Saint Ignatius of Loyola and the Spiritual Exercises

Ignatius of Loyola was a 16th century Spanish mystic, Catholic priest, and the founder of the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits. Ignatius spent his early years as a courtier and soldier, but was wounded by a cannonball while defending the citadel of Pamplona. During his recuperation, Ignatius began to imagine the life of Jesus and the Saints. These daydreams began to stir something in him, and eventually, he resolved to turn his life completely over to God.
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Spending time as a pilgrim, a beggar, a hospital orderly, and a simple catechist, Ignatius sought to surrender his entire life to God. The experiences he had in prayer, and in helping others grow their own relationships with God, eventually led to the development of the Spiritual Exercises, a retreat experience that sought to help a person identify and abandon themselves to the will of God. Making the full Exercises meant a full month of solitude, silence, and contemplation, but Ignatius was also quick to propose practical adaptations—shorter versions of the retreat, for example, or the ability to do the entire Spiritual Exercises over the course of nine months, in the context of one's daily life. 

The mission of Gonzaga Eastern Point Retreat House is to help people to experience the Spiritual Exercises and their power to change one's life. As a result, twice a year we offer the full 30-day retreat. We also offer numerous 8, 5, and 3-day retreats that offer a shorter introduction to the Exercises—a wonderful opportunity for people on all stages of their spiritual journey to enter into a space of silence, and prayer—a space of encounter with God. 

St. Ignatius by Bernardo Ramonfaur

Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

Saint Aloysius Gonzaga (pronounced Al-oo-ish-us) is the patron saint and namesake of our retreat house. Born to a wealthy and powerful Italian family in 1568, young Aloysius spent his early years preparing to follow in the footsteps of his father, the Marquis of Castiglione. When he was seven years old, however, Aloysius—despite not being raised in a religious family—started to become rather devout. He began praying regularly, fasting, and withdrawing from the opulence of courtly life. Eventually, as a teenager, he decided to enter the Jesuits. After overcoming fierce opposition from his family, especially his father, 18-year-old Aloysius was given permission to renounce his inheritance and enter the Jesuit novitiate.
 
He thrived as a Jesuit, but in 1591, plague struck Rome. Always keen to help those in need, Aloysius begged his superiors for permission to minister to plague victims; permission was eventually granted, but he quickly fell sick, contracting the plague from his patients, and died. He was only 23 years old.

Aloysius Gonzaga by Julie Lonneman

​Aloysius’s holiness was so obvious to those who knew him that his spiritual director, Robert Bellarmine—who would also eventually become a saint—asked on his deathbed to be buried in the grave next to Aloysius’s. They are still buried next to each other, but now in the Church of St. Ignatius in Rome. As a further testament to his holiness, Aloysius was beatified in 1605, just fourteen years after his death, and four years before St. Ignatius—who had founded his religious order and died well before him. ​ When the Jesuits of New England acquired this property on Eastern Point in 1958, the house was frequently used to host retreats for high school students. Because he is the patron saint of Catholic youth and students, Gonzaga was a fitting patron for the Jesuits to adopt. He is also the patron saint of patients suffering from AIDS. Gonzaga’s liturgical feast day is celebrated each year on June 21st.