Jesuits in Lithuania and Latvia
WHO WE ARE
The Jesuits have lived and worked in Lithuania for over 450 years. Since their arrival, their main focus has been on education. Jesuits have contributed to the flourishing of Lithuania’s religious and cultural life in many ways.
Jesuits strive to serve others as men of God in today’s world—by offering the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, by educating and accompanying youth, by serving those at the margins of society, and by promoting care for the environment.
There are currently thirty-one Jesuits working in the Lithuanian and Latvian Jesuit province.
WHAT WE DO
The Jesuits in Lithuania live and work at 3 main locations: Kaunas, Vilnius and Šiauliai. In Latvia, a community of Jesuits works in Riga.
In Kaunas they maintain the Kaunas Jesuit High School (grades 5-12) and serve at the church of St. Francis Xavier.
In Vilnius the Jesuits provide pastoral care for students, look after the St. Casimir Church, and have Vilnius University’s St. Johns Church entrusted to them. At the Vilnius Jesuit High School they also work as teachers and chaplains. The Jesuit youth ministry MAGIS also has its headquarters in Vilnius.
In Šiauliai the Jesuits maintain the Šiauliai Jesuit Primary School and serve in the parish of St. Ignatius.
In Riga the Jesuits serve the Marupes Ave Maria parish (currently under construction), teach at a university and broadcast a well-known podcast discussing various topics relating to culture and society.
In the U.S., the Jesuit Lithuanian and Latvian province provides pastoral care to Lithuanian-Americans at the Matulaitis Mission in Lemont, Illinois.
In addition to the above activities, we Jesuits write books and articles, appear in the media, and engage in dialogue with the broader culture and other religions. We read, spend quality time together, and laugh. In whatever we do, we always seek to remain contemplative and give witness to God’s love and compassion for us all.
HOW CAN YOU HELP
We thank you for any support (prayer, participation, financial), that you can provide.
If you have any questions about our mission and our current projects (building, renovation, various MAGIS initiatives etc.), please write us via email at sj@jesuit.lt. For more information (in English) on how to donate, use the following link: http://www.balticjesuits.org/info.htm. For more information in Lithuanian, click here.
Kaunas Jesuit High School
Kaunas Jesuit High School is the oldest school in Kaunas, established in 1649. Currently (in 2019), KJG educates 810 students, employs 80 teachers and 32 employees. Our High school implements primary and secondary education, informal education, International Baccalaureate diploma program, Pre-International Baccalaureate (Pre-IB) diploma program. Our graduates usually choose to study in Higher education establishments in Lithuania and in various esteemed institutions in other countries.
Šiauliai Jesuit School
The SJS is a primary school with over 160 students from 1st to 4th grades. In addition, there is a pre-school class and two groups of kindergarten. More than 200 children in total are educated in Ignatian tradition by 23 teachers and 5 co-workers. The community is attended by 1 Jesuit, Fr. Stasys Kazėnas. St. Ignatius Loyola Church and Jesuit House are closely cooperating in Šiauliai.