Loyola High School (Montreal) - Spiritual and Religious Formation

Spiritual and Religious Formation

Loyola, as a Jesuit school, interprets education in larger than academic terms—namely that full growth of the human person which leads both to reflection and to action, suffused with the spirit and presence of Jesus Christ, the Man-for-Others. Because students of high school age are at a critical stage in their religious development, Loyola aims to help them: Explore their religious experiences in an environment where Catholic doctrine and values are understood, cherished and fostered; Form sound moral judgement and a firm will to act according to it; and; Develop a fraternal respect for people of differing creeds and cultures.

As a Jesuit school, Loyola must reflect the special charisms and emphases that flow from the long tradition of spirituality and thought as expressed in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, and other documents of the Society of Jesus, and, concomitantly, the spirituality of the lay vocation of the ministry of teaching.

Therefore, the school strives to develop a special sense of community and commitment beginning with a greater dedication to the service of the church and of all people, an exciting search for a deeper devotion to Jesus Christ, and a stronger awareness that God dwells in all Creation. The school, therefore, must be clearly Christian in all its aspects. This means that the school not only exercise the natural virtues, but also build into the fabric of the school a realistic Christian ethos, which for Jesuit institutions signifies the service of faith and the promotion of justice.

Since justice is a virtue central to Christian life, Loyola places special emphasis on making its members sensitive to justice both for individuals and in local, national and international situations. No person should graduate from Loyola without an awareness of the realities of global interdependence, the need for restraint in the use of natural resources, the obligation of the developed nations towards underdeveloped peoples, and the systematic forms of injustice and discrimination which currently affect Canadian and worldwide society. Loyola students and graduates are challenged to use their talents and energies to address these problems in a Christian way.