Jesuit
A member of the religious male order of the Society of Jesus of the Roman Catholic Church. Founded in 1534, the order?s Latin motto is Ad majorem Dei gloriam (?to the greater glory of God?.) The primary mission of the Jesuits was (and is) to spread the Roman Catholic church though preaching and education in particular. Jesuit missionaries were among the earliest Europeans seeking to convert Native Americans to Christianity. The Jesuit Relations of the 1600s record these efforts as well as individual Jesuits? observations of the Native people among whom they lived. Their ability to speak Native languages made Jesuits valuable and influential players in diplomatic relations between the French government and Native peoples.