St. Ignatius of Loyola: Soldier, Pilgrim and Founder of the Jesuits
Quick answer
St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556) was a Basque nobleman and soldier whose leg was shattered by a cannonball in 1521. Reading the life of Christ and the saints while he recovered, he was converted. He wrote the Spiritual Exercises, gathered companions in Paris, and founded the Society of Jesus, approved in 1540. His feast is July 31.
Key takeaways
- He was wounded defending Pamplona in 1521 and converted while recovering at Loyola.
- At Manresa he prayed for months and began writing the Spiritual Exercises.
- With St. Francis Xavier and others he founded the Society of Jesus, approved by Pope Paul III in 1540.
- His teaching on discernment helps Christians notice how God moves in their hearts.
St. Ignatius of Loyola dreamed of glory and of winning a lady’s heart. A cannonball ended those dreams, and in a sickbed God gave him greater ones.
The Soldier
Íñigo López de Loyola was born in 1491 in the Basque country of northern Spain, the youngest of thirteen children of a noble family. He grew up as a courtier and soldier, proud and fond of fine clothes.
In 1521, defending the fortress of Pamplona against the French, his leg was shattered by a cannonball. He was carried home to Loyola and endured painful operations.
Conversion in a Sickbed
Bored during his long recovery, he asked for novels of chivalry. The only books in the house were a life of Christ and a book of the lives of the saints. He read them. He noticed something: when he daydreamed about worldly glory, he felt pleasure at first and then emptiness. When he imagined imitating St. Francis and St. Dominic, the joy lasted. This simple observation became the beginning of his teaching on discernment of spirits.
Manresa and the Exercises
In 1522 he hung his sword before the statue of Our Lady at Montserrat and spent nearly a year at Manresa, praying, begging and doing penance. There he passed through dark scruples and great consolations, and began writing the notes that became the Spiritual Exercises.
The Society of Jesus
He went back to school with boys half his age, then studied in Paris. There he gathered companions, among them St. Francis Xavier and St. Peter Faber. In 1534 they took vows together at Montmartre. In 1540 Pope Paul III approved their new order, the Society of Jesus.
Ignatius spent the rest of his life in Rome, governing the order and writing thousands of letters, as the Jesuits spread to India, Japan, Brazil and across Europe, founding schools everywhere.
Finding God in All Things
Ignatius taught that God can be found in all things, in prayer and in work. He recommended a daily examen, a few minutes to review the day with God, give thanks and notice where one has followed or resisted His grace. He died on July 31, 1556, and was canonized in 1622.
Suscipe (Prayer of St. Ignatius, from the Spiritual Exercises)
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. You have given all to me; to You, O Lord, I return it. All is Yours; dispose of it wholly according to Your will. Give me only Your love and Your grace, for this is enough for me.
Continue Reading
Read about his friend St. Francis Xavier, the Jesuit St. Robert Bellarmine, or the Jesuit martyr St. Isaac Jogues.
Frequently asked questions
When is the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola?
July 31, the day he died in Rome in 1556.
What are the Spiritual Exercises?
A program of prayer and meditation, usually over thirty days or in shorter retreats, that leads a person through the life of Christ to a deeper commitment to Him.
What is the Jesuit motto?
Ad maiorem Dei gloriam, "for the greater glory of God."
Sources
- St. Ignatius of Loyola, Autobiography (dictated to Luís Gonçalves da Câmara)
- St. Ignatius of Loyola, The Spiritual Exercises
- Pope Paul III, Regimini militantis Ecclesiae (1540)
