Magyar Posta is issuing a commemorative stamp in honour of the 400th anniversary of the canonisation of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, often referred to as the Jesuits. Fifty thousand copies of the commemorative stamp designed by the graphic artist Ferenc Szabó were produced by ANY Security Printing Company. The new issue is available from Filaposta, philately specialist services, certain post offices and www.posta.hu.
To mark the 500th anniversary of the conversion of its founder, the Society of Jesus proclaimed the Year of Saint Ignatius. The series of events, which began on 20 May 2021 and will end on 31 July 2022, includes the 400th anniversary of the canonisation of the first Jesuit and his companion Francis Xavier on 12 March 1622. The Hungarian province of the Society of Jesus has chosen the following phrase rooted in the spirituality of Saint Ignatius as the motto of the jubilee year: “To find God in everything”.
Saint Ignatius of Loyola, born Íñigo López de Loyola in the Basque country, the founder of the Society of Jesus, wanted to help people to come closer to God. His experiences of prayer and spiritual life were summarised in his book Spiritual Exercises, which became the foundation of Jesuit and Saint Ignatius’ spirituality. He was instrumental in the development of the Catholic revival after the Reformation. His feast day is 31 July.
The stamp depicts Saint Ignatius of Loyola in the foreground, based on a detail of an oil painting by Jacopino del Conte (1510-1598), with the emblem of the Jesuit Order next to it, and an architectural drawing of the façade of the Sacred Heart Church in Mária Street, Budapest, in the background. The coat of arms of the Jesuit Order and the official logo of the jubilee year appear on the commemorative first day cover. The special postmark also features the emblem of the Jesuits.
