Ignatius of Loyola

The Society of Jesus was founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola, in the sixteenth century.

Íñigo López de Loyola was born in 1491, in what is today Spain's Basque country. A nobleman, Don Íñigo adopted high-status and masculine identity typical for his culture, including dancing, expensive clothes, and modeling himself after legendary knights and warrior-heroes. Also typical, he carried a sword and was eager to use it. He became a soldier and served in the chronic, destructive wars that characterized Renaissance Europe. In his early life, St. Ignatius was comparable to contemporary Spanish Conquistadors in Central and South America. But his military career was cut short by a cannonball that struck him at the Siege or Battle of Pamplona, in 1521.

While recovering from this wound, Íñigo López de Loyola underwent a spiritual transformation, that eventually led him to into voluntary poverty, service, and ordination as a priest. His route to founding the Jesuits was meandering: he was investigated by the Inquisition; he was a student at several universities; he tried, but was unable to travel in the Middle East; he changed his name to Ignacio, or Ignatius of Loyola. In 1540, and together with friends he met at the University of Paris, Ignatius received permission from Pope Paul II to found a religious order, the Society of Jesus, or what we call Jesuits.

Ignatius of Loyola served as the Jesuits' first leader, and provided the earliest spiritual and organizational direction for the order. His instructions and other writings were basic texts for Jesuits and others' spiritual and personal development. By the time Ignatius died in 1556, his order was roughly a thousand members strong, and had already acquired a role in education.

Throughout his spiritual development, St. Ignatius was deeply reflective, and especially self-reflective: he examined his own thinking, emotions, and mental well-being. This contemplative practice was not a distraction from his work in the world, but rather served to shape his behaviors, actions, teaching, and treatment of others. Examining one's own thoughts is a key element of Jesuit spirituality and especially education.

St. Ignatius of Loyola was canonized by the church in 1622.