Biography
Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola was born to a noble Basque family and spent his early life as a courtier and soldier. A cannonball shattered his leg at the Battle of Pamplona in 1521. During his long convalescence, reading the Life of Christ and Lives of the Saints transformed him. He experienced profound spiritual movements — desolations and consolations — that became the foundation of his Spiritual Exercises. After a year of penance at Manresa, he traveled to Jerusalem and then studied philosophy and theology in Spain and Paris. In Paris he gathered the companions who would become the Society of Jesus, approved by Pope Paul III in 1540. Ignatius served as the first Superior General until his death. The Jesuits became the intellectual vanguard of the Counter-Reformation, establishing universities and missions worldwide.
Miracles & Signs
- ✦Levitation during Mass witnessed by companions
- ✦Vision of the Trinity as three persons in one essence
- ✦Healing of Francisco de Borja from a mortal illness
Wisdom & Quotes
“Go forth and set the world on fire.”
“Act as if everything depended on you; trust as if everything depended on God.”
“Teach us, good Lord, to serve you as you deserve, to give and not to count the cost.”
“If God causes you to suffer much, it is a sign that He has great designs for you.”
“Few souls understand what God would accomplish in them if they were to abandon themselves unreservedly to Him.”