Ignatius of Loyola

Ignatius of Loyola, born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola, lived from about 23 October 1491 to 31 July 1556. He was a Spanish Catholic priest and theologian who founded the Society of Jesus, also called the Jesuits, with six friends in Paris in 1541. He became the first leader, or Superior General, of this group.

Ignatius wanted the Jesuits to focus on missionary work and teaching. They made special promises, including obeying the Pope for special tasks. The Jesuits helped lead the Counter-Reformation.

Before becoming a priest, Ignatius was a soldier. He cared deeply about helping his followers grow spiritually and wrote down his methods in a book called the Spiritual Exercises. Over time, this way of thinking became known as Ignatian spirituality. He was beatified in 1609 and canonized as a saint on 12 March 1622. People celebrate his feast day on 31 July each year. He is the patron saint of the Basque provinces of Gipuzkoa and Biscay, and also of all spiritual retreats, a title given by Pope Pius XI in 1922.

Early life

Ignatius of Loyola was born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola in a castle in Azpeitia, Gipuzkoa, in the Basque entities of the Crown of Castile. He was the youngest of thirteen children. His parents were part of a group involved in local conflicts, and their home was later destroyed by orders of the king.

As a young man, Íñigo served in a noble’s household and joined the army at seventeen. He loved stories of knights and adventure. In 1521, during a battle at Pamplona, he was badly hurt when a cannonball injured his leg. He underwent several operations to fix it but was left limping, ending his military career.

While healing, Íñigo read stories about Christ and the saints. These stories deeply moved him, and he decided to devote his life to God. He began a journey of prayer and reflection, which later formed the basis of his famous Spiritual Exercises. He gave away his fine clothes, lived simply, and spent time in prayer, seeking a new purpose in life.

Period of studies

In September 1523, Íñigo went on a journey to the Holy Land but was sent back to Europe by the Franciscans. He returned to Barcelona, where he attended a free public school to prepare for university. He then studied theology and Latin at the University of Alcalá from 1526 to 1527.

During this time, Íñigo met some very religious women who were being watched by the Inquisition. While he was preaching, a few of these women acted in unusual ways, which made people suspicious. Íñigo was questioned but later released. He then changed his name to Ignatius and moved to France to study at the University of Paris. There, he gathered six friends who shared his goals, and together they made important promises about their future work. Ignatius earned a high level of education from the university when he was forty-three years old in 1535.

Foundation of the Jesuit order

In 1539, Ignatius joined with Peter Faber and Francis Xavier to start the Society of Jesus. The group was approved in 1540 by Pope Paul III, and Ignatius became its first Superior General.

He sent his friends to different places in Europe to start schools and colleges. One of these friends was invited to travel to Sicily and helped open a school in Messina. The ways they taught there were used in many other schools later. Before one of his friends left for India in 1541, Ignatius told him to "Go, set the world on fire." This phrase is still remembered by the Jesuits today.

With help from his secretary, Juan Alfonso de Polanco, Ignatius wrote rules for the Society of Jesus. These rules were accepted in 1553 and made the group strong and focused. The main idea was to work hard for "Ad maiorem Dei gloriam", which means "for the greater glory of God."

Death and canonization

By 1553 Ignatius' health had begun to fail, and he decided to share stories from his life with a Jesuit named Louis Gonzalez. These stories were later published in 1555 as an autobiography.

Ignatius passed away in Rome on July 31, 1556. He had been suffering from a serious illness common in Rome at the time, as well as kidney and bladder stones, which may have caused him pain in his later years.

Ignatius was beatified by Pope Paul V on July 27, 1609, and canonized by Pope Gregory XV on March 12, 1622. His feast day is celebrated each year on July 31, the day he died. He is honored as a patron saint by many places and groups, including Catholic soldiers, the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore, in his native Basque Country, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antwerp, Belo Horizonte, Junín, and Rome.

Legacy

Many schools and universities around the world are named after Ignatius of Loyola. For example, in the United States, Loyola University Maryland was the first university to carry his name, followed by schools like Loyola University of Chicago, Loyola University New Orleans, and Loyola Marymount University.

Films have also been made about his life. In 1949, a Spanish film called Loyola, the Soldier Saint told his story, and in 2016, a Filipino film named Ignacio de Loyola did the same.

Ignatius is remembered in many places of worship, such as the Saint Ignatius de Loyola Catholic Church in El Paso, Texas, which was built in 1905. In India, schools like Loyola College in Chennai and Loyola School, Jamshedpur are named after him. These schools are run by groups of priests known as Jesuits.

Genealogy

Shield of Oñaz-Loyola

The Shield of Oñaz-Loyola represents the Ignatius family's Oñaz lineage and is used by many Jesuit institutions. The shield has seven maroon bars going diagonally on a gold background. These bars were given by the King of Spain for bravery in battle. The Loyola shield shows two grey wolves beside a cooking pot, symbolizing nobility and generosity. Both shields were combined in 1261 when the families married.

Lineage

Martín García Óñez de Loyola was likely a nephew of Ignatius of Loyola. He was a soldier and Governor of Chile who died in battle.