San Ignacio & San Sebastian

Ignatian Scholars at the Basilica of St. Ignatius

Our correspondent this morning is Jeff Grdina:

Today the Walsh Jesuit Ignatian Scholars traveled to Azpeitia, Spain.  Azpeitia means “down the rock” in Basque and was the hometown of St.  Ignatius. We went to Sanctuary of Loyola to visit his home and to learn more about his life. Upon arrival we stopped in the Basilica of Saint Ignatius; students had the opportunity to pray and look around. When you enter, you see the altar, which is gilded in gold. Statues of different prominent Jesuit saints, such as Saint Francis Xavier, stand in niches in the walls.  One that caught my interest was St. Ignatius himself who looks heavenward from his place above the altar. The letters IHS, the first three letters of Jesus' name in Greek, can be seen all around the basilica. When you look up you see a glass chandelier and different insignias surrounding the inner roof.  After looking we all took a few minutes for silent prayer.

We then headed toward the Holy House; this is the family home of Iñigo Lopez de Oñaz y Loyola who we know today as St. Ignatius.  In class we learned that when Iñigo was a student in Paris he started to call himself Ignatius.   The Holy House is really a fortress that housed the family of Ignatius.  It is evident looking at that home that St. Ignatius did not come from a poor background.  Because we have been studying about Ignatius since our freshman year I felt honored and excited to be entering his house.  Until this moment it only seemed like a story, until I was actually living it.   It was in this very house that he was born and where he recovered after be injured at the battle of Pamplona.  It was here that he experienced his conversion.  It was here and I am here.

We began the tour by visiting the ground floor, which at the time was used as a granary. We then headed up to the first floor where the kitchen was. This was where stories of the family were told and where meals were prepared by the servants. As we walked toward the second floor, we passed by decorations, such as a replica of a ship.  Now heading to the servants room we saw a model of Pamplona. The audio tour guide told us about how it only took four days to capture the city, and how Ignatius was wounded in battle. The French soldiers inspired by Ignatius' courage and bravery carried him all the way to his childhood home.  After driving through these mountains traveling from Pamplona to Bilbao, this story is so much more impressive. The mountains would have been very difficult to travel on foot; it would have been treacherous.  We even learned that one of the French soldiers who carried him was St. Francis Xavier’s cousin. 

Finally we headed to the top floor of the Holy House that is now known as the Chapel of Conversion.  Most of this floor has been converted into a chapel.   When I ascended to the top floor, I grasped that this isn't just a story our teachers have told, it really happened.  I was now in the place where St. Ignatius changed his life. I was looking at the roof beams he looked at.   It was here he read books on the life and Christ and the saints and imagined a different and nobler life.  I know that I can speak for the group, when I say being here changes you.  

There was a Spanish group of pilgrims in the Chapel celebrating mass; so we were going to have to wait about 15 minutes before we could enter.  While we were waiting to enter the chapel we all fell silent.    No one prompted us, we just all feel into deep meditative prayer.  For about 10 minutes nothing broke the silence except the beautiful singing of the Spanish pilgrims.  After a period of time we spontaneously began to pray as a group.   Mr. Bizga led us through an Examen based on these questions:   What I have done for Christ? What I am doing for Christ? What I ought to do for Christ? It was a very impactful and memorable moment, because it was not planned.   It was also amazing to think we were contemplating these big questions where Ignatius had contemplated them.  The Holy House truly has a holy presence.

As I walked into the chapel, it felt like I was living history. There was a vibe inside that felt different and peaceful.   Words cannot describe how it felt to realize that I was standing in the room where Ignatius experienced his conversion to Christ made a promise to God to change his ways - a promise he kept. I know we will never forget those moments. We all experienced something that not that many people get to; even students at Jesuit schools. I can also say with 100% certainty that it was a beautiful moment and life changing. Being here is helping my faith in God grow stronger.  

After the Holy House we all gathered for a reflection in the park in front of the Basilica of St. Ignatius.  We all reflected on what impacted us from this visit.  We reflected on how Iñigo Lopez de Oñaz y Loyola from Azpeitia not only changed his life, but all of ours as well.  It he had not done more for Christ we would not be here today.  It is amazing to think how his conversion has changed the lives of countless people, including ours.   We are all here today because of who he was and the decision he made in the Holy House.

