Jesuit Chow Sau-yan is the new Bishop of Hong KongThe Holy Year of Compostela begins on December 31The Society of Jesus is preparing to celebrate the fifth centenary of an experience that forever transformed its founder, Ignatius of Loyola, and gave rise to a spirituality that has facilitated the encounter with God for a multitude of people from generation to generation. Ignatius500 is the name given to this anniversary to be celebrated worldwide between May 20, 2021, the anniversary of the wound suffered by Inigo de Loyola in Pamplona that triggered his conversion, and July 31, 2022, the feast of St. Ignatius.
The Provincial of the Jesuits in our country, Antonio España SJ, and the coordinator of this Ignatian Year, Abel Toraño SJ, explained in a meeting with the media the meaning of this celebration and the main events planned in Spain and internationally. They also gave an overview of the reality of the Jesuits in Spain at the present time.
A conversion
Antonio España explained that we celebrate neither the birth nor the death of Ignatius of Loyola, but "the transformation of his gaze, of his being, of his way of caring and of his way of living" which "we call conversion," which occurred between May 1521 and February 1523 in Loyola, in Manresa and on the road between the two towns, after he was wounded in Pamplona in a battle between Castile and France for the throne of Navarre. "This setback struck his life momentarily like so many wounded in history. However, from it came a gradual process of change, transformation and overcoming," explained the provincial. In this current time of pandemic he has anchored this conversion in a healed wound, a spiritual journey, an integral experience and a being open to the other.
From this journey of Ignatius, the Provincial explained how the Society of Jesus is a way that concretizes this fundamental experience that is developed in various updated dimensions. Among other things, he explained the Jesuit initiatives of recent years in various areas such as: the online Spiritual Exercises, the 10 years of Rezando Voy, the MAG+S deepening proposals for young people, the beginning of the Safe Environment system, the ecological project Casa Ana Leal, the first province campaign (#Seguimos), the network of hospitality apartments and the extraordinary response to the covid of its universities and colleges.
Ignacio's experience
Abel Toraño SJ explained that the commission that has been working for two years on this centenary asked itself from the beginning about the motivations that moved Ignatius' actions: what experience moved him to take care of children living on the streets, to open a house for women living in abusive situations, to send companions to all kinds of missions...? It is not what he did but what moved him inside. And we find that right at the beginning there is a wound, it is a man with ideals who falls wounded. Today society is also wounded. What Ignatius will experience is that even though he was wounded, he felt that he was not abandoned. And in this feeling of being accompanied, he is going to live in the wound, a possibility of a path and of encounter".
He also explained how Ignatius connects today with our current society, and for him "he connects with every person who wants to lead a full life. He teaches us that it was necessary to stop, to be silent, to think, to realize that he had an interiority that he did not know. It teaches that it is good to stop, that it is not bad not to do but to let oneself be done, to let oneself be found by God".
The activities of the Ignatian Year
He also listed the list of activities prepared, highlighting the central moments: the opening Mass in Pamplona (May 20, 2021), the opening of the Holy Door in Manresa (July 31, 2021), the date on which we will commemorate the canonization of Ignatius, with a Eucharist in Rome presided over by Pope Francis (March 12, 2022), and finally, the closing ceremony in Loyola (July 31, 2022).
The Ignatian Year will begin in Pamplona with a Eucharist presided by the Archbishop of Pamplona and Tudela, Msgr. Francisco Pérez González and concelebrated by Fr. General of the Society of Jesus, Arturo Sosa SJ. It will have a reduced capacity but will be broadcast by streaming in this link. On May 18 at 6:00 p.m. there will be a online interview General with journalist Silvia Rozas. Other significant moments will take place in July 2021 and 2022 and in March 2022.
Due to the pandemic, some appointments scheduled for the coming months of June and July have been moved to next year or will be convened in online format. We hope that from next year we will be able to fully recover the agenda, always following the health measures of the moment.
A boost to Ignatian spirituality
The Society's intention is to imbue all its works with the spirit of conversion that underlies this anniversary. Its motto, "to see all things new in Christ," symbolizes three things: to go out on the road, to discover the God who dwells and works in all creatures, and to contemplate him in everything that happens to us; to assume our own limitations, as Ignatius himself did; and to keep our senses open to grasp the needs of our surroundings, asking ourselves how we can help transform reality.
The Ignatian Year wants to promote Ignatian spirituality, following one of the Apostolic Preferences of the Universal Society of Jesus. To this end, the offer of Spiritual Exercises (www.espiritualidadignaciana.org) both face-to-face and online. Materials have been prepared for specific retreats in the key of Ignatian conversion and different courses on discernment and spiritual accompaniment will be offered.
The activities and proposals of the pastoral ministry of the Jesuit schools will also be aimed at accompanying Ignatius in his conversion process. A significant moment will be the Ignatian Week (March 7-11, 2022), which will be celebrated by all the centers.
The Ignatian Year will be welcomed in the universities and university centers as a time of improvement, reflection and conversion. It will be reflected in pilgrimages, retreats, meetings, symposiums and sporting events.
In the summer of 2022, families from all over the world will gather at Loyola and experience tools inspired by Ignatian spirituality to help nurture and renew their family projects.
Alumni will also have an important appointment at the world congress to be held in Barcelona (July 13-17, 2022), where, based on Ignatian spirituality and education, they will promote the mission of contributing to building a more just and sustainable society.
The Ignatian Way
The second Jubilee Year of the Ignatian Way will begin on January 1, 2022, recalling how in 1522 Iñigo de Loyola exchanged his nobleman's garb for the garb of a pilgrim, leaving his home in Azpeitia and heading for Jerusalem. He arrived on March 25 in the city of Manresa and left for Rome a year later. Throughout 2022, hundreds of pilgrims are expected from Spain and other places such as the USA, Singapore, Australia and France. The cities of Azpeitia and Manresa have been preparing this anniversary of the pilgrimage of St. Ignatius since 2014, and their celebrations will be joined by those of other dioceses and public administrations located along the Ignatian Way.
Young people, protagonists during the Year of Ignatius
One of the key audiences of this Ignatian Year is the youth. One of the first events of this anniversary will take place this summer and will be a World Meeting (on line) of young people of the Christian Life Community (CLC). In September, the Meeting of Youth Pastoral Delegates of the Episcopal Conference will take place in Loyola, at the proposal of MAG+S, the Ignatian pastoral network for young people aged 18-30.
This network and the Jesuit Vocation Promotion are organizing a macro-pastoral meeting for young people. MAG+S will also launch the digital platform for online pilgrimages Ignatius Challenge., with 8 stages that combine elements such as: podcast and videos on the history of Ignatius, prayers, questions and reflections; a Quiz of knowledge about St. Ignatius and the Jesuits or a daily challenge. We are also planning the option of making these pilgrimages with young people in a physical way.
