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Home , Aloysius Gonzaga, Bernardino Realino, Circumcision of Jesus, Edmund Campion, Francis Xavier, Ignatius of Loyola

Jesuit Devotions

Relics of Christ and the Defining characteristics of that part of devotion known as Jesuit Saints Jesuit devotion derive from Jesuit spirituality, understood as those The Jesuits were active agents in promoting the cult of in their missions Jesuit changed dramatically after 1622, with the means used to draw a person closer to God that are particular to throughout the world. On the Feast of of the first Jesuit saints, and . From All Saints in 1578, the Jesuits organized a that point on, those and later Jesuit saints, (including Francis Borja, the insights of St. Ignatius Loyola and amplified by later Jesuits. Any festive reception of 214 relics of European , and ), occupied a dominant place in consideration of Jesuit devotion must be rooted in Ignatius’s Spiritual saints that Gregory XIII (reigned 1572- Jesuit imagery and devotion. 1585) had sent them to be distributed in the Exercises, the foundational spiritual document of the Society of . churches of City. In order to guard While the iconography of the Society is varied, more and more of it came In the Exercises, Ignatius employed what has been described as a them, eighteen sumptuous to be dominated by images of the saints, the blessed, and the of the of gold, silver and precious stones were order. This phenomenon marked the Jesuit enterprise throughout the world. “ of visibility” to guide the exercitant to a knowledge of self crafted, which were taken in procession Whenever Jesuit saints were depicted together, Ignatius invariably stood at from the cathedral to the College of the their head, with Francis Xavier almost as invariably at his side. and union with God. . For the occasion, the streets were decorated with arches and banners The Jesuits considered the visual arts to be key to the affirmation of and a theatrical presentation, El triunfo de los santos, was performed. This celebration Catholic . From the very beginning, they promoted devotional art gave the Jesuits great prestige just six years after their arrival in Mexico. For the and the use of imagery, whether real (paintings and illustrated books), inhabitants of New (Mexico), those The of Jesus or imagined (visionary devotional practices) and their attitude was relics converted their land into a sacred and sanctified space. In 1765, the same year in which he published the constitution in­­­­­ support of the Jesuits, soon reflected in the decoration of their churches. Pope Clement XIII (reigned 1758-69) ratified the cult of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a —Martin Austin Nesvig, Local Religion in Colonial Mexico, of New Mexico Press, 2006 devotion closely associated with the Jesuits since the second half of the 17th century.

More specifically, Ignatius directed the exercitant to use all one’s Sacred Heart images showing Jesus holding the heart, which is encircled by a of The thorns, topped with a small cross and radiating light, appeared everywhere in Europe Devotion to the Holy Family was vigorously promoted by the Society of capabilities to “make present” the mysteries of recorded One of four large reliquaries at Old St. ’s and the colonies. The archetypal image, The Sacred Heart of Jesus, a painting by Pompeo Jesus as a model for evangelization and spiritual renewal from Europe to , Philadelphia, PA. The one shown in the by imaginative mental reconstruction—what he Batoni for the in soon became widely disseminated. The America, from New to . For Jesuit writers contains relics of Jesuit Saints Ignatius Loyola, devotion focused on the physical heart of Jesus as a symbol of divine love. Significantly, and , the Holy Family was the cradle of , returning calls “composition of place.” This process entailed making mental Francis Xavier, Francis Borgia, Francis Regis, The Consolation of St. Ignatius Loyola St. Aloysius Gonzaga believers to the dawn of the Christian era and the Church. In other words, Francis , , Aloysius Gonzaga, Sacred Heart images were removed from churches in countries where the Jesuits were Mexican, 18th century, oil on copper Mexican,19th century, oil on copper pictures using the imagination and familiar visual prototypes from Mary and Joseph were the first human who “knew and adored Christ , Stanislaus Kostka, Alphonsus suppressed almost as soon as those places were occupied by the secular authorities. Such St. Ignatius is shown in staring toward While nursing the sick in a plaque hospital in Rome in was the power of images. the heavens and the monogram of the Society of 1591, Gonzaga contracted the plague himself and died. incarnate; the first who model what it means to be companions the exercitant’s personal experience of sacred images. In other words, Rodríguez, , Andreas —Edgar Peters Bowron, Joseph J. Rishel, et al, Jesus (IHS). He sheds tears at both the baseness of His cult was approved in 1621—for those days, remark- —Joseph F. Chorpenning, O.S.F.S. Art in Rome in the Eighteenth Century Earth and the consolation of Heaven. ably soon after his death—and he quickly assumed an and disciples of Jesus.” Bobola, , Stephen Pongrácz, (The Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2000) Ignatius knew that a “picture is worth a thousand words.” important place in Jesuit iconography as the patron The Heavenly and Earthly , , Bl. Antonio Baldinucci, and of youth. c. 1690-1710, oil on canvas, Circle of , School of Cuzco, —M. Maher, S.J., Devotion, the Society of Jesus, and the Idea of St. Joseph ’s University Collection (Saint Joseph’s University Press, 2000) Bl. Rudolph Acquaviva. The Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pompeo Batoni, c. 1765-67, oil on copper, Il Gesù, Rome. Gift of Katherine A. Hillman ’74 and Joseph H. Schneider ’74

