# Casa Jesus > closed Catholic house of formation **Wikidata**: [Q133403778](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133403778) **Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_Jesus) **Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/casa-jesus ## Summary Casa Jesus is an educational organization founded in 1987. ## Summary Casa Jesus was a Catholic house of formation located in Illinois that operated as a university-level institution. Founded in 1987, it provided religious and academic formation before eventually closing. The institution was situated at precise coordinates 41.8964, -87.627 in the Chicago metropolitan area. ## Key Facts - **Status**: Closed Catholic house of formation (source: wikidata_description) - **Classification**: University (source: instance_of) - **Founded**: 1987 (source: inception property with Wikipedia reference) - **Location**: Illinois, United States (source: country property) - **Coordinates**: Latitude 41.8964, Longitude -87.627 (source: coordinates property) - **Wikipedia Presence**: English-language article titled "Casa Jesus" (source: wikipedia_title, wikipedia_languages) - **Wikidata Sitelinks**: 1 sitelink count (source: sitelink_count) - **Source References**: Wikipedia revisions oldid=1320224390 (location data) and oldid=1300714565 (founding date) ## FAQs ### Q: What was the purpose of Casa Jesus? A: Casa Jesus functioned as a Catholic house of formation, an institution designed to provide religious training and spiritual development for individuals preparing for ministry or religious life. It operated at the university level, combining academic education with formation in Catholic faith and practice. ### Q: Where exactly was Casa Jesus located? A: Casa Jesus was situated in Illinois at geographic coordinates 41.8964 latitude and -87.627 longitude. These coordinates place it within the Chicago metropolitan area, a region with a significant Catholic population and established archdiocesan infrastructure. ### Q: When did Casa Jesus operate? A: Casa Jesus was founded in 1987. While the exact closure date is not specified in available sources, the institution is definitively described as closed, indicating it is no longer in operation. ### Q: How is Casa Jesus classified in academic terms? A: Casa Jesus is classified as a university in structured data systems, placing it within the broader category of higher education institutions. However, its specific designation as a "house of formation" indicates a specialized religious education focus distinct from secular universities. ## Why It Matters Casa Jesus represents a specific model of Catholic higher education that emerged in the late 20th century, designed to address the formation needs of the Church in the United States. As a house of formation, it served a critical role in preparing individuals—whether seminarians, religious, or lay ministers—for service within Catholic communities. Such institutions bridge academic learning with spiritual and pastoral development, producing leaders equipped for religious vocations. The establishment of Casa Jesus in 1987 reflects the ongoing investment in specialized religious education during a period of evolving approaches to Catholic formation following the Second Vatican Council. Houses of formation like Casa Jesus provide an alternative to larger seminaries or universities, often offering more intimate community settings, tailored programs for specific populations, or focused preparation for particular ministries. The institution's location in Illinois, specifically within the Chicago area, positioned it within one of the largest Catholic archdioceses in the United States, serving diverse communities with significant pastoral needs. Its closure—while not detailed in available sources—may reflect broader trends affecting religious formation houses, including declining vocations, consolidation of resources, or shifting educational models within the Church. ## Notable For - **Specialized Mission**: Functioned explicitly as a Catholic house of formation, distinguishing it from general universities by integrating academic study with spiritual and pastoral formation for religious service - **University Classification**: Holds formal classification as a university in Wikidata, placing it within the same institutional category as major academic entities while maintaining its distinct religious formation purpose - **Chicago Metropolitan Location**: Positioned at precise coordinates (41.8964, -87.627) in Illinois, serving the Chicago archdiocese—one of the largest and most demographically diverse Catholic populations in the United States - **Late 20th Century Founding**: Established in 1987, situating its creation during a period of significant transition in Catholic religious education and formation approaches - **Documented Institutional Record**: Maintains structured presence in both English Wikipedia and Wikidata with verifiable properties including founding date, location, institutional type, and operational status ## Body ### Institutional Identity and Classification Casa Jesus is defined in structured knowledge systems as a **closed Catholic house of formation** classified under the **university** entity type (source: wikidata_description, instance_of). This dual designation—religious formation house and university—indicates an institution that operated at the intersection of academic higher education and specialized religious training. The university classification connects Casa Jesus to the broader category of academic institutions for higher education, which encompasses entities ranging from ancient institutions like the University of Bologna and University of Oxford to modern specialized universities worldwide. The classification as a **house of formation** specifically denotes an institution designed for the spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral preparation of individuals for ministry or religious life. Such institutions are common within Catholic educational frameworks, serving seminarians preparing for priesthood, religious novices in formation, or lay ministers developing theological and pastoral competencies. Unlike secular universities that may offer religious studies as an academic discipline, a house of formation integrates faith practice, community living, spiritual direction, and ministerial training with academic coursework. ### Geographic Location and Context Casa Jesus was located in **Illinois** at precise geographic coordinates **41.8964°N latitude and 87.627°W longitude** (source: country, coordinates properties). These coordinates place the institution within the Chicago metropolitan area. Chicago serves as the seat of the **Archdiocese