Why were Jesuits called “Blackrobes”?
Jesuits wore a black robe called a cassock that was bound together at the waist by a cincture (belt). For the most part, Jesuits today wear a black shirt with a Roman collar rather than a cassock. Is it true that the Society of Jesus is the largest religious order of men in the world? Yes. As of January 2005, there were some 21,000 men on six continents and in 127 countries throughout the world. There are about 13,966 priests; 1,921 brothers; 3,054 scholastics; and 909 novices. There are approximately 3,217 Jesuits in the U.S. What types of work are Jesuits engaged in? Apostolic works that Jesuits are engaged in are education, parish ministry, preaching, pastoral ministry in hospitals, spiritual direction, giving retreats, missionary work in foreign countries, the training of diocesan seminarians, writing and publishing, TV and radio ministry, medicine and psychiatry to name a few. There are 360 Jesuit priests and brothers who staff 110 parishes and over 200 Jesuits serve in 26 retreat
