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St. Ignatius of Loyola
Born: 1491
Died: 1556
Feast Day: July 31
Beatified: July 27, 1609 by Pope Paul V
Canonized: March 12, 1622 by Pope Gregory XV
Patron of: Education, Soldiers, Retreats, The Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
"Pray as though everything depended on God, ad work as if everything depended on you."
"Lord, teach me to be generous; teach me to serve you as you deserve: to give and not to count the cost."
Brief biography:Born Inigo de Loyola in northern Spain, Ignatius was the youngest of 13 children. After serving as a page who frequently was at court, he developed a taste for the material world. He joined the Spanish Army and was hit by a cannon ball on May 20, 1521. He spent a year bedridden recovering from his broken leg. During this time, he desired for books to read about chivalry, but only books about Christ and the saints could be found in the castle. He began to see heroes in a whole new light.Following his recovery, he visited the shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat where he left his sword and fine clothes behind to take up the life of a poor pilgrim in imitation of the heroic saints he'd spent a year getting to know. He lived in a cave and began writing what we know today as the Spiritual Exercises (a handbook of sorts to guide people through their spiritual lives of reflection and prayer).Ignatius felt called to the priesthood and went to the University of Paris to continue his education in order to answer that call from God. He met several men - including St. Francis Xavier and St. Peter Faber - who together took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. He celebrated his first Mass on Christmas morning in 1538.Pope Paul III recognized the Society of Jesus as an official order in 1540 and invited the order to take not only the three typical vows, but also a vow of obedience to the pope. This meant the order would accept any mission the Pope set before them in dedication to the universal Church.He spent the last fifteen years of his life as the Father General of the Jesuits. He served the poor and sick in Rome and wrote over 7,000 letters encouraging his ever growing order. He died from a stomach illness in 1556.
Ways to Celebrate St. Ignatius:- Use your sense of taste to pray with some of these suggestions (St. Ignatius encouraged using all five senses to dive deeper into a prayerful relationship with Christ.)
- Steps to Praying like St. Ignatius
- Pray the Suscipe Prayer written by St. Ignatius
- Eat Spanish Food
- Pray for the pope's intentions
- Take a brief quiz to learn more about him
- Check out this Icon of the First Jesuits
- Listen to this podcast about the lessons St. Ignatius has to teach us