Saint Ignatius of Loyola Biography

Saint Ignatius of Loyola was of noble birth and belonged to the Noble Basque family. Early in life, he was asked to be a part of ‘court’ and developed a taste for all it offered, particularly the ladies. His early life was dotted with gambling, excesses and the occasional dueling, but as he hit adulthood, he left his lavish life at court and looked for more exciting venues, which in his case, was joining the military. However, in a battle, he was left seriously wounded and during rehabilitation, he found himself absorbing the life, the ideologies and the works of Jesus Christ. The more he read, the more he considered the deeds of saints worth emulating. Nonetheless, he began nurturing the possible devotion and the endless adulation he might receive if he became a saint himself and soon enough, he devoted himself to God. He claimed that he saw a vision of Virgin Mary and infant Jesus while at the shrine of ‘Our Lady of Montseratt’ and thereafter, travelled to Manresa, where he began formulating the fundamentals of ‘Spiritual Exercises’. He took a vow of chastity and soon enough, with the approval of Pope Paul III, he emerged not only as a religious leader, but also founded the Society of Jesus and became its first Superior General. Scroll further to learn more.