
St. Ignatius was born in the
family
castle in Guipúzcoa, Spain, the youngest of 13 children, and was called
Ińigo. When he was old enough, he became a page, and then a soldier of
Spain
to fight against the French. A cannon ball and a series of bad
operations ended his military career in 1521. While St. Ignatius
recovered, he read the lives of the saints, and decided to dedicate
himself to becoming a soldier of the
Catholic
Faith. Soon after he experienced visions, but a year later suffered a
trial of fears and scruples, driving him almost to despair. Out of this
experience he wrote his famous "Spiritual Exercises". After traveling
and studying in different schools, he finished in Paris, where he
received his degree at the age of 43. Many first hated St. Ignatius
because of his humble Lifestyle. Despite this, he attracted several
followers at the university, including St. Francis Xavier, and soon
started his order called The
Society of Jesus, or Jesuits. There are 38 members of the
Society of
Jesus who have been declared Blessed, and 38 who have been canonized as saints. He died at the age of 65.
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