JESUIT TRADITION

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam is a Latin phrase that means "for the greater glory of God."  This slogan used by the Society of Jesus reminds each of us to live our lives for the greater glory of God. It reminds us to honor, praise, and thank God for the goodness, unity, and love in our lives.  

The De Smet Jesuit community reminds itself about the AMDG each time we pray as we conclude prayer by saying that "we dedicate all our thoughts, words, and actions to the greater glory of God."

Cura personalis is a Latin phrase that means "care for the entire person."  This phrase calls for each member of the community to give individualized attention to the needs of others and meet them where they are to provide help and support.  

At De Smet Jesuit, cura personalis is exemplified in the care and concern of the faculty and staff in working with students and helping them succeed. Cura personalis is also seen in our students as they go out in service to the community where they seek the needs of the people they are working with in order to provide the help needed.

Educating the whole person is one of the hallmarks of Jesuit education.  Jesuits strive to help young men and women develop in mind, body, and soul in order to prepare them to help create a more just, humane, and sustainable world.

At De Smet Jesuit, the faculty and staff strive to engage the students in all aspects of life in and out of the classroom in order to help them understand their impact on the world around them.  

Finding God in all things is an invitation to encounter God's presence in each moment, to become aware of God's beauty in everything and to notice God's action in all the events of our lives through an ongoing process of personal discernment.

At De Smet Jesuit, students are challenged to look for God in their surroundings and experiences.  Students reflect on their experiences to understand God's influence through journaling and writing assignments in classes.

The Grad at Grad (Graduate at Graduation) is a foundational document which is used by Jesuit schools across the country to outline the five characteristics they hope their graduates will embody.

At De Smet Jesuit, we use this roadmap to guide our work and have customized it along the way—adding a sixth characteristic, Developing as a Leader, to more accurately reflect the experience we provide.

learn more: grad at grad

Ignatian spirituality is a spirituality for everyday life. It insists that God is present in our world and active in our lives. It is a pathway to deeper prayer, good decisions guided by keen discernment, and an active life of service to others.

At De Smet Jesuit, students are introduced to Ignatian Spirituality through prayer in the classroom and use the reflective process to discern decisions in their lives. 

learn More: Ignatian Spirituality

The Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm (IPP) is a way of learning and method of teaching used by teachers in a Jesuit school influenced by the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.  

5 Principles of the IPP

• Context: set the context with an understanding of the students' life and culture
• Experience: provide intellectual and affective learning opportunities
• Reflection: reflect on meaning of material in relation to self and others
• Action: express the learned content
• Evaluation: evaluate the growth of the student in relation to material covered

Magis is a Latin word that means "more" or "greater."

At De Smet Jesuit, students are challenged to achieve the magis by challenging themselves to do more for others through service and to be better at what they do.

"Men for and With Others" is the motto of De Smet Jesuit and a key value in the Jesuit Tradition. The phrase was coined by Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ, General Superior of the Society of Jesus, in a speech given to Jesuit alumni of Europe on July 31, 1973. This phrase means that students of Jesuit schools will have a sense of social justice and work toward justice in their life.

At De Smet Jesuit, students are challenged to be men for and with others through different opportunities for service at De Smet Jesuit, but most notably through their junior and senior projects where they go out and work with the marginalized in the St. Louis area to open up their eyes to issues of injustice in the world.