Our Correspondent this afternoon is Taylor Sedlak:

Our day in Loyola was amazing! Saint Ignatius's basilica was beautiful, along with his house. It was an honor being able to hear all about the different types of music playing, while sitting in the chapel on the fourth floor of Ignatius's house. It was nice being able to reflect on our day as a group at the end of our tour. We all sat around in a circle under the shade. Mr. Bizga wanted each of us to share our favorite parts of the day. I really enjoyed the Basilica, because of how beautiful it was. It surprised me on how great the art was done. Also, the organ was playing in the background as each of us prayed or walked around. After our reflection we were walking back to the bus, but we all needed to take one last look at the astonishing view of the mountains. The mountains were very close and high up. It was picture perfect.

Finally, the group was ready to embark on a short journey to San Sebastián, Spain! Our bus ride was short today.  Azpeitia to San Sebastián is roughly 16 miles, but the journey took 45 mintues. I was expecting it to be at least two hours, so this was a nice surprise  Many of us dosed off into the sleep, others listened to music, and some peered out the large windows. We arrived in San Sebastián around 1:30 PM. It startled me as we pulled into the city of San Sebastián. This city is one of the wealthiest in Spain and is beautiful.  It is known for its gastronomy ; foodies consider it to have some of  the best restaurants in Europe. In the past, it was a sleepy town and people did not appreciate the beach.  About 100 years ago the Spanish royal family started to visit to beach and the masses followed.

San Sebastián is located in Basque country and the people there speak Basque and Spanish; but Basque is everywhere.  There is a Basque separatist movement and some Basque people want independence from Spain.  They have their own language, culture, and traditions.  It is interesting that St. Ignatius was a Basque and he is their patron saint.

We arrived at our hotel and it was nice and modern.  Many of us were scrambling to get our bathing suits out of our luggage (and check for wifi) . We did not know if we were going to be able to visit the beach right away. Then, we all received our rooms and headed up to them quickly to drop off our bags and change. We all managed to get that done fast.


Our first journey through San Sebastián began at 2:00 pm. Susana, our guide,  took us on a long walk to the heart of the city. It was a nice walk, but we were all very hungry and sweaty, which made it hard to appreciate. We passed cafes, bakeries,  restaurants, and....gelato shops! I know I was ready to eat everything in sight. Eventually, the group arrived at downtown San Sebastián. It had many shops, people, dogs, but its main attraction was the beach.  Mr. Bizga spoke to us about what the rest of the day would bring and we had free time to get lunch and explore the old town.  In three hours we would meet back at the town hall and walk back to the hotel together.   Every person bolted towards the restaurants after the meeting. A group of us ate at a little, caramel colored cafe called Maiaiza. The food was to die for! I had a cheeseburger, while other people had subs. This did not fill us up enough, so we decided on more food, gelato.

After this, some people were going to enjoy the fresh breeze from the beach, while others explored the town square. I chose to explore the town square and decided on going to the beach another day. I felt successful with that decision, because it began to get cloudy outside and the wind was getting chilly. I walked along the shops and noticed they had similar stores to other cities. There was also H&M, which we have in the US. It was obvious that all of the expensive stores were located at the beginning of the square and not the middle. I walked by the middle of downtown to be welcomed by a group of break dancers! There was a crowd of people surrounding them standing in "awe," just as I  was. I began to make my way back to the meeting spot with a couple of friends. The clouds began to overflow the ocean and the breeze was becoming thicker. We thought it was going to storm, but it did not! Finally, the whole group was back together. Now it was time to make our way back to the hotel.

It was about 6:20 when we arrived back at the hotel. Everyone needed to be ready for dinner by 8:00. I was about to rip my shoes off and pass out on the bed! It is always nice to take advantage of the down time we get. I sat in bed, until it was time to look all pretty for dinner.

Everyone met in the lobby of the hotel around 8:00 to leave for dinner. We all usually dress to impress, but Mr. Bizga stopped some of us straight in our footsteps with letting us know we needed to bring a pair of walking shoes instead of high heels. We were getting dropped off at dinner, but would walk back. I thought it sounded fun, but it looked like a long walk. On our way to the restaurant our bus ride was like no other. Our group burst out in song. We went through a hand full of songs, Burnin Up, Break Away, Since You've Been Gone, etc. I am pretty sure that was THE best bus ride down here. We hit all of the notes perfectly! Once we arrived at the restaurant it was the usual set up with chaperons on one end of the table and students on the other. The food was lovely, but we all know that our favorite part was the bread. Our group has a special place in our hearts for bread.

The walk seemed like it was going to be long and cold, but it ended up being the perfect distance and was a little chilly. Some girls were trying to stick it out the whole way back to our hotel walking in heels. I could never imagine attempting that. The night walk came to a success when we arrived back at the hotel. My first day in San Sebastián was a check on my bucket list!