Glossary Ignatian Spirituality and Leadership

Glossary of Jesuit / Ignatian Terminology:

Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam ‘For the greater glory of God’ is the motto of the Society of Jesus.

In their narrow sense, the terms mean any graduates of our schools or Alumni/ae colleges; more generally they include a person who has been part for some time of any Jesuit work.

Apostolate A work of the Society (where one is ‘sent’), used synonymously with ministry.

The Jesuit world is divided into administrative regions. The Irish Province Assistancy belongs to the Western European Assistancy. There are regular conferences from ministries held at Assistancy level.

Ignatius Loyola’s autobiography was dictated to another Jesuit towards Autobiography, The the end of his life. His life story provides the lived experiences from which emerged Ignatius’ particular spirituality. Hence, it is an important document for those who work in an Ignatian tradition.

Catalogue A handbook produced by each Province indicating where Jesuit personnel are posted and giving a job description. It includes principal lay collaborators as well.

Characteristics of Jesuit This document, produced in 1986 by ICAJE, elaborates on the twenty- Education eight characteristics of Jesuit Education. [In the American edition, this document is known as Go Forth and Teach].

Christian Life Community Christian Life Community is a lay organisation whose members meet regularly to pray and reflect on their lives, following Ignatian spirituality. CLC emerged from the sodalities in the schools in the past.

A ‘conversation’ or dialogue between people is one of the foundational Colloquium Ignatian insights. The most common expression of this would be the ‘Colloquium on the Ministry of Teaching’ where teachers spend a number of days together exploring teaching as a ministry of the Church.

Companions The ‘first companions’ were Ignatius and the six other ‘friends in the Lord’ who vowed together in 1534 (as a lay organisation) to serve God in ways that were not, at the time, immediately clear. The word ‘Company’ (one of the titles of the Society of Jesus) should not be interpreted as having military overtones, but suggesting a group of ‘companions’ (literally, those who break bread with each other).

Constitutions The Constitutions of the Society of Jesus, composed by Ignatius in the last years of his life which contain a section on the structure and functioning of Colleges.

A person charged with liaising with an apostolic sector; help with planning, Delegate setting goals, being an advocate with the Provincial. E.g. Social Sector, Education Sector

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Also know as ‘examination of consciousness’ or ‘awareness examen’, this Examen structured review of each day, developed by Ignatius, is employed to discover God’s movements and action within one’s daily life.

Recent scholarship has high-lighted four insights which occupy a central Foundational Ignatian place in Ignatius’ way of proceeding: conversation, life-generating Insights dreams, helping others, and seeking and finding God in all things.

An ancient abbreviation of the name Jesus formed by taking the first three IHS letters of the Name in Greek (IHΣOYΣ), which was later adopted by the Jesuits (Society of Jesus) as a common logo.

Ignatian/Jesuit Something is said to be ‘Ignatian’ when it is grounded in the spirituality, ethos or world-view of Ignatius. Thus some schools or religious orders describe themselves as ‘Ignatian’ but not ‘Jesuit’. ‘Jesuit’ refers to that particular ‘Ignatian’ manifestation found in the Jesuit order (Society of Jesus) or in ministries owned and directed by them.

Ignatian Pedagogical The Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm is the model of the teaching/learning Paradigm process in all schools which claim to be Ignatian, which includes the central cycle of the elements experience-reflection-action, taking place in a particular context and always subject to evaluation. The IPP was initially outlined in Ignatian Pedagogy: A Practical Approach, published by ICAJE in 1993.

Loyola St Ignatius was born in the town of Loyola in northern Spain. There are differing opinions about the origin of the work, but one relates to the coat of arms of the House of Loyola which portrays two wolves about a cauldron. This attractive explanation of the family names interprets Lobo y olla to mean ‘wolf and cooking pot’, suggestion that the generosity of the household even extended to feeding a hungry animal. Another derives from the Basque phrase loy ol a meaning ‘the fullness of mud or loam’, a reference to the charm of the river Urola which flows there.

Magis The yardstick of Ignatius was always to undertake that which was ‘the better choice’, ‘the more effective enterprise’, ‘the more widely influential’, ‘meeting the greater need’, not simply because such a course was harder, but because it would yield the ‘greater good’ or be more loving. This is the essence of the magis.

Manresa Ignatius gained most of his spiritual insights in this small village in northern Spain where he lived for a time after his conversion. In some European countries, ‘to make a Manresa’ means to go on retreat.

