13. Ignatius and the Society of Jesus

 

    The Pope began sending them out of Rome, and even out of Italy, for the mission of the Church. The little group began to be scattered. In 1539 during Lent they were all back in Rome and held an important meeting. They asked themselves two questions: a) Do they need to keep the union of this group? b) Do they need to take a vow of obedience to one of their group members as a means of deepening their union? They spent much time in prayer, discussion and searching for God’s will. They reflected on how God had brought them together from Spain to Paris, and from Paris to Rome. After due reflection and prayer they discerned that it was God’s will that they should take a vow of obedience to bind themselves together and remain united as a group. They did not want to join one of the existing religious orders. They strongly felt that God had called them together as companions of Jesus and that was the La Storta grace for them.

 

    As making their decision they asked the Pope for permission to form a new religious order. Ignatius was asked by the group to draw up the document regarding their aims and charism. Ignatius completed the work in June 1539 and presented it to the Pope. The Pope had read it and gave an oral approval for the new order. He asked the cardinals to study the document and to draw up an official letter of approval for the new order.

 

    The process of the approval of the new religious order took time as some of the cardinals were objecting to the new ideas of Ignatius. Ignatius did not lose heart. He and his companions offered may Masses and asked their influential friends to talk to the Pope and to the cardinals. Finally, on 27^th September 1540 the Pope Paul III, approved the new religious order, ‘The Society of Jesus’. Ignatius could now look back to the cannon-ball wound at Pamplona and could see how God had led him up this moment. However, his pilgrimage was not over. A lot more still needed to be done. They were required to fight for God under the banner of the Cross in the Society of Jesus under the special direction of the Pope.

           

(Coming up next.14. Ignatius the General)

"Placed with the Son"- A short biography of St. Ignatius 

By Fr. Lawrence Dharmaraj, SJ

 

(From the personal study notes under the guidance of late Fr. Maurice Dullard, SJ. 

A special thanks to Fr.Vincent Saldanha s.j for doing the necessary corrections))