500 years ago, a soldier was critically wounded on a battlefield in Spain when he suffered a cannonball blow to his knee. He thought his life, as he knew it, was over. Instead, his long journey back to health prompted a spiritual awakening. The course of his life changed as he came to focus on fostering reflection, community and education. That man came to be known as St. Ignatius of Loyola, who founded the Jesuits.

This year we celebrate what we are calling the Ignatian Year, which marks five centuries since that fateful battlefield injury.

Today, we have a cannonball in common, emerging from a pandemic that took a huge toll on our communities. But we also look forward to what we are calling the Ignatian Year –– which is learning how to navigate a new path.