Saint Ignatius of Loyola
Feast day: July 31
Founder of the Jesuits, author of the Spiritual Exercises, and model of discernment and surrender to Christ.
Ignatius of Loyola was born in 1491 in Loyola, in Spain's Basque country, into a noble family. His youth was marked by military ambition until, wounded at the Battle of Pamplona in 1521, he began a deep conversion during convalescence.
He read lives of the saints and decided to consecrate himself to God. After pilgrimages and studies, he founded in 1534, with companions at Montmartre, what would become the Society of Jesus.
He composed the Spiritual Exercises, a method of prayer and discernment that endured for centuries. The Society dedicated itself to education, missions, and service to the Pope.
He was canonized in 1622, together with Saint Francis Xavier. His liturgical feast is July 31.
He is invoked by those seeking to know and do God's will, in retreats and important decisions of Christian life.
Dedicated prayer
To the founder of the Jesuits, we ask discernment to know and do God's will in all things.
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