Saint Ignatius of Loyola

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Saint Ignatius of Loyola

• By Trevor MacLean and
• Bernadine Jacques

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• Saint Ignatius was born in 1491 in a castle in
  Loyola, Spain, under the name Ignio . He trained
  from boyhood there to be a knight.
• He served in a court, where he lived the life of
  a typical nobleman. In 1517, he was transferred
  to the city of Pamplona.
• In 1521, when war broke out between Charles V and
  Francis I, Saint Ignatius led the defense of the
  fortress at Pamplona where he seriously injured
  both of his legs.
• Because of the bravery that he showed, his
  captors attempted to set his broken legs, and
  dress his wounds.
• When he returned to Loyola, he found that he
  would need another operation. In this operation,
  surgeons had to saw off part of the bone that
  protruded. This left Ignatius permanently
  crippled.

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• While he was healing, Saint Ignatius read all of
  the romantic books, and books on chivalry that he
  could find.
• When those were done, he then read 2 remaining
  books one on the life of Christ, and the other
  on the lives of saints.
• These 2 books had a major effect on his life, and
  led to his conversion.

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• After spending a night in military uniform,
  praying to an image of Mary, Ignatius left for
  the shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat.
• At the shrine, he made a confession, laid down
  his sword, and then exchanged clothes with a
  beggar.
• He then proceeded to live a year in a seclusion
  in a cave outside of a town called Cataluna.
• In the cave, dispite his physical discomfort, and
  sickness, he was completely absorbed in prayer.

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• Saint Ignatius finally left the cave to study at
  the University of Alcala in Barcelona, and
  eventually went to study in Paris.
• Despite his unimpressive physical appearace, the
  fact that he had a limp, was a poor speaker, and
  wasnt the smartest person, he still had a very
  strong work ethic.
• Because of this, he began to attract a number of
  people interested in following him.
• On August 15, 1524, Ignatius gathered several
  companions from the Sorbonne to climb a mountain,
  on top of which, in a small chapel, made a vow of
  poverty and selfless service to others.

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Creation of the Jesuits

• On August 15, 1534, Saint Ignatius and six others
  met in the crypt of the Chapel of St. Denis in,
  Montmartre in Paris and founded the Society of
  Jesus
• To enter upon hospital and missionary work in
  Jerusalem, or to go without questioning wherever
  to the pope might direct, was their main
  mission.
• In 1537 they traveled Italy to seek papal
  approval for their order. While in Venice, they
  attended those affected by the plague.
• Pope Paul III confirmed the order on September
  27, 1540

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• Ignatius was chosen as the first Superior General
  of his religious order, invested with the title
  of Father General by the Jesuits.
• He sent his companions as missionaries around
  Europe to create schools, colleges, and
  seminaries.
• Juan de Vega, the ambassador of Charles V at
  Rome had met Ignatius there. Esteeming him and
  the Jesuits, when Vega was appointed Viceroy of
  Sicily he brought Jesuits with him.

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• On July 31, 1556, Saint Ignatius died, due to
  chronic stomach ailments.
• He was then canonized in 1622.
• His feast day is celebrated on July 31st, the day
  that Saint Ignatius died.
• Saint Ignatius is the patron saint of the
  Jesuits, and Guipúzcoa, a Spanish province