Everything about Ignatius Of Loyola totally explained
» Saint Ignatius redirects here; for other Saints, see Ignatius.
Saint Ignatius of Loyola, also known as
Íñigo Oñaz López de Loyola (before
October 23,
1491 –
July 31 1556), was the principal founder and first
Superior General of the
Society of Jesus, a
religious order of the
Catholic Church professing direct service to the
Pope in terms of mission. Members of the order are called
Jesuits.
The compiler of the
Spiritual Exercises and a gifted spiritual director, Ignatius has been described by
Pope Benedict XVI as being above all a man of God, who gave the first place of his life to God and a man of profound prayer. He was very active in fighting the
Protestant Reformation and promoting the subsequent
Counter-Reformation. He was
beatified and then
canonized to receive the title of
Saint on
March 12,
1622. His
feast day is
July 31, celebrated annually. He is the
patron saint of
Guipúzcoa as well as of the
Society of Jesus.
Early life
Íñigo Lopez de Recalde was born in the municipality of
Azpeitia at the castle of
Loyola in the
Kingdom of Navarre, in today's
Basque province of Guipúzcoa,
Spain. The youngest of 13 children, Ignatius was only seven years old when his mother died. In 1506, Íñigo adopted the last name "de Loyola" in reference of the city where he was born and later became a
page in the service of a relative, Juan Velázquez de Cuéllar, treasurer (
contador mayor) of the kingdom of
Castile.
In 1509, Íñigo took up arms for
Antonio Manrique de Lara, Duke of
Nájera and
Viceroy of Navarre. According to Thomas Rochford
sj., his diplomacy and leadership qualities made him a very useful to the Duke. Under the Duke's leadership, he participated in many battles without injury to himself. But when the French army, supporting the Navarrese monarchy expelled in 1512, stormed the Pamplona's fortress on May 20, 1521, a
cannonball shot wounded one of his legs and broke the other.
Father General of the Jesuits
Ignatius was chosen as the first Superior General of his religious order, invested with the title of
Father General by the Jesuits. He sent his companions as missionaries around Europe to create schools, colleges, and seminaries.
Juan de Vega, the ambassador of
Charles V at Rome had met Ignatius there. Esteeming him and the Jesuits, when Vega was appointed Viceroy of Sicily he brought Jesuits with him. A Jesuit college was opened at
Messina; success was marked, and its rules and methods were afterwards copied in other colleges. In 1548
Spiritual Exercises was finally printed, and he was briefly brought before the
Roman Inquisition, but was released.
Ignatius wrote the Jesuit Constitutions, adopted in 1554, which created a monarchical organization and stressed absolute self-abnegation and obedience to Pope and superiors (
perinde ac cadaver, "well-disciplined like a corpse" as Ignatius put it). His main principle became the Jesuit motto:
Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam ("for the greater glory of God"). The Jesuits were a major factor in the
Counter-Reformation.
During 1553-1555 Ignatius dictated his life's story to his secretary, Father Gonçalves da Câmara. This autobiography is a valuable key for the understanding of his
Spiritual Exercises. It was kept in the archives for about 150 years, until the
Bollandists published the text in
Acta Sanctorum. A critical edition exists in Vol. I (1943) of the
Fontes Narrativi of the series
Monumenta Historica Societatis Iesu. He died in Rome on
July 31,
1556 after a long struggle with chronic stomach ailments.
Canonization and legacy
Ignatius was beatified by
Paul V on July 27, 1609, and
canonized by
Gregory XV on March 12, 1622. His feast day is celebrated annually on July 31, the day he died. Saint Ignatius is venerated as the patron saint of Catholic soldiers, the ordinariate of the Philippine military, the Basque country and various towns and cities in his native region.
On April 22, 2006, Feast of Our Lady, Mother of the Society of Jesus,
Pope Benedict XVI said that "St Ignatius of Loyola institutions, are dedicated to St Ignatius." Perhaps the most famous of them is
Basilica of St Ignacius Loyola built next to the house where he was born in
Azpeitia, the Basque Country. The house itself, now a museum, is incorporated into the basilica complex.
Genealogy
Lope de Oñaz (~1180)
├ García López de Oñaz (~1221)
├ López García de Oñaz
wife: Inés, dame of Loyola – unit of families (~1261)
├ daughter:
Inés de Oñaz y Loyola (~end of XIII c.)
husband: Juan Pérez (related)
├
Jaun (Basque - Lord) Juan Pérez
├ Gil López de Oñaz
├ other 5 brothers (see – battle of
Beotibar)
Beltrán Yáñez (vel Ibáñez) de Loyola, son of Jaun Juan (+1405)
wife: Ochanda Martínez de Leete from Azpeitia
├
Sancha Ibáñez de Loyola
| husband: Lope García de Lazcano
| married: 4 III 1413
├ heir: Juan Pérez de Loyola (d. childless, heirdom for Sancha)
├ Maria Beltranche
├ Elvira
├ Emilia
├ Juanecha
Juan Pérez de Loyola, son of Sancha Ibáñez (+ in Tolosa)
wife: Sancha Pérez de Iraeta (+1473)
├
Don Beltrán Yáñez (vel Ibáñez) de Oñaz y Loyola (+ 23 X 1507)
wife: Doña Marina Sáenz (vel Sánchez) de Licona (+ < 6 V 1508)
married: 13 VII 1467 r.
13 children:
1. Juan Pérez de Loyola (+1503 in Naples)
2. heir – Don Martín García de Oñaz y Loyola (1477 – 29 XI 1538)
Strike-through text
wife: Magdalena de Araoz
married: 11 IX 1498
* – order uncertain
*. Ochoa Pérez de Loyola
*. Juan Beltrán de Loyola
*. Beltrán de Loyola (+ < 14 XI 1527)
*. Hernando de Loyola (+ in Panama, New World)
*. Pero López de Oñaz y Loyola (priest, + < VII 1529 in Barcelona)
*. Juaniza (vel Joaneiza) de Loyola, wife of Juan Marínez de Alzaga, notary from Azpeitia
*. Magdalena de Loyola, wife of Juan López de Gallaiztegui, notary from Anzuola
*. Sancha Ibáñez de Loyola
*. Petronila de Loyola, wife of Pedro Ochoa de Arriola
*. Maria Beltrán de Loyola, wife of Domingo de Arruado
13.
Iñigo López de Loyola (< 23 X 1491 – 31 VII 1556)
Portrayals
But Ignatius Layola which was got neere his chaire, a subtile fellow, and so indued with the Divell, that he was able to tempt, and not onely that, but (as they say) even to possesse the Divell, apprehended this perplexity in Lucifer.
Ignatius is subsequently ejected from Hell and ordered to colonize the
moon where he'll do less harm.
St Ignatius is a principal character of the opera Four Saints in Three Acts by composer Virgil Thomson and librettist Gertrude Stein.
Further Information
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