The Society of Jesus was formally approved by the Pope in 1540. Eight years later a Jesuit mission was stared in the Congo. In 1554 Jesuits were sent to Ethiopia to make contact with Christians there, and by 1561, Jesuits had journeyed into present-day Zimbabwe. In 1971, the General Superior, Father Arrupe, created the African Assistancy to encourage collaboration among the many different groups of Jesuits working across the continent, and to foster common local formation programmes.

The African Assistancy is now made up of the provinces of West Africa, Central Africa, Eastern Africa, Madagascar, Zambia-Malawi and Zimbabwe, the Region of South Africa, dependent on the British Province; the Region of Nigeria-Ghana, dependent on the New York Province, and the independent Region of Rwanda-Burundi. Jesuits working in Morocco, Algeria and Egypt, and on the islands of Reunion and Mauritius fall under the West European Assistancy.

The main apostolates in Africa include primary, secondary and tertiary education, seminaries, social apostolates, retreat houses, spiritual and cultural centres, parishes and chaplaincies.Today there are over 1,400 Jesuits working in sub-Saharan Africa.

Jesuits in South Africa

Fr. Guy Tachard SJ, was the first Jesuit to set foot in South Africa when he landed at Cape Town in 1685. He was a Frenchman on his way to Siam as an astronomer-teacher. Although the Dutch authorities did not allow Catholics to disembark, because the governor of the Cape Colony wanted astronomical readings taken, he was allowed ashore. Members of the Society of Jesus have been serving the Catholic Church in South Africa continuously since 1875 when they were invited to Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape.

For one hundred years they worked in various parts of South Africa in education, missions and parishes, and trained others who were on their way to jobs north of the Limpopo River. Since 1978 the South African Jesuits have been given more responsibility for their own works.

We are still a tiny region within the international Society of Jesus, but we aim to match our rich legacy with exciting new prospects.

	Annual Regional Meeting of the Jesuits in South Africa, July 2007 Names from top left to bottom right: Graham Pugin, Fidele Tugizimana, John Enslin, Anthony Egan, Michael Gallagher, David Smolira, Shaun Carls, David Rowan, David Dryden, James Hanvey (from Heythrop College, UK), Chris Chatteris, Gerry Lorriman, Michael Austin, Michael Holman (British Provincial) Michael Lewis (SA Regional Superior) Kevin McElhatton, Matthew Charlesworth, Peter Knox, Russell Pollitt, Thomas Plastow, Bruce Botha