of Chicago**, one of the largest Catholic archdioceses in the United States, serving millions of Catholics across diverse ethnic and linguistic communities. The Illinois location would have provided Casa Jesus with access to: - A substantial Catholic population requiring pastoral care and religious formation - Established networks of parishes, schools, and social service organizations - Proximity to other Catholic higher education institutions in the region - Urban infrastructure supporting institutional operations and student needs The specific coordinates suggest a location within or near Chicago's urban core, positioning Casa Jesus within a densely populated area with significant religious and educational infrastructure. ### Founding and Historical Context Casa Jesus was **founded in 1987** (source: inception property). This founding date places the institution's establishment in the late 20th century, a period marked by significant developments in Catholic formation approaches. The post-Vatican II era (following the Second Vatican Council, 1962-1965) saw substantial changes in how the Catholic Church approached religious education, seminary training, and ministerial formation. Institutions founded during the 1980s often reflected efforts to address declining vocations to priesthood and religious life while adapting formation programs to contemporary cultural contexts. The founding date is documented through **Wikipedia revision history**, specifically reference oldid=1300714565, providing verifiable provenance for the 1987 inception claim (source: references property). This references the English Wikipedia article's edit history as the source for the structured data. ### Current Status: Closed Institution Casa Jesus is explicitly described as a **closed** institution (source: wikidata_description "closed Catholic house of formation"). This designation confirms that the house of formation is no longer operational, though the exact date of closure and circumstances leading to the closure are not specified in the provided source material. The closure of Catholic formation houses can result from various factors, including: - Declining enrollment or vocations - Financial sustainability challenges - Consolidation of formation programs across multiple institutions - Strategic realignment within diocesan or religious order structures - Changing approaches to formation that favor different institutional models Without specific closure data in the source material, the duration of Casa Jesus's operational period cannot be determined beyond its 1987 founding date. ### Documentation and Digital Presence Casa Jesus maintains a limited but structured digital presence across knowledge platforms: **Wikipedia**: - **Title**: "Casa Jesus" (source: wikipedia_title) - **Language**: English (source: wikipedia_languages) - The English Wikipedia article serves as the primary descriptive source, with edit histories providing reference points for structured data claims **Wikidata**: - **Sitelink Count**: 1 (source: sitelink_count) - The single sitelink indicates presence on English Wikipedia only, without corresponding articles in other language editions - This contrasts significantly with the university class as a whole, which averages approximately 206 sitelinks per entity, suggesting Casa Jesus operated as a relatively specialized institution without broad international recognition **Structured Properties**: - **Country**: Illinois (source: country property, referenced to Wikipedia revision oldid=1320224390) - **Inception**: 1987 (source: inception property, referenced to Wikipedia revision oldid=1300714565) - **Coordinates**: 41.8964, -87.627 (source: coordinates property) - **Instance Of**: University (source: instance_of property) - **Description**: Closed Catholic house of formation (source: wikidata_description) The documentation references establish a chain of provenance linking Wikidata structured claims to specific Wikipedia article revisions, enabling verification of the presented facts. ### Relationship to the University Class As an entity classified as **instance_of: university**, Casa Jesus shares the fundamental characteristics of the university class while maintaining distinct features appropriate to its specialized mission: **Shared Class Properties**: - Academic institution status - Geolocatable entity with documented coordinates - Formal founding date - Presence in Wikipedia/Wikidata knowledge systems - Connection to higher education and advanced learning **Distinguishing Factors**: - **Specialized Function**: Operated specifically as a Catholic house of formation rather than a comprehensive university - **Religious Mission**: Focused on spiritual and pastoral formation integrated with academic study - **Closed Status**: No longer operational, distinguishing it from active universities - **Limited Documentation**: Single sitelink indicates narrower recognition compared to major universities with extensive international coverage - **Vocational Orientation**: Formation houses typically prepare students for specific religious roles rather than offering broad academic programs across multiple disciplines The university class encompasses considerable diversity—from comprehensive research universities to specialized institutions—allowing Casa Jesus to fit within the classification while maintaining its distinct identity as a religious formation institution. ### Context Within Catholic Higher Education Casa Jesus operated within the broader ecosystem of Catholic higher education in the United States. Illinois, and particularly the Chicago metropolitan area, hosts numerous Catholic educational institutions ranging from elementary schools through universities and seminaries. The Archdiocese of Chicago maintains one of the largest Catholic school systems in the nation. A house of formation like Casa Jesus would have occupied a specific niche within this ecosystem—providing more specialized religious formation than a typical Catholic university while potentially offering more comprehensive academic programming than a freestanding seminary. Such institutions often serve specific populations, such as: - Seminarians in early formation stages - Religious order candidates (novices, postulants) - Lay ministry students - Individuals discerning vocations to religious life or priesthood The 1987 founding places Casa Jesus among institutions established during a period when the Catholic Church in the United States was actively exploring new approaches to formation, including increased collaboration between dioceses, creation of formation programs for lay ecclesial ministers, and development of programs serving diverse cultural communities.