St Ignatius, a Member of Parliament, a family holiday and the Spiritual Exercises

Not an obvious combination, but St Pauls is publishing the book written by Edward Leigh, Member of Parliament for Gainsborough, in which he seeks to answer questions on faith and doubt by following in the footsteps of St Ignatius.

Full of doubts and questions about God, religion and faith, Edward Leigh suddenly discovers the sixteenth-century Spanish saint, Ignatius of Loyola. After numerous attempts to read about the life of this great saint, he takes his family on holiday to Spain to meet him "face-to-face".

The result is this three-in-one story. A personal spiritual journey of one unbeliever prepared to believe. Secondly, the story of a saint’s life and how that saint helped the author face his doubts and questions. Thirdly, the story of how a family holiday visiting places associated with the life of St Ignatius impacted on the author’s wife and young children.

The second part of the book is an introduction to the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius and how they can help us face the doubts and questions we may have about God, religion and faith. Each chapter of the book concludes with a meditation based upon the format Ignatius uses in the Spiritual Exercises.

"This is a book that speaks to the needs of our time." Fr Nicholas King, SJ

The book, expected from the printer at the end of September, can be ordered here.