The Order of St. Ignatius of Antioch
The History
St. Ignatius of Antioch
The Patron Saint Of The Order of Saint Ignatius of Antioch
The Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, was a disciple of the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, as was also St Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna. St Ignatius was the second bishop of Antioch, and successor to Bishop Euodius, Apostle of the Seventy.
Tradition suggests that when Saint Ignatius was a little boy, the Savior hugged him and said: unless you turn and become as little children you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven" (Mt. 18:3). The Saint was called God-Bearer (Theophorous), because he bore God in his heart and prayed unceasingly to Him. He also had this name because he was held in the arms of Christ, the incarnate Son of God.
Saint Ignatius was a disciple of the Apostle John the Theologian, together with St Polycarp of Smyrna. As Bishop of Antioch, Saint Ignatius was zealous and spared no effort to build up the church of Christ. To him is attributed the practice of antiphonal singing (by two choirs) during church services. He had seen a vision of the angels in heaven alternately singing praises to God, and divided his church choir to follow this example. In the time of persecution he was a source of strength to the souls of his flock, and was eager to suffer for Christ.
In the year 106 the emperor Trajan (98-117), after his victory over the Scythians, ordered everyone to give thanks to the pagan gods, and to put to death any Christians who refused to worship the idols. In the year 107, Trajan happened to pass through Antioch. Here they told him that Bishop Ignatius openly confessed Christ, and taught people to scorn riches, to lead a virtuous life, and preserve their virginity. Saint Ignatius came voluntarily before the emperor, so as to avert persecution of the Christians in Antioch. Saint Ignatius rejected the persistent requests of the emperor Trajan to sacrifice to the idols. The emperor then decided to send him to Rome to be thrown to the wild beasts. St Ignatius joyfully accepted the sentence imposed upon him. His readiness for martyrdom was attested to by eyewitnesses, who accompanied Saint Ignatius from Antioch to Rome.
During his journey to Rome, the ship sailed from Seleucia stopped at Smyrna, where Saint Ignatius met with his friend Bishop Polycarp. Clergy and believers from other cities and towns thronged to see Saint Ignatius. He exhorted everyone not to fear death and not to grieve for him. In his Epistle to the Roman Christians, he asked them to assist him with their prayers, and to pray that God would strengthen him in his impending martyrdom for Christ: "I seek Him Who died for us; I desire Him Who rose for our salvation... In me, desire has been nailed to the cross, and no flame of material longing is left. Only the living water speaks within me, saying, Hasten to the Father."
From Smyrna, Saint Ignatius went to Troas. Here he heard the happy news of the end of the persecution against Christians in Antioch. From Troas, Saint Ignatius sailed to Neapolis (in Macedonia) and then to Philippi. On the way to Rome Saint Ignatius visited several churches, teaching and guiding the Christians there. He also wrote seven epistles: to the churches of Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia, and Smyrna. He also addressed a letter to St Polycarp, who mentions a collection of the letters of Saint Ignatius in his letter to the Philippians{Ch. 13). St Frenaeus of Lyons quotes from Saint Ignatius's letter to the Romans (Against Heresies 5:28:4). All these letters have survived to the present day.
We recognize a tree by its fruit, and we ought to be able to recognize a Christian by his action.
St. Ignatius of Antioch: The Epistle to the Ephesians
The History of The Order of St. Ignatius of Antioch
A small committee was organized under the Chairmanship of Albert Joseph and was composed of Ernest Saykaly, Robert Andrews, Robert Laham, Theodore Mackoul, Archpriest Paul Schneirla and Archpriest Anthony Gabriel. During the Archdiocese Convention held in Louisville, Kentucky, in July 1975, a preliminary report was filed at the General Assembly. Metropolitan PHILIP of Thrice-Blessed Memory accepted the findings of the report and by the Archdiocese Convention held in 1976 in San Francisco, CA, the provisional Chairman, Albert Joseph, was installed and the first inductions to The Order took place.
It was during the Patriarch's historic trip that the newest Archdiocesan organization was called into being and was given his Apostolic blessings. The first officers and chaplain were formally installed and many new members were indicted at the Washington Archdiocesan conclave in 1977. Ever since his Beatitude, Patriarch ELIAS IV, of Thrice-Blessed Memory, and our beloved primate, Metropolitan PHILIP, formally blessed and inaugurated The Order of St. Ignatius of Antioch, an unprecedented number of lay persons were awakened to their global Archdiocesan responsibilities and scores of earnest women and men have come forward to join The Order.
Assembly Of The Order Of St. Ignatius Of Antioch The Breakers Hotel Palm Beach, Florida October 14, 1978