Reliquary of the saints and blessed of the Society of Jesus in the Gesù.

On the feast of Saint Ignatius the Italian Provincial Fr. Gianfranco Matarazzo has blessed a new reliquary in the church of the Gesù in Rome. In view of the forthcoming General Congregation in this "celestial ark of the Society of Jesus" the relics of many saints and blessed of the Society of Jesus, including many martyrs, are kept.

The over a meter long reliquary was poured in bronze by the Italian sculptor and painter Ernesto Lamagna. Fr. Daniele Libanori, the church rector of the Gesù, had the idea to provide an appropriate setting for veneration by the faithful for the relics that were previously stored in the sacristy in simple glass cases. On the faces of the reliquary the vow formula and prayer "Sume et Suscipe" are engraved; the long sides depict scenes from the Life of St. Ignatius and representations of the "ministries" of the Society. The reliquary is crowned by a dove, symbol of the Holy. Spirit and the source of all holiness.