With 450 years of having arrived in Mexico, the Jesus company founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola in 1540, is one of the Catholic orders that, in addition to spread the gospel lays its foundations in education.
Upon arrival at aztec territory they settled first in Mexico City, where they began with the formation of indigenous people and the children of the Spaniards; time later the missionaries would move to the north of the territory of what was then called New Spain.
According to Father Rodrigo Gonzalez Gomezwho is spiritual companion of high school at the Tampico Cultural Institute, the order did not have education as its main objective; however, Ignatius of Loyola had the idea that through training more souls could be reached.
in writing “The Jesuits and the Construction of the Mexican Nation” of Alfonso Alfaro, points out that the Society of Jesus had an important place in the construction of our nation.
The Jesuits in the New Spain they went to the nomadic indigenous regions that had not been served by the other religious orders, to the northwestern areas of the country that were the most difficult and in conflict with the Spanish. On the other hand, they met the urgent need of the population of New Spain, which was the demand for education.
They arrived in Tampico 60 years ago at the invitation of a group of ladies who knew of Ignatian spirituality, who had the support of the Bishop Ernesto Corripio Ahumadaseeing in the city an opportunity to continue with their mission, thus initiating the Tampico Cultural Institute.
Father Rodrigo González expresses that at that time when the schools were founded by priests, it was only to educate men, and when it was instituted by nuns they received only women, hence the ICT was initially only to educate men.
Regarding what Jesuit education is like, he explains that it is based on a tradition of values, under the idea of academic and human excellence. He points out that the institution’s graduates are distinguished by being transformative agents, capable of improving human relationships and life in general, as well as helping them find their place in the world.
“One of the hallmarks of Jesuit education is educating under the idea of academic excellence, but also with human excellence; We cannot think of students who only have tens or a great grade in their grades without that human part”, he conceptualizes.
Formation of the Iñiguistas
With more than 16,000 priests, brothers and novices around the world, the Society of Jesus is the largest male order in the Catholic Church.
In Mexico there are around 250, nine of them are in Tampico, all dedicated to education.
The Father Rodrigo Gonzalez He states that, although the number of Jesuits in the country has decreased in recent years, he has faith that the order will not disappear, although he understands that these are other times, but fortunately there are still vocations.
“God calls you and if the young person has that call, we accompany him so that it becomes a reality; We do not promote it, rather what we want is for them to meet themselves, with God and from that personal and profound encounter they plan their life project”.
The path to become part of the order starts at 18 years of age, which is the minimum age to join, although it is generally at the end of a professional career. First, one must be a candidate and be accepted to begin a two-year novitiate in Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco, where they discern their vocation to decide whether to remain in the order and profess perpetual vows.
Later they study Philosophy at Iteso, Jesuit University of Guadalajara, in addition to completing two years of service that they call Teaching. To complete their training, they learn Theology in Latin America, either in Brazil or Colombia. After this process, priests are ordained, to be in charge of a parish or to dedicate themselves to education.
Tampico Cultural Institute: Life Mission
The Tampico Cultural Institute is turning 60 years old and represents the life mission of a group of ladies, who had known the spiritual exercises taught by Father Federico Chávez and sought to bring the model of Jesuit education.
We are talking about Lucy Alzaga, Elsa Aguirre de Ruiz, Carmen Ruiz de Menchaca, Eugenia G. de Santos and Mari Toni Sanjinés de García Dosal, who had the support of Bishop Ernesto Corripio Ahumada. By insisting so much, they managed to establish a Province in 1962 under Father Jesús Martínez Aguirre and, with it, give way to the first Catholic secondary school in Tamaulipas.
To continue with its growth, a board of trustees is formed made up of Herman H. Fleishman, Rafael Menchaca, in addition to Guillermo and Gustavo González Terán.
At that time, Father Román Navarro arrived from Pereyra to found the Colegio de Tamaulipas, or Colegio de Loyola or Gonzaga, as the institution was provisionally called. It should be noted that the ICT could have been called the Instituto de Olmos or Instituto de las Huastecas.
However, Rafael Menchaca, a member of the board of trustees, is the one who makes the proposal to call him Tampico Cultural Institute. The first facilities would be located in a house located on the corner of Calle Roble and Chairel, where two groups of first year secondary, later second and third, as well as high school were opened.
By 1965 the current land on Universidad Avenue was achieved.
Six decades after the arrival of Jesuit education in the area, the Tampico Cultural Institute continues to consolidate itself, with training that begins in nursery school and goes through preschool, primary and secondary school, reaching high school, based on spirituality and with a 100 percent humanistic philosophy.