Ignatius of Loyola and the Society of Jesus

No Catholic organization evoked such contradictory feelings—from hatred to admiration—as the Jesuit order. For some, the name of Ignatius of Loyola was a target for ridicule and reproach; for others, it was a symbol of faith’s support. The Society of Jesus is often called the last of the great orders established by the Catholic Church. Its past is multifaceted and rich, yet the general public usually knows the outward manifestations of its activities more than the order’s inner life.

A special, rightly significant place in the order’s history belongs to Ignatius of Loyola—a former soldier and battle-hardened officer, a casket ascetic of Montserrat and a hermit of Manresa, a pilgrim to Jerusalem, the founder and first general of the Society of Jesus, a foe of the Reformation, a talented educator, an outstanding preacher and organizer, an indefatigable missionary, a faithful servant of the Church, a knight of the Virgin, and a warrior of Christ.