The War-Cry Of St. Ignatius Of Loyola, "Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!"

Brave soldier of Spain, braver soldier of God!
How hard and how rugged the pathway you trod.
Manresa seems easy compared with the school
"Where you in ripe manhood became like a fool,
Rehearsing your grammar with children once more.
Your voyage to Palestine's mystical shore
"Was less than the journey to class day by day—
But that, St. Ignatius, was always your way:
To use the means fittest for gaining your end,
"While begging of God special succour to lend—
To shrink from no labour or danger or care,
To work as if nothing depended on prayer,
And then, as if all with God's clemency lay,
Most earnestly, constantly, humbly to pray.*

How grand must your nature have been, and your heart,

So deep and enduring a stamp to impart
To Xavier and hundreds of heroes since then.
You truly are one of the leaders of men;
You lead them to God. Oh! the dupe and the
knave

Who at you and your children carp, snarl, and rave,
They know you not, Father Ignatius! but I
Know well you and yours, and full gladly would
die

That not the bad only should slander and blame

The Company banded by Captain so great!
Let Heresy give them the praise of its hate;
Let sensual, proud unbelievers detest—
The demons of hell know their enemies best—
But ye who love Jesus, rejoicing applaud
All, all who are striving to win unto God
The souls Jesus died for.

When earth's war is done,
Ignatius, what captive hosts you shall have won!
Great Xavier's magnificent soul your first spoil.
And so all the marvellous fruits of his toil;
And all who your flag to the end shall uphold—
Canisius, Alphonsus, the laybrother old;
The three youthful saints to the youthful so dear ;*
De Britto and Suarez, unlike in their sphere;
Francis Regis at home drawing thousands to God,
And Claver, apostle of negroes abroad;
De Lugo and Bellarmine, who teachers teach,
With Segneri, Bourdaloue, mighty in speech;
And Southwell, true poet, true martyr; St. Jure,
Rodriguez, ascetics large-minded and sure;
With all who your wise, gentle spirit and rule
Have followed in pulpit, confessional, school;

Tour honour and theirs to attest. Cruel shame,

And all who have striven to sanctify men
By prayer and example, the voice and the pen;
And all -who have laboured and labour unknown,
And thus shall toil on till the last trump has blown:
In all that each one of your children endures,
A share shall for ever, Ignatius, be yours.

Ignatius, a saint ere your earliest vow,
A hero, an angel—what must you be now?
How vile seemed the earth when you looked up to
heaven ! (Quam sordet terra dum coelum aspicio)

To God and his glory your grand soul was given;

God's glory alone was your joy and your pride,

"For God's greater glory" you lived and you died.

Oh, great St. Ignatius, look down from your throne,
And do not the least of your children disown;
Pray, pray for us unto the Father of all,
Through whom and in whom you our father we
call.

And we—may we each, in our place and our day, Work for God while obedience guides safely our way;

May each to each duty, how humble soe'er, Give soul and sense wholly, with faith and with prayer;

May each, to your war-cry (Ad Majorum Die Glorium) unflinchingly true,
Live and die as the son of such father should do;
And be it to all—yes, to all of us—given
To meet as your children, Ignatius, in heaven.
Link (here) to the poem written by Fr. Matthew Russell, S.J.