History
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It was not the best of the times for the Catholic Church.

In Germany, under the regime of Otto von Bismarck, the Kulturkampf raged like a wildfire. Seminaries were closed, Church properties were seized, and even priestly appointments were made subject to approval by the secular state. Those few priests whom the state allowed to be ordained were forced to submit to state certification.

Religious were expelled from hospitals and schools where they had served faithfully for years. The government's message was clear: If you were Catholic, you were regarded with distrust.  

John Baptist Jordan

And yet, in just such hostile soil a strong and lasting vision often takes root.

John Baptist Jordan had been born June 16, 1848, into a poor family in the small village of Gurtweil in southern Germany. With the father disabled and later dying from a work-related injury, it fell to the mother to provide for the family. And so she did, taking in laundry and performing other domestic chores for pay. The Jordan children, including young John Baptist, were well-acquainted with poverty from early on.

In school, John Baptist proved talented, but not exceptional. His teachers even considered him something of a scamp. By the time he turned 14, however, people had begun to notice a serious quality, and a definite sense of piety, in young Jordan's character. It so happened that he knew he had received a vocation to the Catholic priesthood, but felt obligated to continue to help care for his family.

Seminary, it seemed, was out of the question. But Jordan persevered, working as an apprentice painter and then as a professional decorator, traveling far and wide in the practice of his trade. All the while he never abandoned his belief that God was calling him to greater service. Though physically frail, he continued to grow in wisdom and in faith, sharing the life and trials of his fellow German workers.

In 1869, Jordan approached his parish priest and requested private lessons in Latin, so as to resume his interrupted education. The pastor referred Jordan to another priest, a friend, who at first seemed skeptical toward this new and rather older student. Before long, though, such misgivings were completely laid aside. Jordan proved himself a zealous disciple, excelling in every subject area except mathematics. In fact, he demonstrated a special talent and proficiency with languages, which would serve him well in later years.

Through such devotion and an extremely frugal lifestyle, Jordan managed to complete his primary education. In 1874, at the height of the Kulturkampf, he began his university studies at Freiburg in Baden, an area already notorious for its anti-clerical laws and sentiment. For three years he studied philosophy and theology under the tutelage of some of Germany's finest Catholic minds of the day, despite the hazards and constant threat of persecution. Finally, on July 21, 1878, he was ordained a priest.

During his travels and work among the German people, Jordan had taken note of what at first might seem to suggest two contradictory impulses. One, people seemed largely indifferent to questions of faith and religious principle. Two, he had discerned nonetheless a deep hunger for instruction in these very matters. Following his ordination, these conflicted realities continued to haunt Father Jordan, urging him ever closer to his yet nascent dream of founding a Catholic "movement."

Due to Kulturkampf policies, Father Jordan was unable to celebrate his first Mass in his home parish, nor was he allowed to accept a parish in Gurtweil. Instead, he traveled to Switzerland, eventually winning a scholarship to further his study of languages in Rome. He journeyed to the Holy Land in 1880, and it was while there, that he was inspired by the words of the Gospel of St. John: "Eternal life is this: To know you, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." (John 17:3)

On December 8, 1881, Father Francis Mary of the Cross Jordan and two companion priests made their vows as the first members of the "Apostolic Teaching Society," later to be known as the Society of the Divine Savior. Many trials and challenges, even apparent setbacks, would be encountered in the coming years. Still, the Salvatorians would continue to grow in their mission and ministries, so that today 282 priests, Brothers, Sisters, and lay people in the United States, and over 2,700 worldwide, claim spiritual identity as members of the Society of the Divine Savior.

Mission
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Founded over 100 years ago, by Father Francis Jordan, the Society of the Divine Savior is a Catholic religious community, praying and working to share the love and mercy of our Savior, Jesus Christ through all possible means.

 Salvatorians answer this calling through many diverse ministries, including—

•  Pastors in parish ministry
•  Hospital chaplains
•  Foreign missionaries
•  Campus ministers
•  Teachers and administrators
•  Friends and counselors to youth at risk

"That all may know the Savior"

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