On May 20, 2021, the Jesuits began the celebration of the Ignatian Year. On that date 500 years ago, Ignatius was wounded by a cannonball while defending Pamplona. From his perspective, it seemed like a failure, yet it forever changed the course of his life. This moment started a process of conversion that led Ignatius to have bigger dreams, no longer centered on himself, but rather on God. To celebrate Ignatius, LMU has been honoring him this past year in a variety of ways. Below is a conversation with Jesuit Community Rector Edward Siebert, S.J., who reflects on this past year.
What did the Jesuits do to celebrate the Ignatian Year?
Eddie Siebert, S.J.: It started in May with a Mass in the Jesuit Community to kick off the celebration. We also had a prayer card made and distributed across campus. Patrick Saint-Jean, S.J., a Jesuit psychologist from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, also came to speak to us about racism and spirituality. That was a big moment for us, because we want to tie in anti-racism with Ignatian spirituality. We also had Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator, S.J., president of the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar, come for the Casassa Lecture in March. His most recent book is “The Pope and the Pandemic: Lessons in Leadership in a Time of Crisis” (Orbis 2021).
Did you do anything for Ignatian Year that focused on students?
ES: November is Ignatian Heritage Month on campus every year so we focused many of our efforts during that month. We had a Jesuit open house where we brought students in to our community to talk about cannonball moments in their lives, which was the theme of the Ignatian Year. We also had at least five Jesuits giving out donuts and interacting with students on Lawton Plaza every week during the month of November.
The Jesuits also made an effort to bring Ignatian spirituality into our homilies during Mass. That was certainly true for the Mass of the Holy Spirit and Easter. We had banners in front of Sacred Heart Chapel that did a beautiful job of visually reminding us we are in the Year of Ignatius.
What was the LMU community called to do differently this year?
ES: We were called to go deeper in Ignatian spirituality which leads us on a deeper path toward God. And that really was what it was all about.
What does Ignatian spirituality mean to you?
ES: Ignatius has given this tremendous gift to the Church and the world: The Spiritual Exercises. This is a spirituality that uses one’s imagination. As a filmmaker, I am a visual person. I find the use of Ignatian contemplation is key for my own spirituality. Every Jesuit does the Examen which is really a pivotal part of our daily faith life.
Superior General Arturo Sosa, S.J., has asked Catholics “to see all things new in Christ?” What does that mean?
ES: Whenever we go through a conversion, for Ignatius that was his cannonball moment. But conversions happen to all of us. Whether that means one has a child or one loses a parent, or a job. Whatever those moments are in our lives that give us pause, we want to take that in and reflect on the deeper understanding of how God is working in our lives. Life should not be static. It should be in a state of constant deepening. I look back on what it meant for me to become a Jesuit when I first entered and that is very different than why I am still a Jesuit today, that’s because my relationship with God continues to grow deeper.
The universal apostolic preferences ask Jesuits to focus on showing the way to God through the Spiritual Exercises and discernment, walking with the poor, journeying with the youth, and caring for our common home. How are we accomplishing the apostolic preferences at LMU?
ES: This list is very helpful because they are guideposts, and it helps us to think about how we can go deeper. We are educating the youth. But how can we better share our faith experiences with the youth? How can our graduates go out and share their knowledge with others?
The care of the environment is really significant. LMU does so much for our sustainable efforts but how can we do more to care for our common home? One simple example is that the Jesuits do a tree planting every year with a prayer service. We pray for all those who take care of our garden and we pray for the city, state and country. We pray that we really are good stewards of our natural resources.
We also want to share the Spiritual Exercises, discernment, finding God in all things, with others so we can all learn from each other and be grounded in Ignatian Spirituality.
Finally, we are being called to serve the poor. That is in LMU’s DNA, with one part of our mission statement reading, “the service of faith and the promotion of justice.” Students go to the Center of Service and Action and Campus Ministry to volunteer regularly. LMU Loyola Law School is working with the incarcerated. We are making tremendous efforts with those on the margins. But I think we are being called to think about how we can do more. How can we help more people get access to this education? Are there are more scholarship opportunities available? We have done some really good things but we have a lot more to do in our city, there’s so much brokenness, there’s so much healing that needs to be done.
How do you think LMU did honoring the Ignatian Year?
ES: I think we did well because the whole idea is to go deeper and to pause and reflect on the best pathway to God. Ignatian spirituality leads us to a deeper understanding of who God is in our lives. We commemorate Ignatius because it’s the 500-year anniversary of the cannonball moment. I think every year should be an Ignatian year at a Jesuit institution.
