A message on the Feast of St Ignatius of Loyola, from Fr Bobby Yap SJ

Today, we celebrate the feast day of St Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus. Much has been said about how the soldier-turned-theologian found God: after being gravely wounded in the Battle of Pamplona in 1521, he spent his convalescence reading about the lives of Christ and the saints, an experience that opened his eyes to a world constantly graced by God.

The kind of spirituality he espoused, which we now know as Ignatian spirituality, comes from a desire to be in service of others, and to glorify God. He is the reason for the Jesuit ideal of finding God in all things, a value that Jesuit schools like ours continue to pass on to students today.

St Ignatius’ devotion to Mary would lead him to his pilgrimages to Montserrat and Manresa and is the reason for Ateneo’s devotion to Our Lady’s White and Blue. As we celebrate Ignacio’s feast day, may his life’s work remind us to pursue excellence and advocate for the marginalized, all for the greater glory of God.

St Ignatius of Loyola, pray for us!