Ignatius of Loyola

Patron ofJesuits, Soldiers, Retreats, Education

SituationsConversion, Discernment, Retreats

ProfessionsEducators, Soldiers, Spiritual Directors

Why this patronage

Saint Ignatius of Loyola is the patron of soldiers because he was one: a Basque nobleman and courtier wounded by a cannonball at the siege of Pamplona in 1521, whose long convalescence — reading lives of Christ and the saints for want of the chivalric romances he craved — turned the soldier’s ambition into a wholly spiritual campaign for souls. From that conversion came the Spiritual Exercises and the Society of Jesus, which is why he is the patron of retreats and of spiritual directors: the Exercises remain the great Catholic school of discernment, and the retreat as we know it is largely his creation. Through the Jesuits’ immense network of schools and colleges he is also honored as a patron of education. Pope Pius XI named him patron of all spiritual retreats in 1922.

Life

Saint Ignatius of Loyola was a Spanish Basque priest who founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1540. Born in 1491, he was a soldier wounded in battle who, during his recovery, experienced a profound spiritual conversion. He wrote the Spiritual Exercises, a systematic method of discernment and prayer that has influenced millions.

Prayer

Suscipe — Prayer of Surrender (Suscipe)

Súscipe, Dómine, univérsam meam libertátem.

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,

Nimm hin, o Herr, meine ganze Freiheit.

Tomad, Señor, y recibid toda mi libertad,

Prenez, Seigneur, et recevez toute ma liberté,

Accipe memóriam, intelléctum atque voluntátem omnem.

my memory, my understanding, and my entire will.

Nimm an mein Gedächtnis, meinen Verstand und meinen ganzen Willen.

mi memoria, mi entendimiento y toda mi voluntad.

ma mémoire, mon intelligence et toute ma volonté.

Quidquid hábeo vel possídeo mihi largítus es;

All that I have and possess you have given to me;

Alles was ich habe und besitze, hast du mir geschenkt;

Todo lo que tengo y poseo vos me lo disteis;

Tout ce que j'ai et possède, vous me l'avez donné ;

id tibi totum restítuo

I return it all to you

dir gebe ich alles zurück

a vos, Señor, lo retorno.

je vous le rends entièrement

ac tuae prorsus voluntáti trado gubernándum.

and surrender it wholly to be governed by your will.

und überlasse es ganz deinem Willen.

Todo es vuestro; disponed de ello según vuestra voluntad.

et le soumets à votre volonté.

Amórem tui solum cum grátia tua mihi dones,

Give me only your love and your grace,

Gib mir nur deine Liebe und deine Gnade,

Dadme vuestro amor y gracia,

Donnez-moi seulement votre amour et votre grâce,

et dives sum satis,

and I am rich enough

so bin ich reich genug

que con esto soy bastante rico

et je suis assez riche

nec áliud quidquam ultra posco.

and ask for nothing more.

und verlange nichts weiter.

y no pido otra cosa.

et ne demande rien de plus.

Amen.

Amén.

Amen.

— Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises, 1548