Why the Church declared St Ignatius patron of spiritual exercises
The Roman Pontiffs vindicate St Ignatius of Loyola against his critics—but... what do such critics care of Roman Pontiffs?
The Roman Pontiffs vindicate St Ignatius of Loyola against his critics—but… what do such critics care of Roman Pontiffs?
Editors’ Notes
Today, many so-called traditionalists rightly lament the collapse of the Jesuits—yet neglect, misunderstand, or even slander the militant spirituality of their founder and his order. St Ignatius Loyola is accused of rationalism and individualism, while the immense spiritual achievements of his order are dismissed or forgotten.
In the place of the structured battle plan of the Exercises, they advocate meditations on Tarot Cards, falling asleep at shrines, and “theurgic magic.”
Such nonsense is well suited to those with itching ears, who, being unable to endure sound doctrine, “turn away their hearing from the truth and are turned unto fables.” But it has never once been praised by the Roman Pontiffs—let alone with the frequency, authority, and warmth with which they have praised St Ignatius and his method.
Then again, as we have noted elsewhere, many of these same critics have long ceased to care what the Roman Pontiffs have said about the Catholic religion.
In this text
In this Apostolic Constitution—one of the most formal modes types of legislation used by the Roman Pontiff—Pope Pius XI tells us:
How St Ignatius’s method of spiritual retreat became a fountain of renewal for saints, clergy, and laity.
That the Church affirms his Exercises as a divine remedy for the personal and social disorders of the modern world.
Why even workers, in an age of spiritual amnesia, are called to recover silence, order, and God through retreat.
He shows us that true reform begins not in systems but in the heart recollected before God.
Apostolic Constitution Summorum Pontificum
Declaring St Ignatius Loyola the Heavenly Patron of the Spiritual Exercises
Pope Pius XI
Srvant of the Servants of God
For the perpetual remembrance of the matter
25 July 1922
St Ignatius’ Exercises always praised by the Church
It has always been the chief care of the Supreme Pontiffs to recommend with highest praise, and to promote with powerful encouragements, those things which greatly contribute to piety and to the perfection of the Christian life.
Now among the various helps of this sort, a distinguished place is claimed by that gift which St Ignatius, by a certain divine prompting, brought into the Church—the Spiritual Exercises.
Although, by the mercy of God, there have always been those who, with deep insight into heavenly things, have proposed them fittingly for the contemplation of the faithful, Ignatius was the first to lay out, in the little book he composed—despite being at the time entirely untrained in letters—and which he himself titled The Spiritual Exercises, a distinct method and particular way of making spiritual retreats. By this, the faithful have been wonderfully helped both to detest their sins and to order their lives in holiness, according to the example of our Lord Jesus Christ.
By the power of this Ignatian method, it has come to pass—as our predecessor of glorious memory Leo XIII affirmed—that the great benefit of these Exercises has been proven “by the experience of three centuries... and by the witness of all those men who flourished most of all during that time in the discipline of asceticism or in the holiness of life.”1
The example of the Saints
Besides the many and most illustrious men of holiness, even from within the Ignatian family itself—who have most clearly professed that they drew the whole pattern of their virtue from this source as from a fountain—it is pleasing to recall two great lights of the Church from the secular clergy: St Francis de Sales and St Charles Borromeo.
St Francis diligently devoted himself to the Ignatian Exercises, that he might rightly prepare himself for episcopal consecration. In them, he established for himself that way of life which he afterwards always maintained, according to the principles of the reform of life handed down in the book of St Ignatius.
Charles Borromeo, on the other hand—as our late predecessor Pius X showed,2 and as we ourselves also demonstrated, prior to our Supreme Pontificate, in published historical studies—experienced the power of these Exercises in himself, and, having been impelled by them towards a more perfect life, spread their use among both clergy and people.
Among the holy men and women devoted to religious discipline, it is enough by way of example to name St Teresa of Avila, that teacher of the highest contemplation, and St Leonard of Port Maurice, the son of the Seraphic Patriarch, who so greatly esteemed the little book of St Ignatius that he openly confessed he followed its method entirely in winning souls for God.
Therefore the Roman Pontiffs, from the very first edition of this small but “admirable book,”3 solemnly approved it, extolled it with praise, fortified it with Apostolic authority, and thenceforth have not ceased to commend its use—enriching it with sacred indulgences and honouring it on successive occasions with renewed expressions of praise.
Remedy for the evils of our day
Accordingly, being persuaded that the evils of our times arise chiefly from there being “no one who considers in his heart”;4 and being assured that the Spiritual Exercises, made according to the discipline of St Ignatius, are most powerful in overcoming the most arduous difficulties by which human society is now everywhere afflicted; and having found that, just as in former times so also today, a rich harvest of virtue ripens in sacred retreats—among religious families and secular priests alike, and also among the laity, and (what is especially noteworthy in our age) even among workers:
We earnestly desire that the use of these Spiritual Exercises may daily be more widely diffused, and that those houses of piety in which an entire month or eight days (or, if that be not possible, even a few days are set aside for retreat) may ever increase in number and flourish, as schools for the perfecting of the Christian life.
This we pray from God for the sake of our charity toward the Lord’s flock.
Declaration of St Ignatius’ patronage
And now, responding to the most ardent desires and petitions of the sacred pastors of nearly the whole Catholic world, from both rites; and since at this happy time solemn celebrations occur, both of the third centenary of the canonisation of St Ignatius, and of the fourth centenary of the composition of this golden book: desiring to give, in this way, a clear expression of our gratitude to the holy Patriarch, following the example of our predecessors who appointed other saints as heavenly patrons of various Institutes; and having taken counsel with our venerable brethren the Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church who preside over the Sacred Congregation of Rites:
By Our Apostolic authority, we declare, constitute, and appoint St Ignatius of Loyola the heavenly Patron of all Spiritual Exercises, and therefore of all institutes, sodalities, and associations of every kind which undertake the work and practice of the Spiritual Exercises.
We further decree that these Our letters shall be firm, valid, and effective, now and always; that they shall obtain and possess their full and complete effects; and that whatever might stand to the contrary shall in no way hinder them.
Given at Rome, at St Peter’s, on the twenty-fifth day of the month of July, in the year of Our Lord one thousand nine hundred and twenty-two, in the first year of Our Pontificate.
Witnesses
A. CARD. VICO,
Bishop of Porto and Santa Rufina
O. CARD. CAGIANO,
Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church
Leopoldus Capitani, Apostolic Protonotary
Raphael Virili, Apostolic Protonotary
A.A.S., vol. XIV (1922), n. 7, pp. 420–422
Translated from the Latin—base text by AI, with every line checked by a human.
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Fair Use Rationale for image above: It is historically significant; it is being used for informational and educational purposes; it is readily available on the internet (e.g., Twitter); it (and others from the same collection) is used by many other sites; it is a low resolution copy of the original; it is unsuitable for commercial use.
Ignatian letters addressed to Fr Ludovicus Martin, Superior General of the Society of Jesus
Encyclical letter Editae saepe
Benedict XIV, Apostolic Letter Quantum secessus
Jer. XII, 11