Happy Feast Day, St. Ignatius!

Joe Paprocki Mary and the Saints

This year’s celebration of the Feast Day of St. Ignatius of Loyola is more special to me than ever before. It was just a few months ago that I had the privilege of going on pilgrimage to Spain and Rome to follow in his footsteps with many of my Loyola Press colleagues! Of the many highlights of this trip, I’d have to say that the most moving was being in the spot where Ignatius spent month after month recovering from the cannonball injury to his knee. This event not only shattered his knee, it shattered his life and his dreams. Painful as the experience was for him on so many levels, it also served as the springboard for his conversion: from death comes new life. May each of us pay closer attention to the “cannonball” experiences in our lives, pray for the grace to grow in faith and let go of our past, and discover new life waiting for us in the Lord’s service!

Here I am standing next to a statue of St. Ignatius in the town of Loyola, where Ignatius experienced his conversion after being wounded in battle.
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About Joe Paprocki 2748 Articles
Joe Paprocki, DMin, is National Consultant for Faith Formation at Loyola Press, where, in addition to his traveling/speaking responsibilities, he works on the development team for faith formation curriculum resources including Finding God: Our Response to God’s Gifts and God’s Gift: Reconciliation and Eucharist. Joe has more than 35 years of experience in ministry and has presented keynotes, presentations, and workshops in more than 100 dioceses in North America. Joe is a frequent presenter at national conferences including the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, the Mid-Atlantic Congress, and the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership. He is the author of numerous books, including the best seller The Catechist’s Toolbox, A Church on the Move, Under the Influence of Jesus, and Called to Be Catholic—a bilingual, foundational supplemental program that helps young people know their faith and grow in their relationship with God. Joe is also the series editor for the Effective Catechetical Leader and blogs about his experiences in faith formation at www.catechistsjourney.com.

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