Saint Ignatius

Our school is in the parish of St Ignatius of Loyola, in Stamford Hill. The first part of the building, the sanctuary, was built in 1903 and the building was completed in 1911.

 

St. Ignatius

Saint Ignatius of Loyola, also known as Ignacio (Íñigo) López de Loyola, 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. 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…a man of profound prayer.” 

His Feast Day is celebrated on the 31^st July. We celebrate his Feast Day prior to school ending in the summer term.

 

 

A Brief History

St. Ignatius of Loyola, was born in the Basque Country of Northern Spain in 1491. He was the youngest of 13 children and was called Iñigo. Sadly, his mother died while he was still an infant. He was cared for by Maria, a blacksmith's wife, and later chose the last name Loyola, after the place he was born.

At the age of 15, he served as a page in the court of a local nobleman and later embraced a military career and became a valiant soldier. He enjoyed fighting, duelling and showing off.

In 1521 at the Battle of Pamplona, he was badly hurt when a cannonball injured both his legs. He had to go through several operations (without anaesthetic) to re-set his legs, and this left him with a permanent limp. He could no longer be a soldier.

 

Called to be a Saint

While he was getting better from his injuries, Ignatius read lots of books about the life of Jesus, and decided to be a better person. He chose to devote himself to God, learning from the example of St Francis of Assisi and others. He found meditation and this became very important to him.

When he was able to walk again, he decided to make pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He stopped at different places on the way, devoting himself to prayer and giving away his riches.

When he was 33, he went back to Barcelona to study, where he got into trouble for preaching without a degree in Theology. He then went to university in Paris, where he stayed for over seven years.

Ignatius made six very special friends in Paris, and in 1534 together they took vows to do lifelong work for Jesus. In 1539, Ignatius formed the Society of Jesus (known as the Jesuits) with St Francis Xavier and St Peter Faber, and became known as Father General by the Jesuits. The Jesuit motto became Ad maiorem Dei gloriam , which means ‘for the greater glory of God’.

Ignatius died in Rome on 31st July 1556. He was beatified by the Pope in 1609, and canonised in 1622. He is the patron saint of Catholic soldiers and various places around the world.

 

The Examen

In 1548, St Ignatius wrote a special book called Spiritual Exercises, a simple set of meditations, prayers and other mental exercises. One of these very special exercises is the Examen prayer.