Ignatius of Loyola
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St. Ignatius of Loyola is the Universal Patron of spiritual retreats, and of this Centre. He developed a spirituality that has proven very effective in guiding people in prayer and life. His "Book of Spiritual Exercises" is widely used in guiding all types of persons in their retreats and spiritual lives. |
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Ignatius was born in the castle of Loyola, Spain, in
1491. Brought up in the court of the king of Spain, he
assimilated the court values of ambition, valour, romance
and vanity. He became a Captain in the army, with
frequent dreams of winning glory for his king and
admiration from royal ladies. Badly wounded in the
defense of Pamplona against the French, he was sent back
to Loyola to recover. He asked for romances to read, but
the only books at hand were 'The Life of Christ' and the
"Lives of the Saints". Very reluctantly he
accepted to spend his time reading them. He began to
notice a difference in himself after reflecting on what
he read from what he experienced after spending hours in
romantic day-dreaming. He began to dream of imitating the
saints. soon he received profound spiritual experiences
which gave him a new ambition: to follow Christ and to
seek the greater glory of God. Ignatius went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. But his real pilgrimage was within himself, as he allowed God to lead him to a deeper understanding of spiritual realities. In order to help people better, he decided to study for the priesthood. While studying in Paris, he gathered a group of like-minded young men whom he guided in the ways of God. After the completion of their studies, Ignatius and his companions founded a religious order "the Society of Jesus" in 1540. While the others were sent on missions to different parts of Europe and Asia, Ignatius was left in Rome to write the constitutions of the new Society for approval by the Pope. He died in 1556, when the Society had grown to over 1000 members. |