Ignatian Identity

Opening in 1841 as St. John’s College, Fordham Prep was one of the very first Jesuit schools founded in the United States. Today, we are part of a network of 62 Jesuit high schools across the country. Our mission is to form young men of faith, scholarship and service. 

Like all our fellow Jesuit high schools, Fordham Prep is guided by the characteristics we would like each graduate to acquire during his high school years. We strive to graduate young men who are religious, loving, open to growth, committed to doing justice and academically accomplished. Outlined in the document The Graduate of a Jesuit High School at Graduation, more commonly known as the Grad at Grad, these characteristics will not only serve the graduate well in college, but are essential for a man of faith in today’s world. 

Fundamental to all the programs at Fordham Prep are two ideals integral to the Jesuit way of approaching any endeavor: cura personalis and magis. 

• Cura personalis, the care of the individual, keeps teachers and administrators focused on helping each student explore his unique potential. 
• Magis, the more, challenges each member of the Fordham Prep community — faculty, administrator, and student — to discern what can be done to the best of his or her ability, and to reflect always on ways to improve.
• AMDG, Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, for the greater glory of God, is the motto of the society of Jesus. Often attributed to St. Ignatian Loyola himself, it serves as our constant reminder that the work of our community is ultimately directed toward the greater glory of God.

The Society of Jesus is guided by the belief that God can be found all around us, in the people and situations we encounter, in circumstances either everyday or extraordinary. Working for the greater glory of God, in whatever settings they find themselves, is the mission of Jesuits everywhere. This is also the mission of all of us at Fordham Prep. Whether in the classroom, on retreat, on the playing field, at a club meeting, at a service site or even simply passing someone in the hallway, this fundamental and ever-hopeful belief in God’s desire to meet us in our daily lives and in the lives of others is the cornerstone of all our interactions.