Ignatius of Loyola
Feast: July 31
Jacopino del Conte (ca. 1556)
(PD)
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.
Patron of:
- Jesuits
- Soldiers
- Retreats
- Education
Suscipe
Súscipe, Dómine, univérsam meam libertátem.
Accipe memóriam, intelléctum atque voluntátem omnem.
Quidquid hábeo vel possídeo mihi largítus es;
id tibi totum restítuo
ac tuae prorsus voluntáti trado gubernándum.
Amórem tui solum cum grátia tua mihi dones,
et dives sum satis,
nec áliud quidquam ultra posco.
Amen.
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding, and my entire will.
All that I have and possess you have given to me;
I return it all to you
and surrender it wholly to be governed by your will.
Give me only your love and your grace,
and I am rich enough
and ask for nothing more.
Amen.
— Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises, 1548