St. Ignatius Loyola was born in 1491, one of 13 children of a family of minor nobility in northern Spain. As a young man Ignatius Loyola was inflamed by the ideals of courtly love and knighthood and dreamed of doing great deeds.

But in 1521 Ignatius was gravely wounded in a battle with the French. While recuperating, Ignatius Loyola experienced a conversion. Reading the lives of Jesus and the saints made Ignatius happy and aroused desires to do great things. Ignatius realized that these feelings were clues to God’s direction for him.

Over the years, Ignatius became expert in the art of spiritual direction. He collected his insights, prayers, and suggestions in his book the Spiritual Exercises, one of the most influential books on the spiritual life ever written. With a small group of friends, Ignatius Loyola founded the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits. Ignatius conceived the Jesuits as “contemplatives in action.” This also describes the many Christians who have been touched by Ignatian spirituality.

Biographies of St. Ignatius Loyola

St. Ignatius Loyola, SJ: Founder of the Jesuits
A short biography by Norman O’Neal, SJ. 

Three Holy Jesuits (PDF)
David L. Fleming, SJ, explores the unique qualities of Ignatius Loyola, Francis Xavier, and Peter Faber.

    Who Was St. Ignatius? (video)
A short video introduction to the life of St. Ignatius Loyola, produced by Marquette University.

Ignatius of Loyola Biography
A brief, well-written biography of Ignatius, in 11 parts.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola, 1491-1556
By Amy Welborn
This story of Ignatius is written for children to understand.

Ignatius Loyola: The Story of the Pilgrim (video)
At 97 minutes and with a very dark visual palette, this adaptation of Michael Bellafiore, SJ’s one-man presentation on Ignatius is not for the faint of heart. The content, while didactic, is accurate and this is obviously a heart-felt tribute to St. Ignatius.

   Jesuits On…Ignatius Loyola
An extract from a video about Ignatius Loyola from Loyola Productions’ “Jesuits On…” series. Features a commentary by Richard Leonard, SJ.

   St. Ignatius of Loyola Video
Video introduction to St. Ignatius Loyola, produced by the Apostleship of Prayer for his feast day.

Works by St. Ignatius Loyola

Selected Letters of Ignatius
Ignatius’s letters are renowned for their insight and wisdom. Here are 50 of them.

Other Resources About St. Ignatius Loyola

    What Students Can Learn from St. Ignatius
Stephanie Russell, Executive Director of Marquette University’s Office of Mission and Identity, discusses the challenges faced by students today and how a Jesuit education can help.

How Ignatius Redefined Saintliness
By John W. O’Malley, SJ
Ignatius Loyola was unique among saints with his “worldly” qualities.

Will the Real Ignatius Please Stand Up?
By Ron Darwen, SJ
The different images of Ignatius through the ages: soldier, man of action, and mystic.

Call and Response in St. Ignatius and St. Francis
By Brian Purfield
A comparison of the spiritual journeys of Francis of Assisi, as seen in the biography written by St. Bonaventure, and the journey of Ignatius, as outlined in the Spiritual Exercises.

Encountering God-in-Us: The Spiritual Journeys of St. Ignatius and St. Teresa (PDF; article starts on page 22)
By Caitlyn Duehren
Both Ignatius and Teresa of Ávila experienced scruples followed by an experience of being open to the gift of God’s love. Their individual journeys led them to rest in the experience of the Divine. Ignatius writes of his experience in terms of the reverential love given by a faithful knight to a king. Teresa uses the language of mystical marriage.

dotMagis Posts About Ignatius Loyola
From the category archives of the dotMagis blog.