<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> The Society of Jesus (S.J.--from Latin: Societas Iesu) is a scholarly religious congregation of the Catholic Church which originated in sixteenth - century Spain . The members are called Jesuits . The society is engaged in evangelization and apostolic ministry in 112 nations on six continents . Jesuits work in education (founding schools, colleges, universities, and seminaries), intellectual research, and cultural pursuits . Jesuits also give retreats, minister in hospitals and parishes, sponsor direct social ministries, and promote ecumenical dialogue . </P> <P> Ignatius of Loyola, a Basque nobleman from the Pyrenees area of northern Spain, founded the society after discerning his spiritual vocation while recovering from a wound sustained in the Battle of Pamplona . He composed the Spiritual Exercises to help others follow the teachings of Jesus Christ . In 1534, Ignatius and six other young men, including Francis Xavier and Peter Faber, gathered and professed vows of poverty, chastity, and later obedience, including a special vow of obedience to the Pope in matters of mission direction and assignment . Ignatius's plan of the order's organization was approved by Pope Paul III in 1540 by a bull containing the "Formula of the Institute". </P>

What is another name for the society of jesus