July 9, 2019 — On July 31, we will celebrate two special masses honoring the Feast of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus.
One mass will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. by Fr. Gilles Mongeau, SJ, at Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Toronto, Ontario.
Fr. Mongeau explains the history of this celebration in the Province of Canada: “There has been an annual mass for the feast of Saint Ignatius in the Toronto area for at least 30 years, probably more. The Basilica of Our Lady in Guelph was for a long time the site of this celebration, which then was shared by Guelph, Toronto and Pickering”.
The Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes continues this tradition.
In addition, Provincial Fr. Erik Oland, SJ, will celebrate a mass at the Martyrs’ Shrine in Midland, Ontario, at 12:00 p.m. Another Mass for St. Ignatius Day will also take place at the Shrine but at 3:00 p.m. The statue of Saint Ignatius of Loyola will be displayed during all masses.
A number of other Jesuit communities across the country will also celebrate Ignatius Day.
