Saint Ignatius Biography Quotes 5 Report mistakes

Early Life and Background
Inigo Lopez de Loyola, later known as Ignatius of Loyola, was born around 1491 at the family tower house of Loyola in the Basque country of the Crown of Castile. Raised amid the values of nobility and chivalry, he was drawn to courtly pursuits and soldiering. As a young man he sought honor in the service of his lord and of the Castilian monarchy, embodying the ideals of loyalty and valor that animated the late medieval Iberian nobility. The education he received was less scholastic than practical, forming him for a life at court and in arms.

Wounding and Conversion
In 1521, while defending the fortress of Pamplona during conflict between Castilian and French forces, Ignatius was struck by a cannonball that shattered his leg. The long convalescence at Loyola became a turning point. With few books available, he read a life of Christ and collections of lives of the saints. He discovered a new kind of ambition: to imitate the saints in generous service to God. Once recovered enough to travel, he made a pilgrimage to the shrine of Montserrat in 1522, where he held a night vigil and symbolically laid aside his former life. He then spent months in nearby Manresa, living simply, engaging in prayer, penance, and service. There he underwent profound interior trials and illuminations, experiences he would later distill into a practical guide to prayer and discernment that became the Spiritual Exercises.

Pilgrimage and First Studies
Desiring to serve in the land of Jesus, Ignatius sailed from Barcelona in 1523 and reached Jerusalem. The Franciscan custodians, responsible for order and safety in the holy places, refused his request to remain, and he returned to Europe. Realizing he needed education to help souls effectively, he began to study Latin in Barcelona and then moved to the universities of Alcala and Salamanca. His informal instruction of others attracted attention; he was briefly detained and examined by ecclesiastical authorities, and then released. Concluding that further study was needed, he left for Paris in 1528.

Paris and the First Companions
At the University of Paris, Ignatius studied philosophy and theology while living austerely. His interior zeal and practical spiritual wisdom drew friends who shared his desire for wholehearted service. Among them were Peter Faber, a gentle Savoyard scholar and gifted spiritual guide, and Francis Xavier, a brilliant Basque aristocrat with missionary energy. Others soon joined: Diego Lainez, Alfonso Salmeron, Nicolas Bobadilla, and Simon Rodrigues. In 1534, the group met in a chapel on Montmartre and vowed poverty and chastity, promising to go to Jerusalem if possible, and if not, to place themselves at the disposal of the pope. After completing studies, they gathered in Venice in 1537, served the sick, and were ordained priests. When war blocked passage to the Holy Land, they turned toward Rome.

Founding the Society of Jesus
In Rome, the companions presented themselves to Pope Paul III. After prayer and deliberation, they proposed a new form of apostolic community. In 1540 the pope approved their plan in the bull Regimini militantis Ecclesiae, establishing the Society of Jesus. Ignatius was elected the first Superior General in 1541. From Rome he began to send companions to whatever frontiers of need presented themselves: Francis Xavier departed for India and later Japan; Peter Faber engaged in spiritual renewal efforts in parts of Germany and the Low Countries; Diego Lainez and Alfonso Salmeron served as papal theologians at the Council of Trent. The early mission of the Society emphasized mobility, obedience, solid learning, and availability to the pope for service wherever faith and justice required.

Spiritual Vision and Writings
Ignatius drew from his own conversion to teach a practical way of prayer centered on Jesus Christ and attentive to interior movements of consolation and desolation. The Spiritual Exercises, refined across many years and approved by Pope Paul III in 1548, offered a month-long retreat or shorter forms adaptable to peoples circumstances. The Exercises taught discernment of spirits, the daily examen of consciousness, and the search to find God in all things. As the Society grew, Ignatius composed the Constitutions, a wise and flexible framework for governance that balanced discipline with care for each persons vocation. He also dictated an account of his early life and conversion, later known as the Autobiography, to the Jesuit Luis Goncalves da Camara, and carried on an immense correspondence with companions and benefactors. Aided by his secretary Juan Polanco, he wrote thousands of letters that guided individuals, communities, and institutions.

Education, Governance, and Global Outlook
From Rome, Ignatius fostered schools to unite learning and faith. He helped establish the Roman College, which became a model for Jesuit education, and encouraged the founding of colleges in Italy, Iberia, and beyond. Under Pope Julius III, the papal approval of the Society was confirmed and broadened, and Ignatius worked closely with Roman officials and cardinals to sustain reform initiatives. Jesuit missions expanded to Portugal's overseas realms, to the courts and dioceses of central Europe, and to the Americas and Asia. The early companions, including Francis Xavier and later Jesuits sent in his wake, reported both challenges and remarkable openings; Ignatius counseled them through letters that combined pastoral realism with ardent zeal.

Personal Character and Leadership
Ignatius governed with clarity and patience, insisting on careful discernment before action and regular review afterward. He urged companions to cultivate inner freedom, to adapt methods to local needs, and to value both contemplation and action. He welcomed gifted collaborators and was attentive to their health and formation. Difficulties came as well: misunderstandings with civic authorities or clergy, cultural tensions in mission fields, and the ever-present demands of rapidly expanding works. Through it all, he held fast to the conviction that love is shown more in deeds than in words, and that the right choice often emerges through prayerful attention to the movements of the heart.

Final Years, Death, and Legacy
In his last years, Ignatius suffered from ill health while continuing to guide the Society, refine the Constitutions, and correspond with companions. He died in Rome on July 31, 1556. Leadership passed to Diego Lainez, who shepherded the Society through its next phase. In the decades after Ignatius's death, Jesuit schools multiplied and missions spread widely, continuing directions he had set. His holiness was formally recognized when he was beatified by Pope Paul V and canonized a saint by Pope Gregory XV in 1622, in the same year that Francis Xavier was canonized. Across the centuries, Ignatius's legacy has endured in the Spiritual Exercises, in the Jesuit tradition of education and service, and in a distinctive way of proceeding that seeks God's greater glory through intelligent love, generous labor, and discerning action.

Our collection contains 5 quotes who is written by Saint, under the main topics: Truth - Faith - Prayer - Humility - God.