The feast of St. Ignatius.
Introduction
There are so many saints in our catholic church whom we honor. Among them, there is only one who is known as a soldier to fight for God. He is known as St .Ignatius of Loyola. He is not only a model for us to imitate but he is also a help to discern and understand our own personal vocation. I want to share my experience with you about the way I went about preparing myself to celebrate the feast of St. Ignatius in the pre-novitiate.
The preparation for the feast
There were many activities organized for the feast of St. Ignatius; skit, quiz, games, hymns in different languages and team work. We were all told about St. Ignatius’ life and also about the Society of Jesus. This helped us to know and understand the Jesuits more. I was amazed to know about his spirituality. Besides this we had an hour long classes for four days to know more about the life of St. Ignatius.
Group work
We were divided into three groups. Each group was told to put up a skit on St. Ignatius’s life. There was fun and happiness to act and to perform in a group. Every one had a role to play. It was very interesting to see the variety of presentations. We had invited some of our fathers, sisters, and friends. Every one was delighted to see the performance on the stage. We used a whip, a cannon ball, a crucifix, a small statue of Mother Mary and a paper-sword as props to enhance our presentation.
Individual work and Games.
We had prepared special prayers for the novena days. This made us to deepen our faith very deeply. We played all kinds of games, such as Basket ball, Table tennis, Ohno, Carrom, Chess and cards. We enjoyed a lot while playing. The finals were held on the feast day. We won many prizes.
Prayer and Mass.
Some of the thoughts of St. Ignatius lead us to pray and reflect very deeply. Every one offered their special prayers and intentions on the feast day mass. It was nice to pray in different languages. The feast day mass was offered by Fr. Cedric. He gave us four important messages. Those were fidelity, intellectual life, renewal, and energy. The chapel was filled with our companions and well wishers.
Paintings.
Each group had a chance to paint a picture of St. Ignatius. Then they were all displayed on the notice board. Later on those pictures were displayed in the Loyola Church on Sunday. The pictures looked alive and real. Everyone was thrilled to see their own presentation.
Presentations to the First Years.
I had a chance to explain about St. Ignatius’ life to my first year companions. This presentation helped me to come to know more about St. Ignatius and the Jesuits working across the globe.
Hymns in different languages
Pre-Novices are from seven states and we decided to sing in seven different languages as a sign of unity in diversity. Everything was done well and it was well- organized. Everyone was interested in working, acting, singing, helping and sharing with each other. Each team gave their best in their undertakings. On account of this the feast of St. Ignatius was well-celebrated.
Conclusion
During the feast days I also renewed God’ call within me. Ignatian insights helped me to understand God’ call. Through the novena prayers God worked in me too. The feast of St. Ignatius was an unforgettable experience for me and for my companions. Now we can understand how Ignatius and his companions, though they were from different countries yet bonded together as a single community to work for the Lord and for his people.
Lawrence Irudaya raj A
Pre- novitiate.
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