Dear Friends,

You may recall that we are in the midst of our Ignatian Year, commemorating Ignatius of Loyola’s battle wound—his “cannonball moment”—that brought about his conversion to a life of holiness.

Our cover story celebrates St. Ignatius and the other four saints canonized on March 12, 1622. Sainthood requires great sacrifice, often in the face of danger, as well as efforts beyond the abilities of most of us. While reading the stories included in this magazine, I noticed an encouraging common thread throughout the tales of blesseds, laypeople, and especially Jesuits, working in the “vineyard.”

I was struck by how often men and women of faith have moved in darkness, armed with only the certainty of God’s promise that light would return. The people who spend their lives at the margins, and even more so the ones who give their lives, seem to have an innate understanding of that promise. I believe this is true of Jesuits: we often do our best work in the dim light of uncertainty, and we persist because of our positive nature.

As Jesuits, we also believe that we encounter God throughout creation, which has called us to the ends of the earth as we seek to encounter its beauty. By interacting with different cultures and peoples, we are able to see God in a bigger, more beautiful way. And that is one of the principal reasons Jesuits are found everywhere, engaging with others in such a variety of ways.

So I believe that you will find the story of St. Nicholas Owen—who constructed “priest holes” and is patron of illusionists and escapologists—completely at home beside the story of a floating church in Cambodia. It’s not just that these stories emanate from seemingly opposite ends of the earth, where one might expect to find Jesuits. The stories also share the theme of people who, in the face of danger, have gone to great lengths to practice their faith.

All of this brings me to a final thought. In the book of Genesis, we are told of God’s creation, the perfect world that He created for us. As we make our way through our lives, we are called to care for all of His creation, especially the people within it. This is our life’s work. Let us admire and try to imitate the lives of those who went to the ends of God’s creation seeking Him, and when we reach the ends, let us too be unafraid to make the sacrifices and do the work necessary to live in the world that God envisioned.

As we walk together in God’s creation, please pray for me, and know of my prayers for you.