The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the influences of a military nature affecting the life of Ignatius of Loyola up to the time he wrote The Spiritual Exercises, and to assess whether such influences may have affected the theology and form of The Spiritual Exercises. The investigation opens with an apologetic on why the author considers it desirable to examine The Spiritual Exercises from this point of view. Thereafter a review of the life of Ignatius up to the time he wrote The Exercises is undertaken to identify which sources may have provided influences of a military nature or nuance, and to examine what possible effect these had upon Ignatius. The potential sources of influence examined include Ignatius's family background and the milieu in which he grew up, the attitude of his mentors in particular and society in general to the profession of arms, and Ignatius's own response to this attitude. From the age of twenty-five to thirty Ignatius was employed on duties of a principally military nature until he was severely wounded at the Battle of Pamplona in 1521. Therefore his military experience is examined together with an attempt to assess the degree, if any, of his spirituality at that point in his life. This is followed by an investigation of the literary sources available to Ignatius from the time of his wounding up to the time when he wrote The Spiritual Exercises at Manresa. Thereafter an examination of the changes which took place in his psyche and spirit, from the time he was wounded up to the time he wrote The Spiritual Exercises is undertaken, in order to ascertain whether his attitude to military concepts immediately prior to writing The Exercises had changed from his pre-Pamplona days. The Spiritual Exercises are then examined to consider which portions, if any, were affected in form or theology by military influences or nuances. The conclusion reached is that whereas The Spiritual Exercises are in no way a military treatise, the form is affected to a reasonable degree by Ignatius's experiences of, and attitude to, the military life, whereas the theology is affected only slightly.

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This interdisciplinary dissertation describes the pedagogy of Ignatius of Loyola (e.g., a Jesuit education is world-affirming, assists in the total formation of each individual within the human community) and examines its import for public schools. Chapter 1 establishes the research context within the historical landscape of Ignatian Pedagogy, with the dissertation question: Could the pedagogical philosophy of the Jesuit founder, Ignatius of Loyola, be used to apply and create a similar program/system of character formation in the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) schools. Character Formation is explained as the way youth are formed as whole persons to be in relationship with self and others, as active participants in a world where their flourishing is emphasized and their ability to be critical, reflective, and self-directed is enhanced by their psycho-social-environmental well-being. Chapter 2 presents a literature review to examine Ignatius of Loyola’s ideas about character formation. Chapter 3 continues the literature review, addressing concerns about the meeting of faith and education in public schools, this is done through the lens of feminist theology and pedagogy. Chapter 4 describes the strategy of program review of the Loyola Academy Encore Program of Character Formation that I employed to develop and form students’ character at the Jesuit-sponsored Loyola Nativity School in St. Louis, Missouri. Chapter 5 examines a pilot study completed at one of my schools, 30Q151, the Mary D. Carter school, which tracked five special education students’ placement from a Most Restrictive Environment to a Least Restrictive Environment, in order to build their self-esteem and form their character. Chapter 6 discusses findings and implications for the NYC DOE if it were to consider developing a universal program of character formation based on the programs in place at Jesuit-sponsored schools. Chapter 7 presents a theological-philosophical framework grounded in literature for creating the Beloved Community (e.g., King, Gandhi, Freire), my statement for and about how human beings flourish, e.g., ascending towards a rationalization for why public and private schools need programs of character formation in the 21st century.

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The internet has brought about a revolution in human communication, unparalleled, because of its ability to communicate instantaneously across the globe. It has transformed our culture and made, what seemed impossible, now achievable with the click of a mouse, from an office in a city or in the comfort of your lounge. The computer networks we use are far more than a means of communication. They are agents of social change. I try to analyse what impact the electronic media have on human worldview and behaviour. I highlight some of the challenges that electronic media pose: we are not sure how these media (and technologies) will continue to shape our lives as they develop at a rapid pace. Jesus of Nazareth spent his incarnate life proclaiming the reign of God and, in doing so, invited humanity into a relationship with God. He commissioned his disciples and, the whole Church in all time, to continue his proclamation of Good News. In obedience to his command the Church has, throughout history, used the communication technologies at her disposal to carry out this command. The internet makes another technology available to the Church. In this thesis I attempt to better understand the impact of communication technologies, specifically the internet, on the Church. I look at the relationship between the Church and mass media. I analyse how the Catholic Church has responded to the advent of the internet and, how the internet has been used for the task of evangelisation. I investigate some of the key documents of the Church on the means of Social Communication, focusing especially on those of the Second Vatican Council, in order to understand how the Church understands and perceives the media. Using the spirituality of St. Ignatius Loyola I offer an Ignatian Communications Model to help the Church use the internet more effectively for evangelisation. St. Ignatius lived in a time when another communication revolution took place: the advent of the Gutenberg printing press. I show how, using his spirituality, the Church can better use the internet for the task of evangelisation. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.