Marks the 500th anniversary of the conversion of St. Ignatius
On the 27th of September 2019, Fr. Arturo Sosa, Superior General of the Society of Jesus, declared that 20 May 2021 - 31 July 2022 would be an "Ignatian Year" celebrating the 500th anniversary of the conversion of St. Ignatius of Loyola. On the 20th of May 1521, Iñigo de Loyola, a foolishly bold member of Spanish minor nobility, was struck down by a canon ball in a quixotic attempt to defend the town of Pamplona from an invasion by a French army. Greatly outnumbered and outgunned, Iñigo refused to retreat. The canon ball smashed his leg as well as his dream of winning great battlefield honours. The French soldiers, however, were so impressed with his courage that they carried Iñigo back to his family home in Loyola to recuperate. That marked the beginning of the conversion of the man, who would come to be known as St. Ignatius of Loyola: a process which would see the writing of the Spiritual Exercises and the founding of the Society of Jesus.
Also this year, the 12th of March 2022 marks the 400th anniversary of the canonizations of both St. Ignatius and St. Francis Xavier, an anniversary shared with St. Teresa of Jesus, St. Philip Neri, and St. Isidore the Laborer.
The theme of the Ignatian year is Seeing all things new in Christ, which is essentially an invitation to conversion. Jesuits and our partners will mark the year, not with extravagant celebrations and excessive self-congratulatory back-patting; rather, we will mark the year by exploring how we, as a community are called to respond more effectively to the call of Christ in Belize in 2021 and beyond. Joined by our lay partners in a year-long process of study, reflection, and discernment, the Jesuit Community will create an apostolic plan that will guide our ministerial choices for the next ten-years.
Click here to read more about the Ignatian Year.