Ignatius's heritage sparked his devotion to our Lady, which intensified during his convalescence. Major events in his life occurred on feasts or at sites honoring the Virgin: his vigil before the Black Madonna of Montserrat on the even of the Annunciation, 1522; his first vows on the Assumption, 1534, his first mass in St. Mary Major in Rome on Christmas, 1538. On Friday of Easter week, April 22, 1541, seven months after papal approval of the Society and two weeks after Ignatius was elected its first general, he celebrated mass with the first companions at our Lady's altar in St. Paul Outside-the-Walls (Rome), during which all pronounced their vows. This feast thus commemorates the birth of the vowed Society and its dedication to Mary as its mother.
From the Jesuit Sacramentary
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