St Ignatius: The Basics

Complete this Cloze Activity about the life of St Ignatius…

The Life of St Ignatius Key moments of St Ignatius’ life: Cannonball and recovery time (paragraphs 1 and 2) Experiences in Manresa (paragraph 3) Studying in Paris and meeting the first companions (paragraph 4) The foundation of the Society of Jesus in Rome (paragraph 5) Ignatius the efficient General (paragraph 6) Re-read the sections and decide which moments are the most important. Rate them 1-5. Remember there is no ‘right’ answer as long as you can justify your opinion. Be ready to explain your opinions in a discussion. Alternatively, the teacher could assign five groups of students to plot and argument for a section each and then debate it in class. How to handle the discussion/ debate is left to the teacher’s discretion/ preference.

The Life of St Ignatius Now that you have decided on your most important Ignatius moments, it’s time to imagine being Ignatius at that time: Write a diary entry from the perspective of St. Ignatius. This is your chance to get to really understand St Ignatius. Imagine what he was feeling, what he was thinking at the time you have chosen. Where is he writing from? Who is he with? Describe using his senses. It may help to use the cloze exercise paragraphs to aid students with content for their entry. Students write a diary entry for the time they think is the most important in St Ignatius’ life.

St Ignatius’ Diary: An Example Danny – a year 6 pupil at a Jesuit school – decided that the most important moment of St Ignatius’ life was studying in Paris and meeting the first companions. Here is the beginning of St Ignatius’ diary entry written by Danny. Can you do better?

St Ignatius’ Diary: An Example 27th May 1528 Dear Diary, Thank you God for a wonderful day. Today I moved into a new house nearby the university in Paris. I like my room and it has everything I need – a space to sleep, pray and study. It’s perfect! My new roommates are both very interesting. Francis is also from Spain (from Xavier) so we can talk very easily. Pierre speaks French but his Spanish is very good. He is very clever and close to becoming a priest. In fact, I am hoping he will give me lessons to help me in philosophy. I would like to share my Spiritual Exercises with him. Paris is a very different place to Spain… Teacher can guide students through this example, using it to pick out good practice and also areas of improvement.

Home Learning Challenge! What are the important moments of your life? How has God guided and formed you like he did St Ignatius? Students may wish to bullet-point list these ideas, create a poster, write prose. Again, this is left to the teacher’s discretion.

Optional Extension Task So far today you have considered who St Ignatius was, what happened in his life, what were the important moments in his life and how he felt during them. For our final activity today we want you to consider a mind-bending question… What would our world today be like if St Ignatius had died after he was struck by the cannonball in Pamplona?

Imagine a world without St Ignatius… Make a list of ways in which a world without the life of St Ignatius would be different. Here are a few ideas to help you: Alternatively students could create a poster. Teachers can guide students towards ideas such as the foundation of the Society of Jesus, the Spiritual Exercises, the works of the Jesuits, the Jesuit Schools, Jesuit Missions and its charitable work….

St Ignatius: The Basics

© Copyright Jesuit Missions 2017 Text by Christopher Brolly and Samantha Aidoo. All images were taken from Jesuit Missions and the Jesuit Institute London. Users are welcome to modify the material to fit their needs. jesuitmissions.org.uk education@jesuitmissions.org.uk Facebook: Jesuit Missions UK Twitter: @JesuitMissions