Saint Ignatius of Loyola, also known as Íñigo Oñaz López de
Loyola, was of noble birth and was reared in the household of a prominent
courtier. In 1517 he left his life at court to enter the army. During a
convalescence (1521) from a serious wound, he was converted through reading a
life of Jesus. He went to Montserrat, where he was confessed and absolved, and
from there he went to Manresa. In 1523 he set out for the Holy Land. Prevented
from entering Palestine, he returned with the decision to secure an education.
He studied at Barcelona (1524-26); at Alcalá (1526-27) at Salamanca (1527-28)
and at Paris. He and six followers, among them St. Francis Xavier and Diego
Lainez, together took vows of poverty and chastity. This group was the nucleus
of the future Jesuits. They planned to go to the Holy Land and live in
imitation of Christ, working to convert the Muslims, but the Turkish wars
intervened, and they went to Rome instead. They were ordained (1537) and
received by the pope (1538), who set them to work in Italy. In 1539, Ignatius
drew up a Formula for a new order and secured (1540) papal approval. It served
as the basis for the later Constitutions, published at his death, by which
Jesuits have been governed ever since. Ignatius was elected (1541) general of
the order and remained its leader, with headquarters in Rome, until his death.
Although the Jesuits became a major force in the Counter Reformation, the
society was not founded particularly for that purpose. Ignatius's great
interests seem to have been the foreign missions and the education of youth.
Many schools were opened in Europe during his lifetime, and missions were begun
in Japan, India, and Brazil. He was
dominated all his life by a deep desire to imitate Christ. His Spiritual
Exercises, written over a number of years, are a series of reflections,
examinations of conscience, and prayers, grouped according to a traditional set
of four steps leading to mystical union with God. The spirituality identified
with St. Ignatius is characterized by emphasis on human initiative. His little
book is a classic of Christian mysticism and is much used by devout Catholics. It
is probably true that the picture of Ignatius that most people have is that of
a soldier: stern, iron-willed, practical, showing little emotion - not a very
attractive or warm personality. Yet if this picture is exact, it is hard to see
how he could have had such a strong influence on those who knew him. Luis Gonçalves de Camara, one of his closest associates, wrote,
"He (Ignatius) was always rather inclined toward love; moreover, he seemed
all love, and because of that he was universally loved by all. There was no one
in the Society who did not have great love for him and did not consider himself
much loved by him.” He is buried in the Gesù at Rome, and he was canonized in
1622 ■miércoles, 7 de marzo de 2012
Saint Ignatius of Loyola
Saint Ignatius of Loyola, also known as Íñigo Oñaz López de
Loyola, was of noble birth and was reared in the household of a prominent
courtier. In 1517 he left his life at court to enter the army. During a
convalescence (1521) from a serious wound, he was converted through reading a
life of Jesus. He went to Montserrat, where he was confessed and absolved, and
from there he went to Manresa. In 1523 he set out for the Holy Land. Prevented
from entering Palestine, he returned with the decision to secure an education.
He studied at Barcelona (1524-26); at Alcalá (1526-27) at Salamanca (1527-28)
and at Paris. He and six followers, among them St. Francis Xavier and Diego
Lainez, together took vows of poverty and chastity. This group was the nucleus
of the future Jesuits. They planned to go to the Holy Land and live in
imitation of Christ, working to convert the Muslims, but the Turkish wars
intervened, and they went to Rome instead. They were ordained (1537) and
received by the pope (1538), who set them to work in Italy. In 1539, Ignatius
drew up a Formula for a new order and secured (1540) papal approval. It served
as the basis for the later Constitutions, published at his death, by which
Jesuits have been governed ever since. Ignatius was elected (1541) general of
the order and remained its leader, with headquarters in Rome, until his death.
Although the Jesuits became a major force in the Counter Reformation, the
society was not founded particularly for that purpose. Ignatius's great
interests seem to have been the foreign missions and the education of youth.
Many schools were opened in Europe during his lifetime, and missions were begun
in Japan, India, and Brazil. He was
dominated all his life by a deep desire to imitate Christ. His Spiritual
Exercises, written over a number of years, are a series of reflections,
examinations of conscience, and prayers, grouped according to a traditional set
of four steps leading to mystical union with God. The spirituality identified
with St. Ignatius is characterized by emphasis on human initiative. His little
book is a classic of Christian mysticism and is much used by devout Catholics. It
is probably true that the picture of Ignatius that most people have is that of
a soldier: stern, iron-willed, practical, showing little emotion - not a very
attractive or warm personality. Yet if this picture is exact, it is hard to see
how he could have had such a strong influence on those who knew him. Luis Gonçalves de Camara, one of his closest associates, wrote,
"He (Ignatius) was always rather inclined toward love; moreover, he seemed
all love, and because of that he was universally loved by all. There was no one
in the Society who did not have great love for him and did not consider himself
much loved by him.” He is buried in the Gesù at Rome, and he was canonized in
1622 ■
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