Ignatian Heritage

St. Ignatius Loyola

St. Ignatius Loyola

Wounded in battle in 1521, the Spanish (Basque) nobleman, Ignatius of Loyola, experienced during his recuperation a deep religious conversion and a desire “to help others.” Some ten years later at the University of Paris he gathered nine fellow students and together they founded the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits.These companions elected Ignatius the superior of the new order, which rapidly expanded to about a thousand members by the time Ignatius died in 1556. His great masterpiece, the Spiritual Excercises, a program for a religious retreat, which encapsulated his own experience, continues to be popular today. He was canonized in 1622 along with his friend, Francis Xavier, the great missionary, who was a member of the original group.

Text written by Fr. John O’Malley, SJ

 

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Prayers of St. Ignatius

Lord, Teach me to be Generous
Lord, Teach me to be Generous. Teach me to serve you as you deserve; to Give, and not to count the cost; to Fight, and not to heed the wounds; to Toil, and not to seek for rest; to Labor, and to ask for no reward, except that of Knowing I am Doing your Will.

Take, Lord, Receive
Take,
Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, understanding and my entire will, All I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace, That is enough for me.

My Daily Offering
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart: the salvation of souls, reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians. I offer them for the intentions of our Bishops and of all Apostles of Prayer, and in particular for those recommended by our Holy Father this month.