Mardi Gras is over, the beads have been thrown, the floats have stopped rolling and the king cakes have been eaten.  However, Lent has arrived, along with Loyola’s annual event, the Lenten Lectures.

The Lenten season may seem slightly less exciting than the weeks of parades and parties that have now ended, but, Loyola’s Jesuit Center will be hosting a series of lectures that take place every Wednesday from Feb. 25 to March 18.  The theme of the 2015 Lenten Lectures is “Jesuit Saints as Lenten Companions.”

The purpose of the Lenten Lectures is to bring the Loyola community together through the sacred season’s reflective events, according to the Jesuit Center.

Wednesday, Feb. 25 marked the first day of lectures. The Rev. Ted Dziak, S. J. spoke about St. Ignatius: The Inspiration and the Mystic.

“What can we learn about Ignatian spirituality that we can use in our own lives and how can we use it as a spiritual guide,” Dziak said.

The next week, March 4, The Rev. Robert Gerlich, S.J. will speak about St. Peter Favre, the Jesuit’s newest saint and co-founder. Gerlich said that although Favre is one of the lesser known Jesuit saints, he is one of the most important.

“He was the roommate of Ignatius and Francis Xavier during their studies. His internalization of Ignatian spirituality, however, was most complete. It is this process that is of interest to me,” Gerlich said. “They were two very different people, but his ability to translate his experience of Ignatian spirituality into a concrete set of apostolic strategies makes him worth our study and emulation.”

Dziak said that the theme of this year’s lectures is centered around the idea that we can learn from St. Ignatius and his experiences to help guide us through Lent.

The overall goal of the entire series is to bring awareness of Ignatian Spirituality to the Loyola community and shed light on some things that they might not know about.

“I think as a Jesuit school it is important for us to have some exposure to Ignatian spirituality and to allow individuals to learn more about it and to use it as a way to examine their own faith,” Dziak said.

The third lecture takes place on March 11, and will be on St. Francis Xavier: Missionary and Saint Video Discussion, given by The Rev. Jeremy Zipple, S.J. There will also be a screening of his recent documentary held in the School of Mass Communication, on the fourth floor in Studio A.

The last lecture, on March 18, will be slightly different than the rest. It will take place at the College of Law in Room 401 on the Broadway Campus.  The Rev. W. Penn Dawson, S.J. will speak about how Ignatian spirituality can be used in the practice of law, instead of focusing on a specific saint’s experiences.

Aside from Dawson’s on March 18, all of the lectures will be taking place at Ignatius Chapel in Bobet Hall.  All lectures will start at 7 p.m.