NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — As news of Pope Francis' death spreads around the world, there's one particular word that keeps getting mentioned, Jesuit.
That's the name for members of an order or group of men within the Catholic Church known as the Society of Jesus.
Francis was the first Jesuit to become pope.
I heard from a Jesuit priest in Nashville who is also a professor at Vanderbilt University about how being a Jesuit influenced Pope Francis' approach to serving others.
Father Bruce Morrill's Nashville townhouse sits more than 5,000 miles away from Rome, but he shares a common bond with the late Pope Francis, both served as Jesuit Priests.
"We were founded in 1540 by a Saint Ignatius of Loyola and six other companions," said Father Bruce Morrill, a Jesuit priest and professor of divinity at Vanderbilt University.
Right now around the world, there are about 14,000 Jesuits.
According to Morrill, some of the characteristics Francis was known for may have been inspired by Jesuit teachings, including a vow of poverty.
"We should live like members of a family of modest means,” Morrill said.
According to Morrill, that was evident early on in Francis' tenure.
“Pope Francis said, 'I want to be driven around in a Fiat or a Ford Focus,'” Morrill said.
In addition to settling for the simpler things in life, Jesuits often focus on education and outreach to marginalized communities.
Morrill splits his time between teaching students at Vanderbilt University and ministering to people behind bars in Tennessee.
“For me, prison work has emerged in a way that I didn't expect coming here, but again, that was the need and the call,” Morrill said.
While some catholic priests serve in specific districts, Jesuits go anywhere they are needed.
He's ministered across the country even making frequent trips to Alaska.
When he heard the news of the Pope's passing he was sad but not surprised.
“The brief clip of Vice President JD Vance visiting him, it struck me that he was extremely frail and not well,” Morrill said.
Click here for more information about the order of Jesuits.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at robb.coles@newschannel5.com.
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