The Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (January 3) is the titular feast of the Society of Jesus. In former times, this feast was celebrated as the Feast of the Circumcision (New Year’s Day), when the Child’s proper name was given to Him. With the change in the liturgical calendar, this feast is held on the Jesuit Ordo early in January, depending on other feast days at the time.
Since he has been Pope, Jorge Bergoglio also celebrated St. Ignatius Day (July 31) at the Church of the Gesu. As this year was the 200th anniversary of the reestablishment of the Society of Jesus after its suppression in 1773, it was fitting for the Pope to celebrate the Mass of the Holy Name of Jesus at the Gesu, the great Baroque Jesuit church in Rome.
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