Ignatius of Loyola

Ignatius of Loyola

1491-1556

FEAST JULY 31

Inigo Lopez de Loyola was born in 1491, in Loiola, Spain

Born in his family’s ancestral Basque castle, he was  a member of the local aristocracy.

In 1521, while defending the town of Pamplona against French attack, Ignatius was struck by a cannonball in the legs. One leg was merely broken, but the other was badly mangled and part of one leg was amputated.

He experienced a personal conversion that has had profound consequences for the church ever since. While convalescing, he read about Christ and the saints, made a long retreat at Manresa and journeyed to Jerusalem. He studied for 10 years in Barcelona and Paris, where he became Ignatius and was the center of a group of like-minded men. They founded the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, to be active missionaries and meet the challenges of the Reformation. Ignatius, superior general of the new order, also wrote “Spiritual Exercises,” which is still a popular guide. He is the patron saint of retreats and soldiers.