Boston College participates strongly in the renewed pilgrim spirit of its Jesuit tradition. Faculty members do research on pilgrimage. Our people are also on the move. With the increased accessibility to travel in today’s global economy, distant pilgrimages are more possible than ever. The diverse pilgrim experiences of our Boston College community reflect the deeply …
Novice Pilgrims were sometimes conscious of inscribing their journey into a larger narrative, that of their formation in the footsteps of Christ and his apostles, or St Ignatius and his companions, or even the Canadian Martyrs (beatified in 1925 and canonized in 1930). “We are twelve. The twelve Apostles left the Cenacle, filled with the …
The pilgrimage reports give ample details about the journey: roads, transportation, times, events, encounters, and – obviously – weather. Information, personal reflections and anecdotes abound. In that regard, they are comparable to many other travel narratives – dealing with pilgrimages or other types of journeys. The description of various encounters is a prominent feature. These …
Between the years 1864 and 1968, 1456 Jesuit novices from the Sault-au-Récollet undertook a pilgrimage. These young men were instructed to document their journey, and 1078 of the produced narratives survive in the Archive of the Jesuits in Canada, in Montreal. Each pilgrimage report bears testimony to the unique experience of a novice. A certain …
The Jesuit Novices were sent on an itinerary that was predetermined by the Master of Novices. They were not necessarily – in fact, rarely – going to a shrine, often doing a circuitous route in the countryside bringing them back to a novitiate after a month. The number of Jesuit novices undertaking the pilgrimage from …
The “Pilgrims’ Rules” (Règles des pèlerins) prepared for the novices explained the purpose of this pilgrimage and the way in which novices should undertake the pilgrimage: “The purpose of the pilgrimage is not to exhaust the body or to travel long distances, but to reap a spiritual fruit; it is in this spirit that it …
Pilgrimage is meant to be integral to the process of Jesuit formation. Mandated by the Jesuit Constitutions, a month-long pilgrimage is meant to expose novices to a penitential and transformative way of life. Other ‘experiments’ are prescribed alongside pilgrimage: the monthlong retreat of the Spiritual Exercises, menial work in service of the poor, catechetical instruction, …
In the pre-suppression Society of Jesus, young Englishmen or Frenchmen living in North America and who desired to join the order had to travel to Europe to do so. In the decades following the universal restoration of the Society of Jesus in 1814, various groups of Jesuit missionaries came to North America to extend the …
Read more “The Return of the Jesuits in North America and the Foundation of the “Sault-au-Récollet””
While Ignatius never went back to Jerusalem, and the first companions were prevented by a war to do the journey, the pilgrim practice remained influential in the nascent Jesuit community. Ignatius sent members to the Marian shrine of Loreto to pray for the health of a pope, or to discern in this location one’s own …
Near Rome, in the small chapel of La Storta, Ignatius had a vision that confirmed his being called to be a companion of Jesus, seeing himself placed by the Father with the Son carrying his cross. In this moment, Ignatius’ pilgrimage of discovery of self was brought to a conclusion. He knew clearly who he …