Present in Liège since the time of Saint Ignatius, the Jesuits will bid farewell to the “Fiery City” on 13 June 2026. Their departure marks the end of more than four and a half centuries of educational, spiritual, and social engagement in service of the Church and the people of Liège.

The history of the Jesuits in Liège dates back to the early years of the Society of Jesus. Among the first Jesuits to spend time in the city was Saint Peter Canisius, one of the Society’s pioneering members. During the sixteenth century, the Jesuits established two colleges in Liège: the Collège en Isle, also known as the Walloon Jesuit College, and the English College.

Following the restoration of the Society of Jesus in the nineteenth century, a new chapter began. In 1828, a diocesan priest founded the Collège Saint-Servais in secret. Ten years later, after entering the Society of Jesus, he entrusted the school to the Jesuits. The institution soon moved to Rue Saint-Gilles, where it flourished and became a cornerstone of Jesuit education in the region.

The Society also established other important educational works in the city. At the end of the nineteenth century, the Jesuits founded the Collège Saint-Louis on the opposite bank of the Meuse, before entrusting it to the Diocese of Liège in 1949. In the early twentieth century, they launched the Institut Gramme within its premises. Today, the institute continues its mission as part of HELMo (Haute École Libre Mosane).

In recent decades, the Jesuit presence in Liège has been expressed through four principal apostolic commitments.

Education has remained at the heart of the mission. Through the Saint-Benoît–Saint-Servais school centre and their involvement in HELMo, the Jesuit educational tradition continues to shape generations of young people. Created in 1992 through the merger of the Collège Saint-Servais and the Paix-Notre-Dame Abbey School, the Saint-Benoît–Saint-Servais school group today educates more than 2,000 students, from nursery school through secondary education.

Spiritual accompaniment has found its home in the Saint Joseph Chapel. The chapel hosts daily Eucharistic celebrations and serves as a gathering place for various faith communities, including the Croatian Catholic community of Liège, which celebrates Sunday Mass there.

Social outreach has long been an essential dimension of the community’s mission. The group Les Catacombes emerged from encounters with former prisoners and continues to accompany people on the margins of society through regular gatherings and Eucharistic celebrations. The community has also supported Les Sentinelles de la Nuit, a volunteer initiative whose members walk the streets of Liège in the evenings, offering food, blankets, and companionship to people experiencing homelessness.

Finally, the Espace Loyola has become a place of encounter and collaboration for numerous groups and associations. Over the years, it has welcomed Christian Life Communities, the Eucharistic Youth Movement, ATD Fourth World, student groups, theatre initiatives, and many others seeking a space for formation, dialogue, and community building.

At the end of the 2025–2026 academic year, the Jesuit community on Rue Saint-Gilles will close its doors. While there will no longer be a resident Jesuit presence in Liège, the Jesuit educational tradition will continue through the Saint-Benoît–Saint-Servais school group and its participation in the network of Jesuit schools coordinated by Cocéjé.

On 13 June 2026, students, alumni, teachers, members of the Loyola community, and friends of the Saint Joseph Chapel will gather to express their gratitude and celebrate the legacy of the Jesuits in Liège. A Mass of Thanksgiving will be celebrated at 6:00 p.m. in Saint Christopher’s Church, followed by an academic session reflecting on the Jesuits’ educational contribution to the city across the centuries and a convivial reception at the Collège Saint-Benoît–Saint-Servais.

As the Jesuits prepare to leave Liège, they do so with gratitude for a shared history spanning generations, confident that the seeds planted through education, faith, and service will continue to bear fruit for years to come.

André Moreau sj

Last superior of the Liège community