God's Superior General

Sometimes, an unexpected, soul-shaking detour leads to one’s purpose in life.

- Margie T. Logarta

That’s exactly how it was for priest, educator, theologian, retreat master, missionary, and mystic St. Ignatius of Loyola, who established the Society of Jesus, an institution that has had profound mental and spiritual impact on millions who have benefited from its guidance. But before this unxepected twist in his fate, he was simply a young man with an entirely different set of aspirations.

MR. FANCY PANTS

Born in the castle of Loyola, Inigo Lopez de Onaz y Loyola— or St. Ignatius of Loyola, as he is more famously known—was the youngest of 13 children in an aristocratic family. As a young boy, he fantasized about becoming a great soldier, and it was this ambition that motivated him to join the army when he was 17 years old. A Pilgrim’s Journey: The Autobiography of Ignatius of Loyola described the youth as someone who, with his sword and dagger at his waist, paraded around with a brightly colored cape and tight hose, a feathered cap resting on his curly locks.

At this point in time, Inigo was not exactly saint material. He was a barely educated courtier who was heavily influenced by his family’s uscrupulous ways, and was a womanizer like his father. He was so highly strung that he took offense at the slightest snub, and enjoyed any excuse to challenge other men to a duel. One incident included a Moor who felt the sharp blade of Inigo’s sword run through him because he dared question the divinity of Christ.

It was about this time that he took on the name Ignacio (Spanish for Ignatius), the grown-up version of his nickname, Inigo.

SHATTERED DREAMS