From the Desk of Father Nathan

A Message from Father Nathan

My dearest people who are all close to my heart!

Prayerful Greetings!

The Church is the Providence of God

Nothing has happened in the Church without the providence of God. God sends the angels. The saints are born in a situation and circumstances. God sends those to attend the issue. Saint Ignatius Loyola is one among them. 

Feast of Ignatius of Loyola July 31

We are going to celebrate the Feast when the Jesuits were founded (Society of Jesus) at the end of this month 7/31.. on of the great soldiers to Christ. The Jesuits were one of the major spearheads of the Counter-Reformation.

The work was done by Ignatius Loyola was seen as an important counter to Martin Luther and John Calvin. The Church was under tension and catastrophe.

It was Ignatius of Loyola who was able to fix it by his incredible support to the Church and the Roman Pontiff. The sole dedication and support to reform and to unify the Church by his one hundred percent support through his spirituality and intelligence, the Church was able to stand erect again.

During the council of Trent, some of the original companions of Ignatius of Loyola were to become the Pope’s theologians at the Council, an event which played and important role in the Catholic Counter Reformation. Ignatius of Loyola was born in 1491 into a wealthy noble family. He was educated as a knight. Like many young men from his background, Loyola joined the army. In May 1521, he was wounded at the Battle of Pamplona while fighting against France.

Ignatius of Loyola Conversion

While Loyola recovered from his wounds he underwent a spiritual conversion. After reading about the lives of the Saint and of Christ, Loyola concluded that his life had been a sham and he decided to reform it. After claiming to have seen a vision of the Virgin Mary and by baby Jesus he went to the Shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat in Aragon and became a hermit living in a cave near Mantua in 1522. He spent his time in rags confessing and scourging himself whilst helping the sick.

“I will follow like a puppy dog if I can only find the way to salvation”.

The Life of Ignatius of Loyola

Loyola threw himself at the mercy of God. He devoted hour each day to prayer and when he was not doing this he tended to the sick and the poor. In 1523, Loyola travelled to the Holy Land in and attempt to convert the Moors. However, he was sent back by the Franciscans to Italy.

Loyola spent the next seven years learning theology and latin in Barcelona, Alcala and Salamanca universities and after this Loyola went to college of Montaigu in Paris. He arrive in Paris at the same time as John Calvin was leaving! His university education ended in 1535. During his time of studying Loyola collected eight followers who shared his beliefs.

In August of 1534, they swore obedience to the Pope and also took vows of poverty and chastity. Loyola and his followers determined to dedicate their lives as missionaries to the Holy Land. Ignatius died in Rome on July 31, 1556, as a result of the Roman Fever, a severe case of malaria that recurred in Rome, Italy, at different points in history. An autopsy revealed that he also had several kidney and bladder stones, a probable cause of the abdominal pains he suffered from later in life (38).

At this time he was placed on a wooden shrine, his body was then covered with his priestly garments. Ignatius was beatified by Pope Paul V on July 27, 1609, and canonized by Pope Gregory XV on March 12, 1622. His Feast day is celebrated annually on July 31st, the day he died. Ignatius is venerated as the patron saint of Catholic Soldiers, the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore, the Basque Country, Antwerp, Belo Horizonte, Junin and various towns and cities in his native region.

St. Ignatius Loyola…Pray for us.

God bless you all.

– With lots of love and blessing,

Ever at your service.

—Fr. Sahayanathan Nathan