The Feast of St. Ignatius is something of a family holiday. Ignatian folks all over the world celebrate this day in gratitude for the life and teachings of Ignatius of Loyola. From Patna to Budapest and from Lima to Quebec, Jesuits come together for food, fun, and festivities. In the Philippines there’s even a St. Ignatius Day Run, ranging from 3 to 10K, so everyone can participate.
It’s one of the biggest international holidays that no one’s ever heard of.
Here in the U.S. Jesuits come …

The 11th of June is the Feast of the Sacred Heart
The image of the Sacred Heart is familiar to many in the Northwest – it’s a favorite decoration and tattoo in communities like Portland’s Hawthorne District and Seattle’s Capitol Hill. One of the few definitively Catholic symbols that has been universally accepted by popular culture – something about the truth of burning love resonates easily with all.
The place is Burgundy in central France and the year is 1675. A talented young Jesuit by the name of Claude de la Columbiere …

by Glen Butterworth, SJ
I had always thought of St. Justin Martyr as an apologist. Not being entirely sure what that meant, I would have said that he defended the nascent Churches and left it at that. I confess I was never too interested in the arguments of his century. But then I came upon his words about the Eucharist and now I have something to share about St. Justin because he articulates just how much all of us share with the men and women of his time.
And this food is …

So what is your so called spiritual life all about? What are you trying to do with it, through it? Is it right up there with yoga, weight training, protein shakes, and herbal cleanses helping us to be better every day and in every way?
According to St. Ignatius, our search for God is a response to our already being found by God. Okay fine, but that just opens up more questions. The first one might be —why is God looking for us? What does God want from us? …

From almost the beginning, the blogosphere has been the Wild West on the communications border; home to radical groups, searching bands of fundamentalists and even Catholics. Having been reading and searching the web for quality content we have turned up rather a lot of good material both specifically Jesuit and more broadly Catholic. This month ACTS urges you to click one or both of the featured links below to see what some church folks are talking about. And, when so inspired, join in the conversation.
Whispers in the …

Long before St.Ignatius was laid up by a cannonball between the legs, he was wasting his time reading trashy novels.  In a world without “Lost” “Glee” “24″ or Housewives from anywhere, Ignatius, like the character Don Quixote, was reading the wildly popular novel Amadis of Gaul.
Exploits! Sword fights! Married ladies to pine after! The adventures of the fictional knight had it all.
Now you can experience the sensational writing that Ignatius gave up!  Finally, a way to see what serious saints were up to before their conversions. Perhaps next month we …