In observance of the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the student body and faculty of Ateneo de Davao convened last Saturday at the Finster Auditorium to celebrate the annual Knights with Iggy.

The overnight event carried on for 12 hours, starting from 7:00 pm, up until 7:00 am the next day.

This year’s theme—Servants of the Lord: Beloved. Gifted. Empowered—was selected to be in solidarity with the Church’s celebration of Year of the Youth.

“This theme is in line with the World Youth Day and National Youth Day theme since this year, the church celebrated the Year of the Youth. We would like to bring that to the Ateneo community. Just like Ignatius or Iggy, we are servants of the Lord, who are God’s beloved. Who are gifted by God and empowered by Him,” Clang Matute, ARO moderator, shared.

Unlike the previous years’ celebration, this year’s Knight with Iggy has been altered to accommodate a wider array of talks to further strengthen the sense of Ignatian Spirituality within every Atenean student through conversations about different campaigns and advocacies.

“This year’s Knights with Iggy is different from the previous ones since we asked participation from all clubs to join us, showcasing the different charism of different clubs under CCO, as our goal is to celebrate the giftedness of the Youth,” Matute explained.

One of the most highlighted conversations was Youth Matters, which involved a more comprehensive discussion among various vocations through the lens of their distinct set of speakers: married couples, RVM sisters, and someone who has sworn to a life of celibacy.

“The idea of the Year of the Youth theme as well is all about the Youth in Mission. Listening and answering to God’s call to each one of us, thus vocation,” Matute shared.

Knight with Iggy has been around since 2011. What started out as an exclusive overnight vigil for the feast of St. Ignatius has now flourished to a university-wide event that generously caters to everyone.