​

St. Ignatius is the founder of the Jesuits, patron of soldiers, scholar and those making a spiritual retreat. His feast day is July 31st, anniversary of his death.

He was born in 1491, in the small town of Loyola, in north-eastern Spain. This was one year before Columbus departed Europe to explore the world.

St. Ignatius was born into a wealthy noble family and joined the army intent on a military career. His life changed drastically when at the age of 30, St. Ignatius was severely wounded in battle. While convalescing, he read books about Jesus and the Saints. Inspired by the lives of the saints, he immediately changed his life. He decided to start a new life service to God. He had undergone a conversation.

Together with his younger followers, St. Ignatius was ordained a priest. Many of these young men decided to join St. Ignatius in the formation of a new order of priests in 1540 dedicated to the services of the Church. They became know as the Society of Jesus for short, with St. Ignatius as their leader. Their work included looking after the poor, tending to the sick, educating the aristocracy, furthering their academic studies and spreading the good news throughout the world.​