The Belfast Jesuit Centre Visits Caravaggio at the Ulster Museum

Sunday 30th June @ 3pm
Join the Belfast Jesuit Centre as we visit two magnificent Caravaggio masterpieces, reunited for the first time since the 17th Century, in the Ulster Museum.
Commissioned by the same patron and intended to be displayed together, The Taking of Christ (1602) is visiting from the National Gallery of Ireland, where it is on indefinite loan from the Jesuit Province of Ireland, whilst Supper at Emmaus (1601) is visiting from the National Gallery in London.
The journey of these two masterpieces, how they came to be separated and what happened in the period between their separation and now, is almost as fascinating as the paintings themselves.
Join us at the Ulster Museum at 3pm on Sunday 30th June, for a short talk that will reveal the fascinating twists and turns of the story of each painting, a prayerful reflection on each, followed by a viewing of the two masterpieces in all their glory.
Places are limited so book yours soon!

Pilgrims of Hope: A Year of Ignatian Prayer

Beginning September 2024

Pilgrims of Hope: A Year of Ignatian Prayer is an innovative programme, pioneered by the Belfast Jesuit Centre, as a preparation for living out Pope Francis’s Jubilee Year 2025.

Broadly following the text of Austen Ivereigh’s book First Belong to God: On Retreat with Pope Francis, the programme will be an introduction to Ignatian Spirituality, with the insights of Pope Francis, through his major publications.

Participants will learn the discipline, practice and experience of Ignatian prayer, which is rooted in a deep personal relationship with God, discernment, finding God in all things and active participation in the world.

Participants will commit to personal prayer and will be supported by members of the Jesuit team and by their fellow ‘pilgrims’, through mutual encouragement and spiritual conversation in small groups.

The term “Ignatian” refers to Saint Ignatius of Loyola, a Spanish nobleman of the 1500s, whose personal, spiritual journey compelled him to help souls to find God in the ordinary everyday circumstances of their lives. He distilled this wisdom into the Spiritual Exercises, which have helped people to draw nearer to God for hundreds of years. He founded the Society of Jesus, or “The Jesuits”, whose members work with lay partners worldwide, for the greater glory of God. As a Jesuit himself, Pope Francis was formed in, and remains steeped in this Ignatian tradition.

If you would like to deepen your relationship with God, this programme would be the perfect place begin, or continue, your pilgrim journey.