It is our joy to share Audacious Ignatius, and so we have sent copies all over the Jesuit world. A friend and Jesuit priest studying in Rome was able to deliver a copy to Pope Francis. Shortly after, I received the letter you see below. (I will paste a translation at the end of this letter.)
Translation:
Dear Paul,
I have received your book Audacious Ignatius and I send to you my sincere gratitude. I am moved that you recall with gratitude and joy the experience of Ignatian spirituality that you were able to internalize during your years as a teacher in Jesuit education. And much more, now, that it will be a spiritual inheritance for your sons.
I hope that the fruit of your work guides along a path to God that includes prayer, intuition, reflection, action, and understanding of who is this God that is manifested in Jesus.
I wish you and your family a peaceful and fertile Easter season. I ask you, please, to not forget to pray for me.
May Jesus bless you and the Holy Mother care for you. Fraternally,
Last night, a friend sent me a real time video taken at her adult faith sharing group. A woman had just received Audacious Ignatius as a gift, and was so thrilled by it that she brought it to the prayer group, read it aloud, and explained what her favorite pages meant in her life.
We are thrilled by stories like this, which we hear not infrequently!
Another example. Here is a review on the website that makes the same point.
I love this book! I ordered four copies. One for a graduate professor, one for a baby gift, one for an elementary school principal, and one for my high school classroom. It is definitely a book for all ages.
Customer review on cordepress.com
And another!
This book can serve as a starting point for any discussion of Ignatius’ contribution to the history of Christian spirituality. I recommend it as a teaching and formation resource!
Customer review on cordepress.com
And another!
Audacious Ignatius is appealing to a broad audience, kids and grown-ups alike. My husband and I both gave out copies to our spiritual directors who loved it just as much as our own children.
Customer review on cordepress.com
So why does this illustrated life of the story of St. Ignatius have so much traction with adults? We are so glad you asked! We explain five reasons below.
Why adults love to learn from Audacious Ignatius
1. A Memorable Retelling (or: The Defiance of Staleness)
Do you work and/or pray at a Jesuit institution? How many times have you heard the cannonball story? How many more times do you think you will hear it in your career?
Your colleagues and/or students are likely in the same position. We are going to hear this story a lot. Why not use Audacious Ignatius to be the most memorable retelling they will encounter?
And we hear over and over that people are thrilled to have a whimsical (and illustrated) telling of the life of Ignatius, that resonates the depth and delight of his witness, rather than one more warmed over retelling. Especially in a professional setting.
The story of St. Ignatius is remarkable, and let’s give it the color it deserves.
2. Ease of Recall and Sharing
For many professionals in the Jesuit world, Ignatian spirituality and / or the Spiritual Exercises mark a defining moment in their lives and vocations. But such ineffable experiences can be tough to talk about. Audacious Ignatius makes this easier.
Like in its distillation of the Exercises, for example:
Or the illustrations that resonates the Two Standards:
Or this hat tip to the Call of the King:
This book is for adults who “get” the heart of Ignatian spirituality and have a deep desire to effectively pass along the gift.
3. “Go Now! Start!”
We (adult) Catholics have a problem. We have been trained to let the priest or the parish staff lead, to “be the religious ones,” to evangelize. The masses are often content to comment on what another is being done by another rather than contribute to the life of the Church.
Ignatius’ story counteracts this destructive habit. He, as a lay man, encountered God in prayer and did not hesitate to go live this vocation. See below!
This is a hugely important theme for the life of the world and Church today and we are proud to highlight it in Audacious Ignatius.
4. Defy the “Buffered Self”
In A Secular Age, Charles Taylor describes that most adults in the West experience what he calls a “buffered self.” That is, they no longer see the world as “enchanted” (or shot through with the sacrament of a God of Love) and also experience a barrier (or buffer) between themselves and this disenchanted world. (What a tough way to live!) It is a way to assert rational control over one’s circumstances that has the distinct disadvantage of also cutting us off from the sacramentality of the world.
Reflection on Ignatius’ insistance that “the Creator deal direct with each creature” (see below) can re-enchant the world.
If we become like children, the “buffered self” can be transformed. (Anyone who asks why you are using a “children’s book” to teach adults can be reminded of this fact.)
5. Recall the Size of the Jesuit World
The Jesuit world is large, but we can lose sight of this given the tasks at our institutions. The narrative of Audacious Ignatius, though, brings us straight there.
The growth, breadth, depth, and diversity of the Ignatian family is a sacrament of the Good News. This page helps us to recall and talk about it.
So, go be audacious like Ignatius! Integrate this joyful retelling of the life of the Jesuit founder into your adult classroom or faith formation program today! (Contact us for excellent bulk rates.)
Mo Willems is a genius, particularly when Elephant and Piggie peek past the fourth wall.
When we push past the fourth wall of a children’s book, though, we find two readers. We find the child and the adult.
Why does this matter for the readers of children’s books?
Jesus’ invitation to “become like children” is, at least in part, an invitation to become as deeply perceptive as a child. My son is young, but I am sure he can pick up on the fact that I think the Elephant and Piggie books are brilliant while others are fairly forgettable.
The child is reading the book as well as the adult’s opinion of the book.
This is a deeply important question for religious resources, as a parent’s attitudes and practices of religion form that of the child.
This is why Audacious Ignatius strives for delight and depth. The book aims to captivate the young person and also strike a chord with the adult, so that when our children read us, they find joy and wonder.
The crayons in my son’s toddler classroom are shaped like large pebbles. This form serves the crayon’s function: to teach him to productively hold a pencil.
Watch out, Jackson Pollack.
It is our sincere hope that Audacious Ignatius has a similarly productive form. We hope that its beauty and joy offers a simple reminder to productively hold the stuff of one’s life as Ignatius did, enabling attentiveness to the Spirit and freedom to participate in the work of God in the world.
