In 1491, Ignatius of Loyola was born into a noble Basque family in northern Spain. In his youth he was a courtier, a swaggering "caballero," and a soldier in the service of the Spanish king, Ferdinand.

While he was defending the fortress at Pamplona in 1521, his leg was shattered by a cannonball. During a prolonged and painful convalescence Ignatius experienced an interior transformation that changed his whole life. A new desire to serve Jesus replaced his former hopes of knightly glory.

The once-proud courtier left Loyola and set out as a pilgrim to the Benedictine monastery at Montserrat. There, as a statue at the center of the University of Scranton campus depicts, he spent all night in vigil and offered his knight's sword to Our Lady. Exchanging his rich garments for those of a beggar, he spent the next few months living in a cave in nearby Manresa. There he tested himself through mortification and prayer, reflecting deeply on the life and teachings of Jesus. He kept careful notes of his experiences in prayer and these became the basis of a small book called The Spiritual Exercises. This book, revised and adjusted throughout his life, was used by Ignatius to lead others to a knowledge of God by meditation on the life of Jesus. Today, it continues to be basic to the formation of every Jesuit.

The spring of 1539 found Ignatius and his companions in Rome where they engaged in serious discussions about how they might together serve God in the Church. What emerged was a summary of their decisions, a formula for their future. On September 27, 1540, Pope Paul III approved this formula and the Society of Jesus was born.

In 1556, Ignatius, who called himself "the pilgrim," ended his journey to God. He died peacefully in the early morning of July 31. With him were two Jesuit brothers, while another was off seeking the Pope's blessing.

The more one knows of Ignatius, the more one appreciates God's love. That is how Ignatius would want it to be.