13 Aug

In this piece, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin SJ, as presented in the paleontological biography: The Jesuit and the Skull – Teilhard de Chardin, Evolution, and the Search for the Peking Man by Amir D. Aczel, published by Riverhead (Penguin) in 2007. Proceed with caution. Two years after his death, the Holy Office announced that "the books of Father Teilhard de Chardin SJ must be withdrawn from the libraries of seminaries and religious institutes; they may not be sold in Catholic bookshops; and they may not be translated into other languages."...

12 Aug

This past Monday, August 11, people were saddened to learn of the tragic death of actor and comedian Robin Williams – an apparent suicide at the age of 63. Throughout the day tributes poured in on Twitter from actors who worked with him, directors who directed him, ordinary people who found his films made them laugh and cry.John Pungente, SJ, writes of his four minutes and thirty seconds with Robin Williams....

10 Aug

In a recent walk back from Jericho Beach, I came upon a blind woman. Cane in hand, she veered her way up the sidewalk in front of me. Despite the back and forth movement, her feet knew their way. It was obvious that she had travelled this way before. As I approached she bent over to the side and stopped. Not used to such a fast approach, I thought. I gave her space, acknowledged her in silence and continued on my way. Then something happened....

06 Aug

If the only Jesuit you ever met was the subject of a biography in a library collection, what would this individual tell you about Jesuit life?In this series, IgNation blogger Kevin Burns, who is not a Jesuit, takes a look at some of the works that come up in a large urban public library he entered the search term "Jesuit" and filtered it through the genre of "Biography". The books that popped up include some familiar names and some not so familiar but still very real Jesuits.Today: a man who knew everything, Athanasius Kircher SJ, as depicted by John Glassie in A Man of Misconceptions: The Life of an Eccentric in an Age of Change....

05 Aug

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the author of The Little Prince, was a pioneer of commercial aviation. He flew in the Spanish Civil War and World War II. He loved flying. He also loved writing about friendship and love. Because of this, he was nicknamed the 'winged poet'. In his book Airman's Odyssey, de Saint-Exupéry wrote about how love transforms us. When we encounter love, it refashions our lives. Love invites us to contemplate a new horizon, the place where our hearts encounter the heart of the beloved. Love incites us to contemplate and to journey towards that horizon because intimacy is beyond fear. As de Saint-Exupéry states, "Love is more than gazing at each other. It consists in looking outward together in the same direction."...

04 Aug

Tuesdays are poetry days in igNation. Today's poem, - Shells in Strand Hill - is set in Ireland and tells of "an eighty year old man waiting". It was written by Frank Obrigewitsch, SJ...

03 Aug

Many English Canadian Jesuits and our collaborators gathered at Manresa - Jesuit Spiritual Renewal Centre in Pickering, Ontario for five days at the end of July. There were about seventy of us from all over the country and from our various ministries We have been through discernment processes in the past, but this one comes at a crucial moment in our history....

31 Jul

Kristine Barnett was delighted with her baby son Jake. He was a vivacious and responsive child, and she and her husband Michael eagerly looked forward to following his development from infancy to manhood with all the stages in between. Their delight soon turned first to worry and then to fear as Jake seemed to go more and more into himself. Eventually it seemed that Kristine and Michael ceased to exist for him. His world became one of endless order – toys and cards, string and pencils – all became objects of obsessive ordering that consumed more and more of his time. Although he had begun to speak very early, speech soon disappeared. Their little boy lived in a world apart from them, in silence and a seeming disregard for human life around him. The physicians' diagnosis was autism....

30 Jul

uly 31, the Feast Day of St. Ignatius of Loyola, is a sacred day for Jesuits, our works, and our collaborators. Here in Canada, we have a celebration in the Toronto area on that day. As many Jesuits as possible come together for a family reunion of sorts. There are almost always Jesuits from other parts of the globe who happen to be in the area for commitments such as study or workshops. We start with Mass. One of the 50 year jubilarians preaches and all of the year's jubilarians are acknowledged. That is followed by a luncheon for Jesuits, families and friends of the jubilarians, and many of our collaborators....

29 Jul

If the only Jesuit you ever met was the subject of biography in a library collection, what would this individual tell you about Jesuit life?In this series, IgNation blogger Kevin Burns, who is not a Jesuit, takes a look at some of the works that come up in a large urban public library he entered the search term "Jesuit" and filtered it through the genre of "Biography". The books that popped up include some familiar names and some not so familiar but still very real Jesuits.And who else on the eve of this Jesuit feast day but Saint Ignatius (1491 – 1556) himself?...

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