Two beautiful ceramic sculptures of Ignatius with Mary – as a young boy and at Montserrat. Read what inspired Margaret Strobl, Giver of the First Spiritual Exercises, and sculptural ceramicist, to create these pieces.

I’ve always had an interest in expressing myself with art. I started painting when I left school. After I married and had children, we lived in a few different countries. All this meant painting took a decidedly back seat in my life. When we lived in Hong Kong, I discovered evening ceramic classes near to where we lived. Soon I came to love the feel of clay and the adventure of its transformation through fire. In Korea, I enrolled in a university course studying traditional Korean ceramic making.

On moving back to Australia, I started at a workshop with a leading ceramicist. And I continued over the years, learning and experimenting, finally developing my own abstract sculptural style of work. I sometimes disappoint my family that I don’t turn out plates and cups and more useful things!

My art has helped me to keep sane through a lot of things. When I am working with clay, I am completely immersed in what I’m doing, cut off from everyday stresses. Time ceases to exist. I am just doing and being in the moment.

Over time I became increasingly interested in the life journey of Ignatius and the places connected with the key events of his story. As I reflected on Ignatius’ early life, I was struck by how strongly Mary had featured, and was also excited to find that there was a version of Mary connected with him in most places throughout his life. This became my inspiration when I decided to create these sculptures in clay.

As Ignatius’ mother had died when he was so young, and his home then became very masculine with father and brothers before he was sent, still young, to live at Court, he never really experienced a mother’s love. Perhaps an unconscious yearning for this was what made him so open to responding to Mary. This thought is what brought about the first sculpture: Mary embracing the youth, Ignatius, as a mother, arm around his shoulder, with Jesus in her other arm like a younger brother.

As a mother, I feel he would have missed out on so much. Many children who have never known their birth mother are always wanting to find her or know about her. It is very moving, the sense of something missing from their lives.

I saw Ignatius in this situation. This piece was made very quickly, almost spontaneously, as the image took shape.

The young Ignatius is offering his sword to Mary as a knight of his imagination would do to his chosen lady as a symbol of his devotion.

This image is echoed in the second sculpture. However, for this piece, I tried to create a more dynamic form. It is more closely representative of the vigil Ignatius made at Montserrat before the Black Madonna.

Mary has become his “Lady” and she, like a mother, leads him to her son, Jesus.

In this Lenten season, when many of us are reflecting on our own journey towards Christ, the name Our Lady of the Way has taken on a second meaning for me. Mary is not only our guide and companion on our pilgrimage, but for Ignatius — and for me — she is ‘The Way’ to Jesus.

How better than to find Jesus than through her?

With thanks to Margaret Strobl for this blog. Margaret is a giver of the First Spiritual Exercises and a member of JISA’s Sydney Metro FSE team. She is a mother, grandmother, and sculptural ceramicist.