [also] want to form so as to transform.”
He closed by adding, “I do think the need for BC and for Jesuit education is greater now than it’s ever been.”