Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola

Today is the Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola. St. Ignatius is best known as the founder of the Society of Jesus, commonly known as the Jesuits.

My littlest ones attend a Catholic school supported by Jesuit priests in Grand Coteau, Louisiana. Grand Coteau is the home to many Jesuit priests at the church parish, St. Charles Borromeo. And there is St. Charles Seminary there as well.

I attend a silent retreat there at Our Lady of the Oaks Retreat House once a year. We arrive on Thursday night and stay until Sunday at noon. No talking is allowed. There, we participate in an Ignatian Retreat that is compressed into many sessions per day.

The grounds there are beautiful and it is definitely a highlight of my life each spring.

Here are some pictures from 2006, 2005, and 2003.