In 1522 St. Ignatius laid down his sword earlier than Our Woman of Montserrat. The Benedictine abbey that homes that statue celebrates its 1,000th anniversary in 2025. In honor of that anniversary, we requested Loyola Press pilgrims to share images and recollections of their experiences in Montserrat.
“The expansive fantastic thing about Montserrat had a profound influence on me. The bus experience was breathtaking and treacherous, and the stroll from the resort to the highest of the mountain was superb and difficult. To think about St. Ignatius making that total journey on foot was deeply shifting. His deep religion and keenness for the mission encourage me past phrases.”
—Valerie Vogel
“Montserrat was an expertise of liminal and sacred house for me. In the identical manner that St. Ignatius skilled a skinny place at Montserrat, I left renewed in hope and pleasure.”
—Julianne Stanz
“I’ve all the time advised those who Montserrat was the spotlight of my Ignatian pilgrimage in 2015. Not solely did I marvel on the astounding magnificence, however I used to be additionally impressed by the notion that Ignatius traversed the hilly, rocky terrain with a bum knee!”
—Joe Paprocki
“As my husband and I hiked to this cross from the monastery at Montserrat, we had been awestruck by the view in addition to the rugged incline. This breathtaking (in additional methods than one!) hike led us to those matters of dialog: It’s no surprise that the Benedictines put a monastery right here. It’s so majestic; you really do really feel nearer to God if you’re right here! How did St. Ignatius make it this far on a nasty leg whereas carrying a heavy sword? What should his willpower and religion have been prefer to maintain going? My husband and I’ve been on quite a lot of hikes, and this one was one of the best by far!”
—Joellyn Cicciarelli
“I really like this image because it appears to be like like fingers reaching to heaven. Montserrat was some of the shifting components of the pilgrimage for me. I usually return to the thought of laying down ‘my sword’ so I can transfer ahead.”
—Janet Czerwinski
