The Life and Spirituality of St. Ignatius Loyola

Who is Ignatius?

Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) was the youngest child of a noble Basque family fiercely loyal to the Spanish crown, and was raised to be a courtier.

As Ignatius was trying valiantly to defend the fortress town of Pamplona in 1521, a French cannonball shattered his leg and led him to reconsider his way of life.

While recuperating from his wounds at the family estate, Ignatius had only two books to read, the Life of Christ and the Lives of the Saints. The books he read and the daydreams he entertained had a great effect on him, so much so that he decided to lay aside his sword of war and take up what he called the "sword of Christ."

Ignatius travelled as a pilgrim to the Monastery at Monserrat [pictured here], confessed his sins and made a nightlong vigil before the altar of Our Lady of Monserrat.

In a cave near there in the town of Manresa, Ignatius underwent a profound experience of God's presence to him.

That cave, now ornately preserved, is a frequent site for today's Ignatian pilgrims to visit.

This change in life plans led him to seek an education at the University of Paris. There, he formed a circle of friends who, with time, decided to band together and dedicate themselves to the greater glory of God and the good of all people. When their efforts to go to the Holy Land met with disappointment, they decided to place themselves at the service of the Pope, who could send them throughout the world, wherever there was a need.

Wherever the Jesuits went throughout the world, their mission remained the same: To "seek the greater glory of God and the good of humanity."

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam For the Greater Glory of God

What is Ignatian Spirituality?

Like all Christian spirituality, Ignatian spirituality provides a person a method to integrate one’s relationship to God and to the world. Ignatian spirituality, like other Christian spiritualities, bases its integration on a particular insight into the person of Jesus and His relationship to the world. Being a companion with Jesus on his mission gave Ignatius of Loyola’s life a sense of purpose and meaning. It is just such companionship that lies at the heart of Ignatian spirituality.

The characteristics of Ignatian spirituality are the characteristics of Ignatius’ spiritual life. A brief summary of these characteristics might include:

an awareness of being created and redeemed by God’s love,
the understanding that Jesus initiates this redemption within the ordinariness of the world, demonstrating that the world is a good place to live and work,
a desire to work as a companion of Jesus to continue this mission in the world,
the practice of continual prayer and discernment to discover how God speaks to the soul,
the discovery of the presence of the Spirit in community.

What are the Spiritual Exercises?

Ignatius collected his formative experiences of prayer into what became known as his “Spiritual Exercises”. He offered these to men and women of his time as helpful means for them to attend to God’s call, choosing to live committed lives of Christian service. The Exercises invite the “retreatant” to “meditate” on central aspects of Christian faith (e.g. creation, sin and forgiveness, calling and ministry) and especially to “contemplate” (i.e. imaginatively enter into) the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. With the help of a spiritual guide, the goal of the Exercises is the attainment of spiritual freedom and the power to act out of the promptings of God’s spirit in the truest core of one’s being – to act ultimately out of love. (From "Do You Speak Ignatian?" by George Traub, SJ)

Adapted from St. Louis University, a Jesuit instition of higher education.

The Spiritual Exercises are the foundation of Jesuit mission, as stated in General Congregation 32, D 4, #38, "Our Mission Today:"

The well spring of our apostolate. We are led back to our experience of the Spiritual Exercises. In them we are able continually to renew our faith and apostolic hope by experiencing again the love of God in Christ Jesus. We strengthen our commitment to be companions of Jesus in His mission, to labor like Him in solidarity with the poor and with Him for the establishment of the Kingdom. Thereby we gradually make our own that apostolic pedagogy of St. Ignatius which should characterize our every action.


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		The Life and Spirituality of St. Ignatius Loyola Who is Ignatius? Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) was the youngest child of a noble Basque family fiercely loyal to the Spanish crown, and was raised to be a courtier. As Ignatius was trying valiantly to defend the fortress town of Pamplona in 1521, a French cannonball shattered his leg and led him to reconsider his way of life. While recuperating from his wounds at the family estate, Ignatius had only two books to read, the Life of Christ and the Lives of the Saints. The books he read and the daydreams he entertained had a great effect on him, so much so that he decided to lay aside his sword of war and take up what he called the "sword of Christ." Ignatius travelled as a pilgrim to the Monastery at Monserrat [pictured here], confessed his sins and made a nightlong vigil before the altar of Our Lady of Monserrat. In a cave near there in the town of Manresa, Ignatius underwent a profound experience of God's presence to him. That cave, now ornately preserved, is a frequent site for today's Ignatian pilgrims to visit. This change in life plans led him to seek an education at the University of Paris. There, he formed a circle of friends who, with time, decided to band together and dedicate themselves to the greater glory of God and the good of all people. When their efforts to go to the Holy Land met with disappointment, they decided to place themselves at the service of the Pope, who could send them throughout the world, wherever there was a need. Wherever the Jesuits went throughout the world, their mission remained the same: To "seek the greater glory of God and the good of humanity." Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam For the Greater Glory of God What is Ignatian Spirituality? Like all Christian spirituality, Ignatian spirituality provides a person a method to integrate one’s relationship to God and to the world. Ignatian spirituality, like other Christian spiritualities, bases its integration on a particular insight into the person of Jesus and His relationship to the world. Being a companion with Jesus on his mission gave Ignatius of Loyola’s life a sense of purpose and meaning. It is just such companionship that lies at the heart of Ignatian spirituality. The characteristics of Ignatian spirituality are the characteristics of Ignatius’ spiritual life. A brief summary of these characteristics might include: an awareness of being created and redeemed by God’s love, the understanding that Jesus initiates this redemption within the ordinariness of the world, demonstrating that the world is a good place to live and work, a desire to work as a companion of Jesus to continue this mission in the world, the practice of continual prayer and discernment to discover how God speaks to the soul, the discovery of the presence of the Spirit in community. What are the Spiritual Exercises? Ignatius collected his formative experiences of prayer into what became known as his “Spiritual Exercises”. He offered these to men and women of his time as helpful means for them to attend to God’s call, choosing to live committed lives of Christian service. The Exercises invite the “retreatant” to “meditate” on central aspects of Christian faith (e.g. creation, sin and forgiveness, calling and ministry) and especially to “contemplate” (i.e. imaginatively enter into) the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. With the help of a spiritual guide, the goal of the Exercises is the attainment of spiritual freedom and the power to act out of the promptings of God’s spirit in the truest core of one’s being – to act ultimately out of love. (From "Do You Speak Ignatian?" by George Traub, SJ) Adapted from St. Louis University, a Jesuit instition of higher education. The Spiritual Exercises are the foundation of Jesuit mission, as stated in General Congregation 32, D 4, #38, "Our Mission Today:" The well spring of our apostolate. We are led back to our experience of the Spiritual Exercises. In them we are able continually to renew our faith and apostolic hope by experiencing again the love of God in Christ Jesus. We strengthen our commitment to be companions of Jesus in His mission, to labor like Him in solidarity with the poor and with Him for the establishment of the Kingdom. Thereby we gradually make our own that apostolic pedagogy of St. Ignatius which should characterize our every action.