Skip to main content

 St. Ignatius on Ecumenism by Corina

We stumbled on Chiesa del Gesu when we went around town to visit churches. I have a soft spot for St. Ignatius of Loyola because I’m the only Regis College student studying Ecumenism here in Rome from the TST. Although I haven’t taken the full Spiritual Exercise course, I have attended a silent retreat at Manresa last year hosted by the Jesuits. I have experienced a lot of healing from the silent retreat and would strongly recommend it to anyone.

How is this related to ecumenism? I think that for us to be open to having a dialogue with the other, we need to have space or make space for the other, inside of ourselves. If we’re consumed by our thoughts (i.e., unpurified memory) there will be very little room (or no room at all) to listen to understand (rather than to be understood).

St. Ignatius also coined the term discernment. In practicing ecumenical virtues, to strive and persevere to experience consolation (as opposed to desolation) is necessary to have a meaningful dialogue. We can only harvest the fruits of the Holy Spirit in ecumenical dialogue if we are able to move past quickly the moments where we're experiencing desolation.

                                                        Altar & Tomb of St. Ignatius
                                                            Front of the Church 
                                                    Melinda & Christine at The Pantheon

                        Celebrated Canada Day Mass at the Canadian Martyrs Church 
                                        presided by Archbishop Frank Leo

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Catacombs of Domitilla

The story of Christianity is awe-inspiring.  This is true whether you are a believer or not.  Within 50 years of the physical death of Christ, 12 believers had directly and indirectly converted thousands to the new faith.  Within 300 years, they had converted an empire. This tour begins at the walls of Rome within sight of St. John Lateran where we get our ride to the countryside of Rome.  Making our way outside the walls, the city changes to country quickly.  The Roman countryside is quite beautiful.  The hills begin to roll and the gated villas extend to farms of vegetables, rose hips, or barley.  The air cleaner and the sound clearer. Flavia Domitilla was the granddaughter of the emperor Vespasian.  As daughter of Domitilla "the Younger", Flavia was also the niece of the emperors Titus and Domitian.  These catacombs were founded on her property in about the year 120 A.D.  Flavia and her husband, Flavius Clemens, were likely ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Where we'll be studying in Rome

Some of you have asked about where we're studying in Rome. We'll be at the Centro Pro Unione, a centre that goes back to at least 1948 and has as its mission the promotion of Christian unity. In 1962, the centre was moved to the Phamphilj Palace in one of Rome's most famous squares called Piazza Navona (see picture above - the Centro is in the building on the right). During the time of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) the centre hosted weekly gatherings of Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant theologians (known as "ecumenical observers") who met with Catholic theologians and Bishops to discuss the work of Council. It was not uncommon for a comment made by one of the observers to be picked up and to find its way into an intervention in the Council hall the next day. In 1968, the centre became officially named the Centro Pro Unione. Today, the Centro promotes Christian unity through its many activities, including the summer Rome Program that we're participating...
2 comments
Read more

Church Bells in the Eternal City

It was Sunday July 2. I was at St. Peter’s square with the hundreds of pilgrims who had come to listen to Pope Francis’ Angelus preaching. It was a scene that I had viewed many times on television and in photographs. How blessed I felt to be a part of it all that day! The excitement of the crowd grew when the papal window was thrown open and the red banner was let down. It was soon followed by a loud roar of joy and applause when the Holy Father appeared. The mood was celebratory but prayerful as we listened to the Holy Father speak about the importance of being prophetic in our time. He said, “ A prophet is the one who, by virtue of Baptism, helps others read the present under the action of the Holy Spirit. This is very important: to read the present not like news but under the action of the Holy Spirit, who helps to understand God’s plans and conform to them.” According to Pope Francis, the role of the prophet is to “show Jesus to others.”  The Holy Father urged us to pray for Uk...
Post a Comment
Read more