The Cult of the Guardian The of Jesus St. Joseph and The It was on the Feast of St. Joseph, March 19, 1539, City) to the naming of the early The Circumcision was important for the Jesuits, While other religious orders had lengthy that the first assignment by Pope Paul III was of . And, of course, the first of course, because it was at that event that Jesus given to St. Ignatius and his companions. That in Philadelphia was Old St. Joseph's, founded in and salient traditions of devotion to the received His name. As Luke tells us (2:210), circumstance was thought to 1733 by Joseph Greaton, S.J. angels, in the early modern era the Jesuits “After eight days, when He was circumcised, augur well for acceptance by the constituted a vanguard in the vigor and He was called Jesus, the name given by the papacy of the Society of Jesus In the 19th century, a number of manner of their propagation of the cult of before He was conceived in the womb.” as a new religious community Jesuit colleges in America were the Guardian Angels through their example The feast of the Circumcision, 3, is the of men. Indeed, that approval consecrated to St. Joseph though and devotional practices, writings, and official “titular feast” of the Society of Jesus, came the following year. In the they were named for other saints celebrated with great in Jesuit churches preaching. Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius or cities, among these were everywhere. Loyola often introduced and St. Joseph into the . In 1872, For the Jesuits, the cult of the Guardian The Circumcision was chosen by the Jesuits to on the earthly life when an epidemic of measles Angels went back to their founder, St. decorate the high altar of the Gesù, though its of our Lord; he also held St. raged throughout the District­­­ The Christmas Crèche Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), who theme was unusual as the principal theme of Joseph to his spiritual sons of Columbia, special devotions a church, it represents the moment Christ was as an exemplar of paternal were held at Georgetown to The origin of the crèche is traced to St. ’s considered the nature of angelic influences named and was therefore a symbol not only creation of a living crèche in tableau at Midnight Mass on in the sections of the Spiritual Exercises on authority and filial obedience. invoke the protection of St. of the patronage of the church, but also of the Christmas Eve in Greccio (), in 1223. However, the first the of spirits. They believed, Joseph. The next year, when Society of Jesus itself. The second painting of the After the , the the more serious epidemic Christmas crèche known to have been erected in a church along with many of their contemporaries, stood, not in a Franciscan church, but in a Jesuit church in Circumcision for a high altar was produced in Jesuits played a major role of smallpox threatened, St. that each person was accompanied through Prague in 1562. In fact, the Jesuits adopted the crèche as a 1605 by for the Jesuit church in promoting devotion to St. St. Joseph and the Joseph was again invoked. Italian School, 19th century, oil on copper life and cared for by a special angel. Jesuit Circumcision, Girolamo Muziano. in Genoa. In it one recognizes the adoration of special Christmas devotion, taking it with them on their Oil on panel, 1587–89. Joseph. Distinguished Jesuit Saint Joseph’s University Collection Not a single case of the dread worldwide journeys. In 1642, a Jesuit missionary Cardinal (1542-1601) Formerly the high altar, Gesù in Rome. the name of Jesus by angels above the earthly theologians St. Peter Canisius, diseases occurred at Georgetown.

in Canada wrote that the Christmas crèche made a deep was also an enthusiastic supporter of the The high altar subject of the Circumcision, though scene of the Circumcision, at which Jesus’ blood Cornelius à Lapide, and Francisco Suárez diligently In gratitude, the students commissioned a impression on Native Americans. unusual as the principal theme of a church at the time, was shed for the first time. encouraged of St. Joseph. The Jesuit statue of St. Joseph for the Infirmary garden cult, the impact of which reverberated in represents the moment Christ was named and was hagiographer, Johannes Bollandus (1596-1665), and John McElroy, S.J. (1782-1877), founder of Few devotional objects brought to North America by European Jesuit painting cycles all over Europe. therefore a symbol not only of the dedication of the church itself but of the Society of Jesus. The almost reproachful In later paintings, the adoration of the name of reported that in Spain, France, and the , , officiated at the ceremony that Jesuits in the 19th century were received as enthusiastically as look the child gives His mother as he sheds his blood also Jesus became separated from the scene of the all churches belonging to colleges of the Society of consecrated Georgetown College to St. Joseph. The was the crèche, or Christmas crib. Wherever the Jesuits went, reminds the viewer of the coming Passion. Circumcision. In the ceiling of the Gesù, the three Jesus were dedicated to St Joseph. The Jesuits in next year, the senior class inaugurated a St. Joseph they introduced the elaborate nativity scenes for which their The Seven . Antonio Catalano, called II Vecchio, letters “IHS” in heaven appear as a great monstrance of light. Angels and saints worship this Lyons were the first to build a church in St. Joseph’s Association to keep an oil lamp constantly burning churches in Italy were renowned. “The most beautiful crib” oil on canvas, in the , claimed a newspaper, was c. 1598. Siracusa, church of the Jesuit college. name, fall down to earth, since they are unable to withstand its luster. honor in France. before the statue of St. Joseph to protect all those fashioned in Rome for the Church of St. Ignatius (University The apocryphal cult of the Seven Archangels enjoyed a connected with the university from serious illness. of San Francisco.) special popularity in , where the cult originated. This The name of Jesus was shortened to IHS in many Latin manuscripts of the gospels beginning The Jesuits carried their deep affection for St. painting brings to mind Zuccaro’s version in the Angels’ Image: Nicario Jimenez in the fourth century. It was the Jesuits, however, who effectively claimed it and gave it Joseph with them to their missions throughout the Quispe, Peru, 1992, Collection of James and Emilia Govan Chapel of the Roman Gesù and is one of the earliest known versions of the theme in Sicily. international diffusion. — Joseph F. Chorpenning, O.S.F.S., of the New World Loyola University Museum of Art Americas beginning with the naming of first mission (Saint Joseph’s University Press, 1992) 820 North Michigan Avenue —John W. O’Malley, S.J., and Gauvin Alexander Bailey, —T. Johnson, in Angels in the Early Modern World, ed. P. Marshall and A. Walsham , IL 60611 The Jesuits and the Arts: 1540-1773 (Saint Joseph's University Press, 2005) among the Hurons in 1638 (St. Joseph in Sillery, (Cambridge University Press, 2006)