July 31: St. Ignatius of Loyola & Lydia Moss Bradley

At the top of my list of people from history who I would like to meet are St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits and developer of the Spiritual Exercises, and Lydia Moss Bradley, founder of Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. Besides being on my list, they have something else in common: July 31st. Lydia was born July 31, 1816 and St. Ignatius was born to eternal life (i.e. died) on July 31, 1556. Today is his Feast Day. 

The story of Ignatius's life is very compelling. Born in Spain, he was a soldier and lady's man, when he was seriously injured by a cannonball during a battle with the French. While he was recovering, he read the books available to him. He noticed that when he read adventure stories, he enjoyed them while he was reading them but afterwards, he felt empty. But when he read about Jesus and the saints, he felt uplifted afterwards. This was the beginning of his conversion, which led him to commit his life to Jesus and go on a rigorous pilgrimage through Spain to the Holy Land and eventually landing in Rome. Born of his experience were the Spiritual Exercises, a retreat and program of prayer. 

More than 10 years ago, I made my first retreat at a Jesuit retreat house and I have been growing in love for Jesuit spirituality ever since. "Finding God in all things," is one of the hallmarks of this spirituality. I have traveled to Spain twice, once on a pilgrimage, In the Footsteps of St. Ignatius, where we visited places that were important to Ignatius. In the past year, I made the Spiritual Exercises through the Bridges Foundation in St. Louis. This nine-month program of prayer has been one of the most important experiences of my spiritual life and it continues to bear fruit. 

Lydia Moss Bradley is not as well known as St. Ignatius, but her life story is also compelling. From my book, Lessons of a College Dean: The Story of Edward M. King, here is a passage about Mrs. Bradley. 

Of all the people to shape the life of Peoria, Lydia Moss Bradley has to be one of the most influential. Born in Indiana in 1816, Lydia came to Peoria at age 31 with her husband Tobias, who became successful in real estate, whiskey, railroads, and pottery in this bustling, central Illinois river city. But the Bradley's economic prosperity was tempered by the loss of all six of their children to childhood diseases. Laura, who lived to be 15, was the last to die in 1864. Three years later, Tobias was killed in a horse and carriage accident. Lydia was all alone.

She did the opposite of drowning in grief and self pity. Through shrewd development of farm land and residential property, Mrs. Bradley quadrupled her assets to $2 million by 1897. She was the first woman in the United States to sit on the board of directors of a bank. Her financial success alone would be impressive, but it's what Mrs. Bradley did with her wealth that enters her into the annals of civic pillars. She donated buildings that would originally house the Children's Home, a child welfare home and agency, and St. Francis Hospital. She gave 130 acres for the creation of Laura Bradley Park on Peoria's west bluff. And, most significantly, she founded Bradley University in 1897 as a memorial to her children.

Mrs. Bradley wanted a school where students could learn to live "an independent, industrious and useful life by the aid of practical knowledge of the useful arts and sciences." For the past 128 years Bradley University has provided students from Peoria and around the world and country with a first rate education."

My dad came to Bradley in 1950 on a basketball scholarship and spent his entire professional career working at the university. I walked through the campus for eight years, on my way to grade school. When it was time for me to go to college, Bradley had lost its mystique for me and I went away to school. Over the years, though, it seems as if both Bradley and I, have rediscovered Mrs. Bradley and all she did in her life, culminating in the founding of Bradley University. I went on to get two masters' degrees from Bradley and have grown to revere Mrs. Bradley. 

Today Bradley hosted a birthday party in honor and memory of Lydia Moss Bradley. I attended the party and also went to 8 am Mass at St. Mark's for the Feast Day of St. Ignatius of Loyola. 

Suscipe-St. Ignatius of Loyola

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will,
All that I have and possess, You have given me.
I return it all to You, Lord, and surrender it completely to be governed by Your will.
Give me only Your love and your grace; that is enough for me