Then we were on to the birthplace of St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuit Order. As many of you know, Ron attended a Jesuit high school UofD in Detroit and Xavier University in Cincinnati and was greatly influenced by their philosophy and teachings.
Ignatius of Loyola 1491 – 1556 was a Spanish knight from a local noble family, hermit, priest since 1537, and theologian, who founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and was its first Superior General.[2] Ignatius emerged as a religious leader during the Counter-Reformation. Loyola's devotion to the Catholic Church was characterized by unquestioning obedience to the Catholic Church's authority and hierarchy.[3]
After being seriously wounded in the Battle of Pamplona in 1521, he underwent a spiritual conversion while in recovery. Thereafter he went to Manresa, where he began praying for seven hours a day, often in a nearby cave, while formulating the fundamentals of the Spiritual Exercises. In September 1523, Loyola reached the Holy Land to settle there, but was sent back to Europe by the Franciscans.
Between 1524 and 1537, Ignatius studied theology and Latin in Spain and then in Paris. In 1534, he arrived in the latter city during a period of anti-Protestant turmoil which forced John Calvin to flee France. Ignatius and a few followers bound themselves by vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. In 1539, they formed the Society of Jesus, approved in 1540 by Pope Paul III.
An altar dedicated to St. Francis Xavier, a co-founder of the Jesuit Order
Francis Xavier was born to an aristocratic family in the castle of Xavier in the Kingdom of Navarre on 7 April 1506 according to a family register. He was a pioneering Roman Catholic missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He was a student of Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits, dedicated at Montmartre in 1534. He led an extensive mission into Asia, mainly in the Portuguese Empire of the time. He was influential in the spreading and upkeep of Catholicism most notably in India.
Ron will always treasure this experience
Finally, our last stop on the way home from Spain was at Biarritz at the elegant Hotel du Palais originally built by Napoleon III for Empress Eugenie
http://www.hotel-du-palais.com/video_palais/palais.html
This trip was stimulating in so many ways.
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