Inigo de Loyola was the last of 13 children of a Spanish noble family. His aspirations of greatness led him to join the Spanish army and fight in the battle of Pamplona in 1521, where a cannon ball broke his leg. The injury confined him to his bed for the next year.
During his convalescence, Inigo requested books on chivalry and was given the life of Christ and biographies of saints. These books altered his views of heroism, and by the time his leg was healed, Inigo had found a new purpose for his life. He visited the shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat, laid down his sword at the altar and gave his fine clothes to a poor man. Thus began his life as a poor pilgrim.
While living in a cave in Manresa, he documented his thoughts, feelings and epiphanies as he studied scripture. These writings formed the foundation of what would become the Spiritual Exercises. In 1524, Ignatius felt a pull towards priesthood, and so he went back to school. He continued his studies at the University of Paris in 1529, where he introduced his classmates to
the Spiritual Exercises.
Ignatius founded the Society of Jesus in 1540 with six of his friends. Today, the Society has over 16 000 Jesuits all over the world, and about 350 in the Southern Africa Province (Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe). MAGIS Zimbabwe recently held a farewell celebration of two members who have decided to explore their vocation with the Society, and we pray that God continues to produce more religious vocations in the network.