An Ignatian Pilgrimage in Europe

by Terry Griep

 

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05/08/2023

I won’t presume to say I am competent or brilliant enough to adequately describe a 12-day Ignatian Pilgrimage to Spain and Italy, but as a starter I will borrow a few words from Susan Stabile's reflection during the Mass at St. Thomas More for the Third Sunday of Easter: 

ENCOUNTER . . . REFLECT . . . SHARE. 

The Pilgrims for this first (I hope of many) St. Thomas More community pilgrimages were Father R.J. Fichtinger, S.J., Mary Fratto, John and Terry Griep, Jess Miller, Mike Sarafolean and Pat Sauer. The group was led by Michael Andrews, Terry’s son-in-law, who had been in Jesuit formation for several years and holds degrees in fine arts, philosophy and theology, and is a professor at Loyola University, Chicago. Their pilgrimage began in the Basque region of Northern Spain, where Ignatius was born, and ended in Rome, where he died. 

The pilgrims first encountered Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola — who later changed his name to Ignatius — at his family’s castle at Loyola, where he spent his boyhood. We learned about his young adult life as a courtesan, nobleman and gentleman, who loved women and led a glamorous lifestyle. That is, until a cannonball shattered his right leg at the Battle of Pamplona, when he was 30 years old. During a long and painful recovery, Inigo, who liked to read love stories or tales of chivalry, read the only books available: the Imitation of Christ and lives of the saints. 

The pilgrims encountered an imperfect human in Inigo, a person much like each of them, with flaws and foibles. They could identify with him and his human weaknesses. They understood that it was vanity that led him to a life of chivalry; that it was pride that kept the soldier Inigo in a losing battle. At Loyola, and later at the battlefield in Pamploma, they could feel the emotions that must have stirred within the young Inigo — and the pilgrims made an amazing discovery: God never stopped loving this imperfect human being. 

“By traveling in Ignatius footsteps, traversing the beautiful but challenging landscapes, engaging with the Basque people, eating their traditional foods, I feel closer to the man Íñigo,” said Jess Miller. “We occupied the spaces impactful to him and had time for individual contemplation, letting the atmosphere permeate our prayer.”

Montserrat and Manresa, Spain, played major roles in the next stages of Inigo’s life, when he left his sword at the first and became a pauper and beggar at the second. When he offered his sword and mule to the Virgin Mary of Montserrat, he pledged to leave his worldly ways behind and instead to STM newsletter Pilgrimage 1 choose a life of service and humility. He traveled to Manresa, a few miles of rugged mountain terrain from Montserrat, where he spent 11 months living as a beggar in a cave. Historians tell us that he experienced great spiritual turmoil and scrupulosity, even had suicidal thoughts, while in the cave. Yet, his writings during this period evolved into the Spiritual Exercises that guide the lives of Christians everywhere today. The cave is very unlike the setting where the beggar Inigo lived, having been converted to a beautiful shrine. “Learning about his time at Magdelena's Hospital, Shrine of Olatz and Manresa helped me understand the struggles he endured that ultimately brought us the Society of Jesus and the Spiritual Exercises we all love so much,” Jess said. 

We skipped Inigo’s years of study at Alcala and Salamanca, Spain, and also at Paris, where he gathered six companions, who would be the beginnings of the Society of Jesus (maybe that could be part of the next pilgrimage). It was also in Paris that the seven companions made their first vows. We skipped to Italy, but did not visit Venice, where the seven were ordained, or La Storta, outside Rome, where Ignatius had a vision that invited him to serve God (again, a part of the next pilgrimage). 

The five nights spent in Rome provided a bit of a different perspective for the pilgrims. Whereas in Spain the pilgrims felt the very presence of the man who wrestled with ambitions of nobility and chivalry, suffered scruples, then ultimately offered his entire being to the service of God, Rome was the city where the pilgrims had glimpses of some of the results of Ignatius’ plans and desires, and understood his disappointment when he and his companions could not go on to Jerusalem as they hoped. 

Father R.J., with his many years of Jesuit formation, and Michael, with his Jesuit education and fine arts studies, provided rich background information for “Ignatian Rome” — facts that the average tour guide would not know. The time in Rome was supplemented with visits to the Catacombs, walks through Roman districts, such as Trastevere and the Jewish Quarter, a visit to St. Peter’s Basilica including Pedro Arrupe’s tomb, and the Scavi the preserved ruins of early Christianity, and a private meeting with the director of Jesuit Relief Services, at his office just down the street from the Vatican. 

The pilgrims participated in several Masses on their journey, celebrated by Father R.J., including outdoor Masses next to the Pamploma battlefield and just outside the cave at Manresa. However, after a private visit to the rooms of St. Ignatius, it was very special to be present at a Mass that Father R. J. concelebrated in the private chapel adjacent to the room where Ignatius died. The day’s activities also included visits to the beautiful Church of the Gesu, the Church of St. Ignazio, the Pantheon, the Roman College and Gregorian University. While the ruins throughout the city reminded the pilgrims of the greatness and beauty of the Roman Empire, the contrast to the house where Ignatius lived and died bespoke the simplicity of life and detachment practiced by Ignatius and Jesuits everywhere. STM newsletter Pilgrimage 1 “Walking in the footsteps of Ignatius and revisiting his timeless and practical methods of encountering God was a great gift,” said Mike Sarafolean. “Experiencing it in community with fellow pilgrims made it so much richer, for, as Pope Francis reminds us, ‘One does not go by oneself to the Lord.” 

Reflection time and sharing of personal insights and “aha moments” were a significant aspect of this pilgrimage. The pilgrims talked as they walked, asked questions, and shared observations over delicious meals supplemented with local wines — all of which was life-sustaining, but also soul nourishing. Additionally, time was set aside for faith sharing, where personal insights and feelings came to light. For some, it was a time for new insights and even life-changing evaluations. For me, it was a time to acknowledge that I am elderly, an observation I had never previously made about myself. I had to admit that I was slower than others and seemed to have more aches. But, the best thing about that admission was the care and concern I received from other members of the group. It was tender, loving, honest — and brings tears to my eyes even now when I think about it. 

As Pat Sauer said, “I wanted to see and experience the places of St. Ignatius. I did not expect the insight into how he actually experienced INTERIORLY, the ‘movements' of the Spiritual Exercises for himself, which led to his desire to write them down in order to share this gift with others. This insight made Ignatius very real to me.” She then explained how that affects her personally, “A second important insight was that his ‘conversion’ was not a ‘one & done’ experience. It is an ongoing experience, requiring openness and prayer for the rest of our lives.”
For the pilgrims who follow in the footsteps of Ignatius, who travel together the pathways of Ignatian Spirituality, there are times of awe and wonderment — at the depth and breadth of that spirituality; there also are periods of deep and earnest commitment — when the pilgrim radically offers all of self to God: “Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding . . ."
 
Ignatian Spirituality has a significant role here at St. Thomas More. But it is so much more. It is a rich and intricately-carved piece of our Catholic heritage.

Mary Fratto said this as she aptly summarized her feelings about the pilgrimage, “From the floors of the 1st century catacombs to the church that St. Francis repaired, to the place where Ignatius breathed his last, I saw the history of my faith passed forward, We are pilgrims walking in the steps of those who came before us. They were ordinary people living their faith, passing on what they knew to ever new generations. I feel a part of this history for the first time, understanding the richness, strength and wisdom of those who came before me.”

 

We are always looking for ways to give you, our parishioners, the opportunity to share your experiences! If you would like to submit your story, please email Brennan at bhall@morecommunity.org. 


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