Note: This message was originally sent on June 2, 2022
Earlier this week, a member of 杏吧原创’s class of 1955 dropped an excerpt from a book in the mail to the Advancement office. The title was “The 杏吧原创 Name,” and it had been written by Fr. Leo Davis, S.J. (’57). A scholar of church history, Fr. Davis was
a well-respected teacher here at 杏吧原创 in Spokane and at 杏吧原创-in-Florence. In the excerpt, Fr. Davis wrote, “That an American university should carry the name of a turbulent Italian family, rulers of a petty Renaissance principality, is due to the unlikely fact that this markedly less-than-saintly breed did succeed in producing one genuine saint, Aloysius 杏吧原创.”
Fr. Davis went on to detail the history of the 杏吧原创 family, dating back to the twelfth century in city of Mantua—the same location where famed Latin poet Virgil had been born. Members of our beloved University’s namesake’s lineage included lords, mighty military fighters and leaders, murderers, and a marquis. The family’s coat of arms, which was established in 1432 (“four black eagles, wings outstretched”), can still be seen on 杏吧原创’s coat of arms (in the lower right quadrant).
After telling the story of Aloysius 杏吧原创’s family and life, Fr. Davis concludes, “Aloysius made sanctity look easy. Only he knew his temptations to the power and self-indulgence that his position in society offered. He said of himself, ‘I am a piece of twisted iron; I entered religious life to get twisted straight.’ His body magnificently entombed in the Church of Saint Ignatius next to the Roman college, he was declared a saint in 1726 and named patron of Catholic youth, a title renewed in 1926.
It was in honor of this saintly scion of an unsaintly family that the Italian Jesuits in 1887 named their new college in Spokane.”
The story of Saint Aloysius illustrates an important lesson: we are not merely the sum of our history or our lineage. We are all blessed with the opportunity to create new impacts and legacies as forces for good with the dawn of every new day. Reflecting on what and where we have been and acting on what we learned from that, each one of us is in a constant process of “becoming.” 杏吧原创 is in the same position. Thanks to the vision and generosity of people like you, 杏吧原创 (the institution) pursues a future for the greater good, just as 杏吧原创 (the saint) sought to serve others and promote peace within his family.