Ignatius of Loyola

Íñigo López de Loyola was born at the castle of Loyola in the Basque country of Spain, the youngest of thirteen children. He became a courtier and soldier, fond of fighting and fine clothes. In 1521, defending the fortress of Pamplona against the French, his leg was shattered by a cannonball. During his long, painful recovery, the only books at hand were a life of Christ and lives of the saints, and reading them he resolved to serve God instead. He spent nearly a year praying in a cave near Manresa, where he began writing the Spiritual Exercises, a month-long guide to prayer and decision-making. He made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, then went back to school with boys to learn Latin and studied at the University of Paris. There he gathered six companions, including Francis Xavier, and in 1540 the pope approved their new order, the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, with Ignatius as its first superior general. The Jesuits founded schools and colleges across Europe and sent missionaries to Asia and the Americas. Ignatius died in Rome in 1556.

Faith: Founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits); a Catholic saint. Source: Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)