St. Ignatius of Loyola
Founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Feast Day: July 31
Biography
St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556) was a Basque nobleman and soldier whose life was transformed by a cannonball. During the Battle of Pamplona in 1521, his right leg was shattered. During his long recovery, the only books available were a life of Christ and a collection of saints' lives. Reading them, he noticed that worldly daydreams left him feeling empty, while fantasies of imitating the saints filled him with lasting joy. This observation became the foundation of his method of 'discernment of spirits,' which he later systematized in his Spiritual Exercises. After his recovery, he made a pilgrimage to Montserrat and then spent nearly a year in intense prayer at Manresa, where he experienced profound mystical graces and wrote the core of the Exercises. He studied at the University of Paris, where he gathered the companions who would become the founding members of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), formally approved by Pope Paul III in 1540. Under his leadership as first Superior General, the Jesuits grew to over 1,000 members and established schools, universities, and missions across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The Jesuits became the largest religious order in the Catholic Church. His Spiritual Exercises remain one of the most influential guides to prayer and discernment in Church history.
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Symbols
Prayer
Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve You as You deserve; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labor and not to ask for reward, save that of knowing that I do Your will. Amen.
Asking for Intercession
Catholics ask saints to pray with us and for us, as we ask friends on earth. St. Ignatius of Loyola, who lives in God's presence, intercedes before His throne. Speak from your heart: “St. Ignatius of Loyola, please pray for me…” You may also pray the prayer above or include this intention in your Rosary.