JESUIT INFIRMARY
THE CUNA
The Jesuit Infirmary at Loyola stands as a profound testament to the "third stage" of life and the enduring power of the Jesuit mission. Here, the hustle of active ministry gives way to the deep, contemplative work of prayer and the "apostolate of suffering." For a pastoral coordinator, this building serves as a poignant reminder that our value in God’s eyes is never measured by our productivity or the success of our programs, but by our fidelity and our love. In the silence of these halls, we see the completion of the Suscipe—a total offering of memory, understanding, and will. It is a place where the "men for others" become men for God in a final, quiet surrender, teaching us that the mission of a Jesuit school is not just to prepare students for a career, but to form them for the fullness of a human life, including its eventual vulnerabilities.
Visiting this space invites you to reflect on the "care of the caregiver." Just as these elder Jesuits are held in a community of compassion, your role in Europe’s schools is to ensure that your colleagues and students feel supported when they are at their weakest. The Infirmary challenges the modern drive for constant efficiency, offering instead a "pedagogy of tenderness." May this site inspire you to bring a slower, more compassionate pace to your pastoral work, recognizing that the moments of illness, failure, or exhaustion in your school communities are not interruptions to the mission, but sacred opportunities for God’s grace to manifest.
“part of the time he spent in writing and part in prayer”
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Our moments of frailty (or insufficiency, or sickness, or shortcoming) are also part of the journey. They are opportunities to surrender more to God and to trust more that all is in His hands. What is one area of your life or aspect of your reality that feels vulnerable, weak, or in need of care? Spend time simply showing that to God.
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Vulnerability and weakness are also an important part of life because they put us in a position where we need to learn how to receive love. Learning to open ourselves and becoming capable of receiving love, is an essential dimension of the Gospel message. Are you good at receiving? How and from you do you seek care and support in your school?
“the pilgrim wished to go to see the house”
The modern infirmary at Loyola serves the elderly and ill Jesuits of the Spanish Province. It continues the tradition of the "Third Probation" or the final stage of Jesuit life.
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The mission of Prayer: In the Society of Jesus, a Jesuit’s mission does not end at retirement. Those in the infirmary are officially assigned the mission of "Praying for the Church and the Society."
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Significance: This site reminds visitors that the Jesuit mission is not just about "doing" (teaching, building, leading) but about "being" in the presence of God, even in weakness.