by Ann Johnstone

Created on: July 20, 2011   Last Updated: October 08, 2011

Ignatius of Loyola founded the Society of Jesus, otherwise known as the Jesuits. A Spanish nobleman, Ignatius was born in 1491 at the castle of Loyola, near the mountain range known as the Pyrenees, which form a natural border between France and Spain.

His career as a soldier ended abruptly when he sustained a leg wound in 1521. While convalescing, he began to read biographies of famous Christians, and studied the life of Jesus Christ. Deciding to become a ‘soldier of Christ’, he hung up his sword and spent a year in prayer and meditation at Manresa Monastery. During this time, he determined to become totally consecrated to Christ.

Apparently, in 1523 Ignatius made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, although some reports say that this did not happen. Between 1524 and 1534, he studied at Barcelona, Alcala, Salamanca and Paris, in preparation for service. After this he, together with six friends, vowed to practise poverty and celibacy and to dedicate their lives to the work of Christ. In this way the Society of Jesus began.

Its members became known as ‘Jesuits’, and they vowed total obedience to the Pope and, under him, to Ignatius as the founder and ‘general’ of the order. His army discipline stood him in good stead as the Jesuit leader and, although the Jesuit Constitutions specified no special religious uniform , no bodily penances or fasts, and no recitation of the daily liturgy, the recruits were carefully selected and arduously trained.

Although Ignatius was adamant that he wanted quality rather than numbers, the order grew rapidly. By 1556, there were over a thousand Jesuits, mainly in Spain, Portugal and Italy, but also in France, Germany, India, Brazil and Africa. By 1626, there were 15,544 members, and for the following 130 years the Jesuits grew slowly but steadily, eventually working in almost every part of the world.

In 1773, the monarchs of France and Spain forced the pope to suppress the Jesuits. A few survived in Prussia and Russia. Then only forty years later the papacy restored the order worldwide. In 1964 the Jesuits numbered over 36 thousand members, but following Vatican II the numbers fell substantially. Today the total number of Jesuits is around 19,000 throughout the world. In the United States alone, there are at least 50 Jesuit colleges, universities and high schools.

Francis Xavier (1506-52), who was also born into Spanish nobility, was one of the original members of the Society of Jesus, and he later became

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