Ignatius of Loyola

1491–1556 · Spanish (Basque) · Counter-Reformation

Known for: Wounded soldier who founded the Jesuits — the Catholic Church's intellectual special forces

Ignatius of Loyola was a Basque soldier who, while recovering from a cannonball wound, read saints' lives and experienced a spiritual conversion that led him to found the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). The Jesuits became the Catholic Church's most educated, disciplined, and controversial religious order — establishing universities, conducting scientific research, and sending missionaries worldwide.

His Spiritual Exercises — a 30-day retreat program of meditation, prayer, and self-examination — remains one of the most influential works of practical spirituality. The Jesuits educated Descartes, Voltaire, and Fidel Castro, ran the Vatican Observatory, and currently provide a pope (Francis, a Jesuit).

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