The Year will open on May 20th, the 500th anniversary of when Ignatius the soldier was injured by a cannonball in the Battle of Pamplona. The Year will conclude on July 31, 2022, the feast day of St. Ignatius. The peak of the celebration will fall on March 12, 2022, the 400th anniversary of the canonization of St. Ignatius. While the Ignatian Year honors the past, we are invited to be future-focused and attend to the Universal Apostolic Preferences.
This year marks the 500th Anniversary of St. Ignatius of Loyola’s defining moment towards his life’s purpose through spiritual enlightenment. Many people will experience a moment in their life that will serve as their catalyst and awaken them to their true calling in making the world a better place. For St. Ignatius, his moment came during his time in the Spanish army, when an injury-induced recovery also prompted his spiritual growth, leading him to establish the Society of Jesus.
This special anniversary has coincided with a particularly enlightening year, that despite its challenges, also serves as a catalyst for a transformation for many individuals and institutions – much like St. Ignatius’ defining moment.
As part of the Jesuit community, we are proudly celebrating the Ignatian Year, by organizing various online events and activities with our local and international partners that honor St. Ignatius and all that he stood for. As we celebrate Ignatian Year, we continuously reflect on how our efforts as an international education institution serve our community and the common good.
The past few weekends have been some of the most exciting of the entire semester, full of trips to the zoo, mountain hikes, ancient parks, and more! Our first trip out of many was a visit to the Beijing Zoo. I had mentioned earlier in the semester that I wanted to see some pandas, since I was in China after all, and our TBC friend Andy made it happen.
Spending a whole semester in Beijing, I knew I had to make the trip down south and check out Shanghai, and the city certainly lived up to the expectations. Everyone describes Shanghai as this super futuristic metropolis, and after spending a weekend there I understand why it has this reputation.