Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) was born in 1491 in the castle of Loyola in the Basque territory of the kingdom of Castile and Aragon. As a young man he became a page at the court of Ferdinand and Isabella, was educated in courtly ways and in a magnanimous, romantic spirit aspired to great deeds and the personal glory of valiant, courageous service. He absorbed the virtues but also the vices of his culture and his times.

Ignatius’ initial conversion occurred in 1521, after he was injured in a battle at Pamplona, the capital of the Basque kingdom of Navarre occupied by the forces of Castile and Aragon. In an uprising Ignatius rallied a small garrison of soldiers to defend a partially completed citadel at the center of the city against overwhelming odds. When he was struck down by a canon ball, his leg shattered, the soldiers surrendered. He was taken home to Loyola to convalesce. In the following months his reading of the lives of the saints and the life of Christ led him to decide to give his own life over to the service of Jesus. Eventually, he left his family home on a pilgrimage that, over several years, led to an even deeper conversion. His insights and first writings from this period evolved into the Spiritual Exercises, in which he made available for others the experiences of prayer that had led him to deeper union with God.

At the age of 33 Ignatius returned to school, first in the centers of learning in Castile and Aragon and, then, at the University of Paris. There by means of the Spiritual Exercises six fellow students were drawn to his spiritual vision and became his close companions. Through prayer and discernment they decided to remain together after their studies. They would go to Jerusalem together or, if that were impossible, they would place themselves at the disposal of the Holy Father for whatever service was needed.

As events unfolded Ignatius and his companions were unable to reach Jerusalem. Their path led to Rome. These “Companions of Jesus”, as they decided to call themselves, focused their energies in the heart of Rome, preaching in the churches and in the marketplace, working in hospitals, as well as, caring for the poor. As the Pope began to mission them more widely the question of their relationship to one another became critical. In 1540 after an intense communal discernment they sought approval to become a new religious order. In this way they sought to strengthen and maintain their unity in service for God’s greater glory.

 Ignatius spent the last years of his life as the Superior General of the newly constituted “Society of Jesus.” He would remain in Rome the rest of his life working on the Constitutions that defined more fully the way of life of the companions whose only desire was to be servants of the mission of Jesus. He inspired and guided the various ministries of the society through a voluminous numbers of letters that strengthened the unity of the companions who labored all over the globe. He died in 1556 at the age of 65; he was canonized in 1622.

Over these hundreds of years, the ministry of the Jesuits has reached all over the world. While, perhaps, best known for their high quality educational institutions, the spirituality of Jesuit calls them to go to places of greatest need, and, especially, to those on the margins of society and of the church. The spirituality embodied in the Spiritual Exercises actually constitutes the most important gift the Society of Jesus offers both Church and world. This spirituality is based on the conviction that the Spirit of God is alive and laboring in our world. Through the gift of discernment people can come to find God in all things and come to labor with God so that all may be filled with God’s love and grace. It is a spirituality of companionship and partnership with God and with one another as contemplatives in action.

The Jesuits of the Oregon Province strive to live this spirituality in genuine partnership not just among themselves but with all who labor with them in high schools, universities, parishes, spirituality centers, Native American reservations, Alaska villages and numerous other apostolic initiatives. In the ministry itself of the Spiritual Exercises, especially that of the Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life (SEEL), this companionship in mission has made it possible for men and women of various faith traditions to be blessed as Ignatius himself was. The experience of prayer at the heart of the Exercises guides them as it did Ignatius to a more profound intimacy and a deeper union with God who labors in all things God’s every greater glory.

More information about St. Ignatius Loyola

The World of Ignatius of Loyola 

Presents the world that Ignatius would have seen himself  in his travels. This includes the people, the places and spaces associated with him,  recorded by paintings, sketches, or left in woodcuts and drawings that commemorate the event.

The Life of St. Ignatius Loyola

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