The Ignatian Way, The Ateneo Way

On the 27th of October, the Ateneo de Davao University community came together to celebrate the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola with an Anticipated Mass held at the University’s Our Lady of Assumption Chapel.

The main presider of the mass was University President, Fr. Karel San Juan, S.J. Concelebrating alongside him were Frs. Antonio Basilio, Ulysses Cabayao, Patrick Falguera, Eric Escandor, Le Vinh Tuh, and Anthony Phi Lam — all from the Society of Jesus.

At the beginning of his homily, Fr. Karel acknowledges that the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola is the feast of the Jesuits, as he is the founder of the Society of Jesus. Moreover, the feast is for the RVM (The Religious of the Virgin Mary) Sisters as well, whose institution is centered in Ignatian Spirituality. However, aside from it being the feast for the Jesuits and the RVM Sisters — the religious, it’s also the feast for the lay — those who are, in some way, connected with Ateneo, and thus, St. Ignatius of Loyola.

“This is also very much the feast, not just of us Jesuits and RVM sisters, but the feast of Ateneo students, alumni, faculty, administrators, staff, including our families and friends, our community partners, and all of you, who are regular mass goers in this Chapel, this is our fiesta,” he said.

While reflecting on his homily, Fr. Karel was moved by how St. Ignatius himself and his spirit attracted many people from various backgrounds. Sighting his fellow brethren from the Society of Jesus assigned in Davao as examples. He then went through each of their personal details, highlighting their individual uniqueness. Meanwhile, also praising the diversity of the lay as well, who are brought together in a space called the Ateneo.

Aside from St. Ignatius, Fr. Karel invites everyone to also mind Ignatius’ first companions: St. Peter Faber, St. Francis Xavier, Fr. Diego Lainez, Fr. Alfonso Salmeron, Fr. Nicholas Bobadilla, and Fr. Simão Rodrigues. Together with Ignatius, they formed the foundation of the Society of Jesus. As a unit, they are “a mixture of gentle and not so gentle personalities, of diverse nationalities, politics, talents, temperaments, even religious dispositions.”

Concluding his homily, Fr. Karel enlightens the congregation by preaching that the day is to celebrate “the love and the grace of God, and how St. Ignatius, our patron Saint, through his spirit and his teachings, brought us together to profess that in faith, in action, in our works, [and] in love, a love that sets the world on fire — the fire of God’s love.”

After the mass was offered, a simple feast was prepared at the University’s Rodriguez Hall, where members of the community gathered in joy and gratitude to celebrate the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola.

St. Ignatius of Loyola, born Iñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola on October 23rd, 1491, in the Basque region of Spain. As a young noble military leader, he dreamed of heroic and patriotic deeds, but after being severely wounded by war, his life changed. While recovering, his reading about Jesus and the saints inspired him to dedicate his life to God. After his recovery, he began a pilgrimage and became a hermit, where he later gathered his spiritual wisdom into his major literary work “Spiritual Exercises”. While studying in Paris, he met his first companions, who established the Society of Jesus. In 1540, about 485 years ago, Pope Paul III officially approved the religious order. Ignatius served as the first Superior General of the Jesuits. He died in Rome on July 31, 1556, and was canonized in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV.

Nearly five centuries after his death, St. Ignatius of Loyola continues to be celebrated as a testament of the transformative power of God’s grace—a living story of radical conversion, unyielding determination, and boundless apostolic zeal. Ignatius’ legacy will continue through the Society of Jesus, an influential religious order committed to education, missionary work, and service to the Church. (Alessandro Rikardo V. Millabe | Ateneo de Davao University SocCom)