A misspent youth, getting caught up in riches and all sorts of vanity. A soldier, seeking the honors that the world tells him are worth pursuing. A stupid battle, a wound, a convalescence, a conversion. Christ calling him to leave behind the life he’d been pursuing in order to follow him with his whole heart. [...]
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From an interview with Fr. Jim Martin, SJ, on ABC Radio in Australia. (Transcript and podcast available here.) Rachael Kohn: Well saints’ lives are examined medically, but what about psychologically? James Martin: Well the question is can a neurotic person be holy? Rachael Kohn: Yes, that is – James Martin: And I would say yes. [...]
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December 21 is the feast of another great Jesuit saint, Peter Canisius. Let this post represent a shout-out to Buffalo’s Canisius College and Canisius High School; Jakarta’s Canisius College (secondary school); and Berlin’s Canisius Kolleg (secondary school). The Dutch-born Canisius (1521-1597) was one of the early first-generation Jesuits. He met Pierre Favre, one of Ignatius’ [...]
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St. Francis Xavier (Indonesia, c. 16th century) December 3 is the feast of Saint Francis Xavier. Francis is the patron of foreign missions because of his evangelization in India, Indonesia, and Japan (he died off the coast of China, and the site is a pilgrimage destination for Chinese Catholics). Many Asian Catholics to this day [...]
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The Congregation for the Causes of Saints has announced that Mary Ward (1585-1645), the English woman who founded an order modeled directly after the Jesuits, will be declared Venerable. See the CathAsia news story here. See the bio of Mary at the website of the order she founded, the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, [...]
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Here is a fascinating conversion story by a blogger named Webster Bull. The decisive moment in his spiritual journey came when he wandered into Borders and picked up a copy of My Life with the Saints by Jim Martin, SJ, the bestselling memoir about the author’s personal attachment to 24 saints. I began attending mass [...]
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Today we celebrate the feast of St. Ignatius Loyola. This is a big day for Jesuits and others in the Ignatian sphere of influence. Here are a couple of my thoughts on his feast. Name a saint. Chances are one idea pops into your mind: Francis (poverty), Vincent de Paul (charity), Therese (simplicity in love). [...]
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What I Like about Ignatius
by Jim Manney
Some readers entering our book contest wrote about how St. Ignatius has inspired them. Here are some excerpts from these comments. (Go here to enter the contest if you haven’t already.) As a woman and a Presbyterian, I think of him as an affectionate and helpful older brother. I think his story is a fascinating [...]
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