In 2013, a most remarkable thing happened. A Jesuit priest, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was elected pope of the Roman Catholic Church. What was so unusual about this is that this man, who we now know as Pope Francis, was the first Jesuit ever chosen to sit in the chair of St. Peter. And one of the things that made that special is because, from the beginning of the order, Jesuits have taken — in addition to the traditional three religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, a fourth vow “to go wherever the pope should send them for the salvation of souls.”

The Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits, grew out of a military career gone awry. Inigo Lopez de Onaz y Loyola, who we now know as Ignatius of Loyola, was in search of fame and fortune as a soldier, but in 1521, a cannon ball shattered his leg, effectively ending his active service. During a long convalescence, the only books he had available were about Jesus Christ and the lives of the saints. By the time he recovered, he was a changed man. Instead of striving for glory on the battlefield, he now set his sights on becoming a saint.

The road was not easy. In 1522, he began a year-long retreat, during which he fought through a bout of scruples so severe that he even contemplated suicide. However, he also used that time to write down what would become his greatest and most lasting work, the “Spiritual Exercises.”  Eventually, his peace of mind and soul returned.

Ignatius went briefly to the Holy Land but could not stay due to the level of hostility toward Christians that he found there. Instead, he returned to Europe and began an 11-year period of education, which was often difficult for him, in order to prepare himself to, as he said, “save souls.” That Jesuit commitment to learning remains today; there are currently some 3,730 schools worldwide operating under the auspices of the Society of Jesus.

In 1534, at the age of 43, Ignatius and six companions formed an association to live in poverty and chastity; in addition, they wished to serve in the Holy Land. If that last was impossible – as it proved to be – they would instead commit themselves to the apostolic service of the pope. In 1540, the order received formal approval from Pope Paul III and, in 1541, Ignatius became, not a military general, but the superior general of the Jesuits.

Ignatian spirituality can be summed up in the Jesuit motto. Ad majorem Dei gloriam, which means “for the greater glory of God.” While supervising the order from Rome, Ignatius founded a Roman college which has since become the Pontifical Gregorian University, which has educated 28 saints and 16 popes.

Ignatius died in 1556 in Italy and was canonized by Pope Gregory XV in 1622. The patron saint of retreats, St. Ignatius’ feast is celebrated on July 31.

Sources for this article include:

franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-ignatius-of-loyola

missionandministry.georgetown.edu/mission/st-ignatius-of-loyola

Jesuit Resource: Ignatius Biography. Traub, George S.J., and Mooney, Debra.

Schreck, Alan. “Church History from A to Z.” Michigan: Servant Publications, 2002.