People of the Book
A Blog about Book Publishing from a Catholic Perspective

The Church celebrates the 450th anniversary of the death of St. Ignatius Loyola on July 31. It’s a time for Jesuits and those who are close to Jesuits (like those of us at Loyola Press) to reflect on the spirituality of Ignatius Loyola. One of the best of these reflections is an article in America magazine by Fr. John W. O’Malley, SJ, author of the splendid book The First Jesuits. “Ignatius redefined the traditional basis of saintliness, that is, ‘contempt of the world,’” Fr. O’Malley writes. He was a public relations whiz, an adept fundraiser, an advocate for humanistic education, and a religious superior who insisted that his men lead balanced lives. “Is it too far amiss to describe him as a worldly saint?” he asks.

God is marvelous in his saints. Each one of them, each one of us, is unique and works out the gifts of God’s grace in conformity with that uniqueness. None of them, none of us, can be reduced to a formula. The confluence of these unique workings of grace constitutes a large part of the richness of Catholicism, which is thus more than a catechism of teachings and more than a moral code. That is why we celebrate the saints, and why we are solemnly observing this 450th anniversary of the death of Ignatius Loyola.

Read Fr. O’Malley’s article here.