Novice When a candidate joins the Society the first two years are spent as a novice, learning the ways of the Society and engaging in a number of experiments which give him experience of the life and work of a Jesuit. At the end of that time he takes vows, becomes a scholastic and begins studies in philosophy and theology or he becomes a Brother and begins specialist studies or training.

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The place of residence, or the period or process of formation of a novice. Novitiate All the Jesuits in Ireland belong to the Irish Province.

An administrative unit in the Society; it is usually a self sustaining group of Province men and apostolates numbering around 400 500 when established.

Provincial The Jesuit, for a six-year term, who is the leader of a Province of Jesuits.

‘Ratio Studiorum’ The Ratio is a ‘plan of studies’ for Jesuit schools developed during the latter half of the sixteenth century and used universally in Jesuit colleges until the time of the suppression.

Rector Prior to the 1970s, Rectors of colleges were both superior of the Jesuit community which taught in the school, and also the school’s Headmaster. With those roles now separate, the Rector is the superior of the community, provided he also works in the College. If his ministry is elsewhere, he is usually referred to as the superior.

Regency A period, usually of two years, when a Jesuit in training, after some theology and university studies, teaches in a school. The Jesuit scholastic is then known as a ‘regent’

Repetition A traditional Jesuit teaching methodology, it is the time afforded for reviewing a subject for a deeper appropriation and understanding of the material covered.

Retreat A number of days (usually from three to thirty) spent in prayer/reflection with a director, often following the pattern of the Spiritual Exercises, frequently and liberally adapted for school students.

Retreat in daily life A method of doing the Spiritual Exercises on a ‘part-time basis’ whilst still engaged in normal daily activities. It is also known as a ‘nineteenth annotation retreat’ because it is explained by Ignatius at the beginning of his Spiritual Exercises in ‘point nineteen’.

Scholastic In the most common usage, this is a Jesuit between novitiate and ordination. ‘Scholastics’ are often found in schools during regency, and known as ‘Mr (Surname)’.

Society of Jesus The English translation of the name of the Jesuit order; in Latin, Societatis Iesu, in Spanish, Compañίa de Jesύs.

Socius From a Latin word meaning ‘companion’, the socius (usually to the Provincial or novice master) is a combination assistant/ confidant/admonitor/sounding-board and executive assistant all rolled into one.

Spiritual Diary The only preserved part of Ignatius’ spiritual journal, consisting of two copybooks covering a twelve month period (1544-1545) in his life. The Diary was not published until this century and is the only autograph writing of importance left by Ignatius.

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Spiritual Exercises A retreat (usually for thirty days, broken up into four ‘weeks’) developed by Ignatius, which employs an ordered sequence of prayers and contemplations, often undertaken when the retreatant wishes to make a choice in life towards greater love and service of God.

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COMMON PHRASES

Contemplative in action At the end of his autobiography, which he dictated in the last years of his life, Ignatius admitted that since he began to serve God, ‘he had always grown in devotion, that is, ease in finding God; and now more than ever in his whole life. Every time, any hour, that he wished to find God, he found him’. Fr. Nadal points out the characteristics of Ignatius’ prayer: ‘…… in all things, actions and conversations he perceived and contemplated the presence of God and had an affection for spiritual things, being contemplative even while in action – a matter which he customarily explained by saying ‘God must be found in all things”.

Friends of the Lord The description that the first companions gave themselves when they were discerning the direction of their common lie together.

This is one of the most frequent expressions to be found in Ignatius’ Helping souls writings. By ‘soul’ Ignatius meant the whole person, so that people could be helped by providing food for the body, learning for the mind or provision of the sacraments.

Id quod volo Ignatius stressed that, in coming to prayer one should articulate ‘that which I desire’. Identifying one’s dreams and desires was one of the so- called Foundational Ignatian Insights.

The phrase first appears (in a non-inclusive form) in Pedro Arrupe’s letter Men and women for to the international conference in Valencia (1973) where he exhorted all others alumni to use their gifts and talents in the service of others.

Our way of proceeding This phrase of Ignatius found in many early documents referring to the ‘way things are done’ with an Ignatian mindset or approach, which distinguishes an Ignatian culture or ethos from others.

Praise, reverence and A phrase common to all Ignatius’ writings which describes the response of serve the created to the creator and indeed to fellow human beings where God might also be discovered.

Service of faith and the The 32nd General Congregation of the Society of Jesus (1975) spelt out promotion of justice the Society’s mission today in the strongest terms: ‘The mission of the Society of Jesus today is the service of faith, of which the promotion of justice is an absolute requirement. For reconciliation with God demands the reconciliation of people with one another’. (No 48).

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