St. Ignatius, born in 1491 in Spain, truly transformed his life after a profound spiritual conversion. From a life of nobility and military ambition, he shifted to serving Christ with unwavering dedication. His founding of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1540 focused strongly on education, spiritual formation, and social justice.

St. Joseph Skill Academy continues his legacy by focusing not only on academic excellence but also on character formation, leadership, and service to others — embodying the very ideals that St. Ignatius envisioned for building a more just and compassionate world.

Today, there are around 14,000 Jesuits worldwide, engaged in a wide range of missions, with a strong focus on higher education. Jesuit education draws its inspiration from a profound vision of humanity, shaped by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is also rooted in the principles of

character formation articulated by St. Ignatius of Loyola. This vision and the guiding principles give Jesuit institutions their unique character, setting before both staff and students lofty ideals of humanism and service, towards which they are constantly invited to aspire. Jesuit education is inspired by a vision of man drawn from the life and teaching of Jesus Christ who has always been respected and admired by the people of India. It is also based on the principles of character-formation elaborated by St. Ignatius of Loyola. This vision and these principles give the Jesuit Institutions a specific character and set before their staff and students high ideals of humanism and service, towards which they are invited continually to strive.

JESUIT EDUCATION

• Seeks to develop the whole student mind, body, and spirit.
• Values academic excellence, inter-religious understanding, and service to others especially the poor and the socially marginalized.
• Prepare students for lifelong learning.
• Explores the interface between faith and culture.
• Pays special attention to values, ethical issues, and the development of moral character.
• Is broad-based, comprehensive, and liberal.
• Prepares students for a rapidly changing and diverse society.
• Develops responsible citizens who are sensitive to the needs of our times.
• Maintains an optimistic view of human nature and its responsibilities and possibilities.
• Fosters an integration of knowledge within and across disciplines.
• Encourages critical, analytical, and creative approaches to solving problems.
• Incorporates a global and international dimension for growth and learning.
• Inspires graduates to change society and the world for the better.

IGNATIAN PEDAGOGY

• Ignatian pedagogy is a teaching model that seeks to develop students of competence and compassion.
• Embraces the unique qualities in each student.
• Facilitates students’ understanding of information in a personally relevant and personally appropriated manner.
• Employs a systematic, sequential and purposeful teaching plan.
• Encourages students to decide what is truly good for themselves and society through a process of discernment.
• Is challenging and rigorous.
• Is interdisciplinary.
• Makes use of novel teaching methods and technologies as they arise.
• Relies on professors to serve as model “women and men for others” both in and out of the classroom. Encourages attentiveness, reverence and devotion to reveal truth and wisdom.
• Utilizes clear and specific evaluation methods.
• Encourages student responsibility and independence.
• Emphasizes “eloquentia perfecta” - speaking and writing excellence.
• Views teaching as a vocation and as a service to others.

Values the five educational principles comprising the Ignatian pedagogical paradigm:

1. Context - understanding student life and culture.
2. Experience -providing intellectual and effective learning opportunities.
3. Reflection - of meaning for self and others.
4. Action- the external expression of learned content.
5. Evaluation - of student growth