-
Gallery 1 • This is the only known pair of Blaeu globes in the Western Hemisphere. Created by Dutch cartographer Willem Blaeu just a few years after the first Jesuit mission to the New World in 1609, the globes represent the world as these early missionaries understood it. Blaeu built his globes by gluing paper segments over a wooden sphere and often sold them as pairs: one of the earth, another of the heavens. Jesuit missionary Pierre Jean De Smet, S.J., brought these globes from Belgium to America in 1834. (Lender: Midwest Jesuit Archives, St. Louis)
-
-
Gallery 2 • Belgian Father Pierre Jean De Smet, S.J., made several journeys in the mid-19th century to establish missions among the indigenous peoples of present-day Montana and Idaho, and he received this coat as a gift from his hosts during one of his trips. In the American borderlands of the mid-1800s, hunted deer and harvested berries signified life-sustaining nourishment. Their use in this western-style coat represents a hybrid—a "crossings and dwellings," if you will—between Europeans and indigenous peoples. (Lender: Midwest Jesuit Archives, St. Louis)
-
-
Gallery 3 • This gold dalmatic is part of a set of 19th-century vestments from Holy Family Parish, established in 1857 on Chicago’s Near West Side by Dutch Father Arnold J. Damen, S.J. Worn by deacons during special occasions such as Christmas and Easter, this dalmatic helped inject a sense of grandeur into the lives of the Irish immigrants who attended Mass at Holy Family. Despite its age, the dalmatic is well preserved because it spent decades locked in a safe—where it was used to protect chalices and other valuables. (Lender: Holy Family Parish, Chicago)
-
-
Gallery 4 • This rare first edition of “Spiritual Exercises”—published in Latin in 1548 as “Exercitia Spiritvalia”—is a foundational document of the Society of Jesus. Translated from the original “Spiritual Exercises” written by Saint Ignatius of Loyola between 1522 and 1524, the book gave early Jesuits a common manual of inspiration and spiritual practice as their ranks grew from a small group of friends to a global Catholic order. (Lender: Loyola University Chicago Archives & Special Collections)
-
-
Gallery 5 • This art deco lamp was one of several that lined the reading tables in the library of Mundelein College nearly a century ago. With its sleek profile and clean lines, the lamp is a case study in art deco design and fit in perfectly with the architecture of the college itself. This lamp—as well as others like it from the time—played a key role in educating young Catholic women of the 20th century, illuminating their books and their minds. (Lender: Loyola University Chicago Women’s Leadership Archives)
-