On July 31, 2020 (the Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola), the Maryland and USA Northeast Provinces of the Society of Jesus canonically came together to form a new, single province—the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus. It is the largest province in the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States, comprising more than 600 Jesuits, 11 colleges and universities, 26 middle and high schools, 17 parishes, 6 retreat centers and 2 international schools.
Even to those familiar with the Jesuits and their mission of serving the marginalized and educating men and women for others, most do not understand the significance of what a Jesuit province is, or that there actually are provinces, for that matter. But to Jesuits, a province is the native territory where they enter the Society of Jesus, study and complete their formation, get ordained, and from where they are missioned to serve locally, nationally and abroad. It is where they return when they retire—where they live their final years praying for the Church and for their order. It is where most of them are buried.
The provinces that Jesuits have called home on the East Coast have included as many as four—Maryland (the oldest), New York, New England and Buffalo. Nearly 150 years ago, in 1879, the New York-Canada Jesuit mission separated, joining New York to the Maryland Province, where they remained unified until New England formed its own province in 1926. As the number of Jesuits continued to grow, New York separated into its own province in 1943.