Marco Carvalho
The members of the Society of Jesus in Macau observed yesterday the opening of the Ignatian Year with the celebration of a Solemn Mass in Saint Joseph’s Church. The Ignatian Year commemorates the 500th anniversary of the battle of Pamplona and the beginning of a long period of convalescence for Iñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola, after a cannonball shattered his leg.
More than a mere process of physical recovery, the occurrence set young Iñigo on a process of conversion and spiritual transformation that later led him to the foundation of the Society of Jesus.
The Jubilee lasts until July 31st, 2022, the day in which the Catholic Church celebrates Saint Ignatius of Loyola’s legacy. The Ignatian Year commemorates also the 400th anniversary of the canonization of the founder of the Jesuits.
For the members of the Society of Jesus worldwide, the anniversary is primarily an invitation to an in-depth reflection about the core values of Ignatian spirituality and an opportunity to see “all things new in Christ”: “The Society of Jesus values rigorous analysis of different aspects of its history. In particular, Saint Ignatius and Saint Francis Xavier had a deep impact on the spirituality of the Society of Jesus. In deep gratitude for its founding fathers, the Ignatian Year would like to challenge Jesuits, their collaborators as well as the local and universal community to deeper reflect on key terms of a profoundly missionary profile rooted in the gift of conversion and holiness,” Father Stephan Rothlin, director of the Macau Ricci Institute told O Clarim.
The process of conversion and spiritual transformation that Saint Ignatius of Loyola undertook after being wounded in combat will be scrutinized and debated by the Macau Ricci Institute in its international symposium. The initiative, which will take place between the 4th and the 6th of October and will discuss “Spiritual Transformation in Times of Crisis,” is one of several initiatives that will be organized in the coming months within the framework of the Ignatian Year: “The Fatima Jesuit community has been working since quite some time with its main collaborators of the Ricci School, Estrela do Mar School, Casa Ricci Social Services and the Macau Ricci Institute on a variety of activities which mark the four special Apostolic Preferences of the Society of Jesus. namely to show the way to God, to walk with the excluded, accompany the young people and care for the environment in the spirit of the Gospel,” Father Stephan Rothlin said.
“The Symposium of the Macau Ricci Institute from 4-6 October 2021 will be focused on the topic of Spiritual Transformation in Times of Crises. The monthly sessions on Contemplation and Leadership serve also to reconnect to a mystical journey. The Macau Ricci Institute will also share the findings of the research focused on the implementation of Stewardship Codes, i.e. how Stewardship Codes may help Macau to diversify its brand from a unique gambling hub toward a place which in a unique way features cross-cultural dialogue as a privileged door to China,” the Swiss Jesuit concludes.
Follow
