When they had finished their studies, Ignatius and his companions decided to offer themselves to the pope for whatever ministry he wished. They discerned that God was calling them to form a new religious order, the Society of Jesus. Rather than committing themselves to a single work and specific religious practices, they chose to keep themselves available to be sent, on a moment’s notice, to any part of the world where the need was the greatest, and to adopt the religious way of life needed for that end.
Ignatius was elected the head of this new order, called the Society of Jesus because of their devotion to the person of the incarnate Lord. They were later called Jesuits, a name meant to mock their frequent use of the name Jesus. The Jesuits embraced and adopted the name.
