Following in the footsteps of St. Ignatius
(This reflection is about the Ignatian pilgrimage that took place April 12-23, 2017.)
During Easter break we went to Spain and Rome on a pilgrimage with Father Willie and a few other of my classmates, as well as their families.
We began our pilgrimage arriving in Madrid and continued our travels to San Sebastian. The first day was mostly taken up by travel time, but ended with a very nice Holy Thursday mass at the hotel. Everyone was excited for the first experiences on the pilgrimage when we woke up for the second day. That day, we had an amazing tour of the city of San Sebastian. On the third day, we traveled to Pamplona, the city where St. Ignatius was injured in a battle with the French. We had the great opportunity to participate in the Easter Vigil mass that evening at the Monasterio de Leyre, a ninth century Benedictine monastery. Just a few days into the pilgrimage it had already been an amazing spiritual experience so we were all excited to see what else Father Willie had in store for us.
The fourth day, we traveled to the town of Xavier, the birth place of St. Francis Xavier. We later visited the Olite Castle and had free time to explore the marvelous medieval city, its royal palace of the Kings of Navarra, its main square, and churches.
Next, on April 17, we visited Lerida's cathedral in Cataluña which was absolutely gorgeous and has a beautiful gigantic pipe organ. As we continued on our journey through the pilgrimage, we finally got to Manresa where we had a very spiritual moment because we celebrated mass in the very cave where St. Ignatius spent eleven months. We saw where he carved a cross on the side of the cave, which added to the spiritual richness of the day and enhanced our contemplation.
April 18 was our last day in Spain and we visited the monastery in Montserrat and said a prayer in the presence of the Black Virgin of Montserrat just outside of Barcelona. This was the place where St. Ignatius surrendered his sword. After, we toured the city of Barcelona before heading to Italy.
When we arrived in Rome, I had the once in a lifetime opportunity to see Pope Francis! The whole time I thought to myself, “I can’t believe this is really happening.” I had been anticipating the moment for weeks before the trip and it was nothing short of spectacular. After the wonderful audience with the Holy Father, we took a breathtaking tour of Rome.
The second day in Rome was the most spiritually impacting day of the entire pilgrimage. We visited ancient Rome and the great basilicas of Rome. We had mass in the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore at the Chapel of the Nativity, which was incredibly profound. This was where our founder, St. Ignatius, finally felt he was ready to give his first mass.
Next, we toured Vatican City. It was so beautiful! We also visited the Catacombs of the first Christians – St. Calixto and St. Domitila. This was awesome because we had mass in the Catacombs and learned how, when under persecution, they would have mass underground.
On the last day of our pilgrimage, we visited Gesu Church and celebrated mass at the Camarete of St. Ignatius, the room where he lived and died. In the Gesu Church we saw a giant painting of St. Ignatius slowly come down to reveal an amazing statue of him. After that, we had a lot of free time in Rome which I truly enjoyed because I got to see so many of the beautiful and historic landmarks. Finally, we had a farewell dinner and the pilgrimage came to an end.
Overall the experience of participating in the Ignatian Pilgrimage was wonderful. Not only did I get the chance to be with two of my Belen brothers and Father Willie, but I was able to grow in my faith and have a better understanding and appreciation for St. Ignatius and the Society of Jesus. I recommend going on next year’s pilgrimage to anyone that has the desire to learn more about the faith and have a once in a lifetime experience.
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the School property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit sits on a 30-acre site in western Dade County, only minutes away from downtown Miami.