The Ignatian Year marks the 500th anniversary of Ignatius of Loyola’s injury at The Battle of Pamplona and am extraordinary moment of change...

It is the moment a vainglorious Basque courtier was severely wounded and turned to God for consolation and guidance. This ultimately led Ignatius to set up the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), which is now the largest Catholic religious order in the world.

Ignatius’ story is an example for all time - how he switched from a life of gambling and duelling to a life of purpose and higher meaning. Today, Ignatius invites us to consider the idea of change in our own lives. In the faith perspective, we might call this change ‘conversion’.

The Switch Art Competition and Exhibition gave pupils at Jesuit schools an opportunity to consider the idea of switching things up, and encouraged them to represent change in an artistic way, either individually or collectively.

We had an amazing selection of entries to choose from. The winners are displayed below, alongside engravings by Rubens showing key moments from Ignatius’ life. These engravings are in the possession of Jesuits in Britain and kept at Stonyhurst College.

And the winners are...

‍

‍

Prints by Rubens

Rubens tried to capture Ignatius’ own change by looking at the story of his life experience. There are so many ways to notice where change is taking place today and what change the world needs.

Dr Jan Graffius, Curator of Collections at Stonyhurst College, helps look after the prints by Rubens. She had this to say about the competition / exhibition:

"It is wonderful to see the vibrant and insightful work produced by the children. St Ignatius had a deep affinity with colour and the use of the imaginative senses to engage with the world and with God, and these artworks absolutely embody these qualities."

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