I went to a Jesuit high school, and your descriptions were right on the mark. I guess I don’t have much else to say, other than nice work.
Link to Alpha’s great Report: How are Jesuit colleges different from other schools?
Thanks.
Alphagene, out of curiousity, what Jesuit school are you a product of?
Thanks for the compliment, Connor. I figured that since my column didn’t involve anything terribly controversial or anything on the fringe of scientific knowledge I wouldn’t get too many replies.
Well, maybe just some hate mail from a guy named Clement. 
And Starbury, I graduated from Georgetown University.
I went to Boston College. Most people used to refer to us as the other Jesuit university.
Nice job, Alphagene. Frank Pembleton couldn’t have said it better.
What linguist Mario Pei wrote about his Jesuit high school education made me wish I had gone to a Jesuit school, even though I am (and was) an atheist.
Of course, the Jesuits used many other pioneering teaching methods in the Middle Ages, as well. I’m sure that the Inquisition taught a great many infidels about the wonders of God ;). And really, if you’re trying to say how good Jesuit schools are, wouldn’t it be best not to mention that Georgetown is an example?
(For the sarcasm-impaired: All other Catholic orders have a tendancy to consider the Jesuits the embodiment of pure Evil. Also note that I’m an alum of Villanova U.)
I am a sophomore in the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, and I would like to state for the record that although GU Right to Life is funded by the Student Activity Commission, Hoyas for Choice used to exist, but was forced out when alumnae complained to the Catholic Church. H*oyas for Choice still is active and exists separate from the university, but is not allowed to advertise on campus or conduct activities on campus. Also, alumnae complain regularly about the existence of GU Pride, the gay and lesbian club, which is university-funded, as well as about certain activities of the Women’s Center, such as the yearly production of “The Vagina Monologues.” Some aspects of Jesuit traditionalism are still very influential. That said, the priests on campus are, in my experience, fantastic and open-minded. It tends to be alumnae pressure that limits on-campus activities and so forth. Evolution is still taught, of course, and at no point is Catholic theology imposed upon students.
Kelly, do you guys still have to walk to CVS on Wisconsin to buy condoms?
Yeah, the Hoyas for Choice thing has been going on for at least 8 years, probably longer. There are some things that the Catholic church will still allow on campus, and since the university doesn’t have a stellar endowment, they will still go a long way to keep alums happy. You should have seen the fun we had trying to get university funding for the (now defunct) Georgetown Gonzo. We finally ditched that plan, and funded it out of the profits of our editor-in-chief’s drug dealing.
On the bright side, you can take nifty theology classes where you learn about Voodoo. I have tons of respect for the intellectual curiosity and integrity of the professors I encountered, especially the Jesuits, and I like the order’s emphasis on having a profession or area of intellectual inquiry separate from their priestly duties.
Did you have Father Schall for political theory? If so, “when did Aristotle die?” 
Oh, and Alphagene & Connor, sorry to hijack your kudos thread with my fond reminiscences. Kelly, email me if you want - I’m SFS '96.
Sounds like things haven’t changed much since I was there, kell, aside from the status of Hoyas for Choice. I’m a CAS 96 alum. I remember HFC’s active presence on campus and noticed that they weren’t listed on GU’s website as an active student group.
I also remember the Corp (a student run business on campus) wanting to sell condoms in their on campus store and the University being staunchly against it. Bastards made us walk all the way to the CVS on M Street. 
The Jesuits who run the joint are also quite different from the Jesuit faculty who yelled at me for not doing my “God damn essays”. It’s an interesting blend.
Make no mistake, GU is still a Catholic institution. There were crucifixes in most, if not all, classrooms. It ain’t exactly UC Berkeley, but I think Jesuits balance out the old school Catholic mentality somehwat.
And Chronos makes an accurate point about how a lot of other Catholics view Jesuits. Don’t expect a Jesuit Pope anytime soon.
Ha. I guess simulposting is another aspect of the Jesuit tradition.
Creepy.
Now write more God damn Mailbag essays!
Actually, in the speculation over papal succession given the Pope’s ill health, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, the archbishop of Milan, a Jesuit, is often mentioned as a leading choice. However, many commentators suggest that his being a Jesuit and his political liberality are reasons that he is unlikely to be selected.
Billdo, Fordham Law '94
Yup, still hiking to Wisconsin for condoms. H*oyas for Choice distributes them in Red Square. Very entertaining. Yeah, the Jesuits (especially, I’m told, Father Wildes) are very sociable and definitely use the Lord’s name in vain. The situation doesn’t bug me that much, but I wish I had been more aware of it when I was choosing schools.
I didn’t have Father Schall for Elements of Political Theory, but didn’t Aristotle die in 495??
Taking it down a level, to K-12…
I worked for several years as an admissions counselor for a private college, traveling to high schools around the country to recruit students. It is conventional wisdom amongst those in the admissions profession that the Jesuit high schools have the best College Fairs. The schools are well-funded, the education is superior, the kids are open-minded about colleges, and there’s a damned good chance there’ll be wine or beer at the reception or dinner–which will also have classier food and/or appetizers than average.
I always thought well of Jesuit institutions…
Actually, I have yet to find a reputable reference that the Jesuits were involved with the Inquisition. They are frequently mentioned together because both the Jesuits and the Inquisition played a major role in the Counter-Reformation. But I’m not sure how much a role, if any, the Jesuits played in the Inquisition.
In fact, I some cursory research indicates that the Inquisition and the Jesuits frequently butted heads.
Ignatius Loyola was apparently twice imprisoned by the Spanish Inquisition. And I found a site that says “Today, [Loyola’s] followers are aggressively proud of the fact that no member of their order has ever sat on an Inquisitorial tribunal.” Fairfield University (another Jesuit university) says that many of its buildings are named after Jesuits who were “victims of the Inquisition”.
Every website I’ve run into so far that claims that the Jesuits played a role in the Inquisition has an obvious fundamentalist anti-Catholic agenda. They tend to be a little fuzzy on the history too.
If anyone can provide a reputable reference that implies that the Jesuits played a role in the Inquisition, I’d appreciate it. Maybe I should just email some of my old Theology profs…
I can’t believe nobody’s told this joke yet:
A Benedictine and a Franciscan monk had had a little much to drink and were arguing about which of their orders was holier in the sight of God. They finally agreed to ask the big guy directly by writing a note and leaving it on the altar of the nearest church.
The next morning, much to their surprise, their note was missing and a new one had taken its place. Grinning sheepishly at their foolishness, they picked it up. It read:
*My dear, dear children! You must always remember that I never play favorites. You are all holy in My eyes, for you all serve My people and My Holy Name. Please stop this petty bickering, it saddens Me.
My peace be with you,
Sincerely,
God, SJ*I assume “SJ” means ? Jesuit. That would be funnier if I knew the abbreviation beforehand.