About The Jesuit College of Montesión in Majorca (Mallorcs), Spain:
The Jesuit College of Montesión (Colegio Nuestra Señora de Montesión, also known as Montesión or Monti-sion) is a historic Jesuit school in Palma de Mallorca (Majorca), Spain.
The Jesuit College of Montesión in Majorca was founded in 1561, just five years after the death of St. Ignatius of Loyola. On August 24, 1561, five Jesuits (Francisco Boldó as rector, along with Bernardo Verdolay, Jerónimo Mur, Juan Navarro, and Francisco Fortuny) arrived in Mallorca to establish the college, following local requests and the influence of the Mallorcan Jesuit Jerónimo Nadal. It is widely regarded as one of the oldest continuously operating Jesuit colleges in the world (the oldest continuously operating Jesuit colleges are in Latin America, notably the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Colombia (1623) and the Universidad de San José in Argentina (1624), both still active today.
Construction of the associated church (dedicated to the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin / Our Lady of Mount Zion) began around 1571 under the second rector, Bartolomé Coch. It was built largely with local donations on the site of a former synagogue in the old Jewish quarter. A major benefactor was Raimundo de Verí y Despuig, Grand Prior of the Order of Malta, who was recognized as a founder.
About St. Alphonsus (Alfonso/Alonso) Rodríguez, SJ:
St. Alphonsus (Alfonso/Alonso) Rodríguez, SJ (July 25 1532 – October 31, 1617) was a Spanish Jesuit lay brother renowned for his humility, holiness in ordinary duties, and spiritual influence as the longtime doorkeeper of a Jesuit college.
He was born in Segovia, Spain, the son of a prosperous wool/cloth merchant. When St. Peter Faber (one of the first companions of St. Ignatius of Loyola) preached in Segovia and stayed with the family, he prepared the young Alphonsus for his First Communion.
Alphonsus briefly attended the Jesuit college at Alcalá but left around age 14 after his father’s death, to help his mother run the family business, which he later managed. Around age 26–27 he married María Suárez; they had three children. Within a few years he suffered heavy losses: the deaths of his wife, children, and mother, along with the decline of the business (partly due to taxes and other difficulties).
Widowed and seeking a deeper religious life, he practiced prayer, penance, and austerity. He hoped to become a Jesuit priest but was initially rejected because of his age (nearly 40), limited formal education, and weakened health. He was eventually accepted as a lay brother on 31 January 1571. After a short novitiate period, he was sent to the Jesuit College of Montesión in Palma de Mallorca.
From about 1579 onward he served for roughly 46 years as the college’s porter (doorkeeper). His duties included greeting visitors, delivering messages, running errands, distributing alms, and consoling people who came to him for advice. He treated each person with great kindness and respect, seeing Christ in them, and became known for his patience, obedience, and spiritual wisdom.
He offered quiet counsel to many, including the young Jesuit student who became St. Peter Claver. Alphonsus encouraged Claver toward his future missionary work among enslaved Africans in what is now Colombia.
When not performing his official duties, he devoted himself to prayer (despite periods of spiritual dryness and temptation) and wrote simple spiritual notes and reflections later published under obedience. He experienced mystical graces and visions. He also helped popularize devotion to the Immaculate Conception and the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
He died in Palma de Mallorca on October 31, 1617 after illness. He was declared Venerable in 1626, named a special patron of the city and island of Mallorca in 1633, beatified in 1825 by Pope Leo XII, and canonized on January 15, 1888 by Pope Leo XIII (alongside St. Peter Claver).
He is sometimes confused with another (uncanonized) Jesuit, Fr. Alonso Rodríguez, author of the well-known “Practice of Christian and Religious Perfection”.
The Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins later wrote a poem in his honor, reflecting on how “the just man justices” even in hidden, ordinary work.
St. Alphonsus is remembered as a model of finding holiness in humble, everyday service and of perseverance through personal tragedy.
We celebrate the Feast Day of St. Alphonsus (Alfonso/Alonso) Rodríguez on October 30 or 31 (sources vary slightly; the Society of Jesus often marks it on October 31). He is the patron saint of Mallorca and of Jesuit brothers. A municipality in Québec, Canada (Saint-Alphonse-Rodriguez), and a parish in Woodstock, Maryland, are named after him.
Traveling to The Jesuit College of Montesión in Majorca (Mallorca), Spain:
Address: Carrer de Montesión 24, Palma, Mallorca, Spain
Visit the official website of The Jesuit College of Montesión in Majorca (Mallorca), Spain.