The celebration, livestreamed online, commemorated nearly two centuries of Jesuit presence in the country and offered an opportunity to reflect on the international collaboration that has sustained the mission since its beginnings, including its historic links with the Jesuits in Britain.
The Jesuit mission in what was then British Honduras began in December 1851, when Fr James Dupeyron SJ was sent from Jamaica to minister to Catholic refugees arriving in the colony. He established a church and school in Belize City, laying the foundations for what would become a wide-ranging educational and pastoral mission.
Jesuits from across Europe, including Britain, contributed to the mission’s growth in the decades that followed. In 1874, Fr John Pittar SJ became Superior and, with financial support from England, built a church and residence at Orange Walk. English Jesuits would continue to play a role in the development of the local Church, including Fr Frederick C. Hopkins SJ, who served as bishop in the early twentieth century.
Education became a central part of the Jesuit apostolate. In 1887, Fr Cassian Gillet SJ founded St John’s College in Belize City to provide young people with “a solid mental and moral training.” The College faced challenges along the way, most notably the devastating 1931 hurricane, which destroyed much of the city and tragically claimed the lives of eleven Jesuits, staff, and students. Despite this, the College endured and continued to grow. Today it occupies its Landivar campus, where the Fordyce Chapel remains a focal point of Jesuit spiritual life.
In 1893, the mission was entrusted to the Missouri Province of the Society of Jesus, now part of the USA Central and Southern Province, reflecting the evolving international character of Jesuit governance and collaboration.
The anniversary Mass celebrated by Fr General at Fordyce Chapel offered a powerful reminder of this shared history. It also highlighted the enduring legacy of the Jesuits’ educational and pastoral work in Belize, shaped over generations by Jesuits from many provinces, including Britain.
Today, the Jesuit presence in Belize continues as part of the global mission of the Society of Jesus, rooted in a tradition of service that began 175 years ago and remains alive in the communities and institutions founded by those early missionaries.
Banner photo: Fordyce Chapel, St. John's College, Belize (courtesy of Jesuits Central and Southern Province).
With thanks to Mary Allen of the British Jesuit Archives for her research, which informed this article.
