[This blog post was originally written and shared on the Province website on 10 October 2022]
Last year (2021) marked 500 years since Ignatius Loyola was struck by a cannon ball in Pamplona. A moment that was to change his life as during his recovery the former soldier had a spiritual conversion that eventually led to his founding the Society of Jesus. A century later in 1622 he was canonised by Pope Gregory XV along with his companion Francis Xavier, thus 2022 marks the 400th anniversary of his canonisation. Both of these significant anniversaries have been celebrated by the Jesuits worldwide this past year.
Looking ahead to 2023 there are several significant anniversaries coming up within the British Province. Firstly, 21 January will mark 400 years since the establishment of the Province. Although there were Jesuits working in England and Wales from Edmund Campion’s arrival in 1580, it wasn’t until 21 January 1623 that it became a Province. Secondly, later in the year there is the 175th anniversary of the opening of both St Beuno’s and St Francis Xavier Church in Liverpool. There are plans afoot to commemorate these milestones.
It may therefore be prudent to reflect on why it is important to celebrate jubilees and what we can learn from them. Obviously, they remind us of the significant moment being commemorated, of the event and the emotions of that time. Perhaps more importantly anniversaries also allow us to reflect on how far we have come since then and the journey we have travelled on the way. For those who are religious, by considering the achievements made it enables us to recognise the part God played in making this possible. The Ignatian Year just gone to celebrate the anniversaries linked with St Ignatius Loyola had as its motto ‘to see all things new in Christ’. This is a reminder that anniversaries are also an opportunity to reflect on the current situation we are in and to consider future aspirations.
Archives can play a vital role in commemorating anniversaries. They contain documentation of events which may not be recognised as significant until much later as well as records which show the development of a place or group. It was interesting to look through the Archives and discover that there have been numerous jubilees celebrated within the Province over the past 400 years. These events show that Jesuits value the significance of marking and celebrating anniversaries.
Finally, here are just a few examples of past jubilee celebrations that were found in the Archives:
In 1904 to mark the 50th centenary of the Definition of the Immaculate Conception the cook, Br Thomas Meynell SJ, made a cake in the shape of the temple at Manresa, Roehampton. His addition of a figure of Our Lady to the cake to mark the occasion resulted in a statue of Our Lady being added to the actual dome in the grounds. You can read more about this cake in a previous blog post here.
1940 marked the 400th anniversary since the Society was founded in 1540, but due to the war it seems to have been a rather subdued commemoration as evidenced by the Manresa log book entry for the day.
1973 marked both 350 years of the English Province having been founded in 1623 and 200 years since the Suppression of the Society in 1773. A pamphlet with a very brief overview of the Province’s history was produced for this occasion.
More recently, 2003 marked the Bi-centenary of Restoration. The Archives contain quite a lot of records for this event including an entire ring binder for the organisation for the many varied events throughout the Province, and of course there are copies of the order of services held.
A book Promising Hope (a copy of which can be purchased from the Archives) was also commissioned containing essays on the Suppression and Restoration of the English Province of the Society of Jesus.