The Diocese of Gaylord celebrated the feast day of St. Ignatius of Loyola on July 31 by praising his work in founding the Society of Jesus.

St. Ignatius was born in 1491 in Spain to a noble family with 13 children. According to Britannica, his mother died when he was young, and he became a page for the treasurer of the kingdom of Castile. 

Around the age of 26, Ignatius became a knight, and he spent his time on military undertakings and diplomatic missions. A few years later, while he was defending the citadel of Pamplona against the French military, Ignatius was injured by a cannonball. This injury ended a chapter of his life during which he described himself as "a man given to the vanities of the world, whose chief delight consisted in martial exercises, with a great and vain desire to win renown." 

During his recovery, Ignatius read about Jesus and the lives of the saints. Ignatius was deeply moved by what he read, and Mary visited him in a vision, so once he had healed, he traveled to her shrine near Barcelona, according to Franciscan Media.

“He studied for 10 years in Barcelona and Paris, where he became Ignatius and was the center of a group of like-minded men,” the diocese posted. “They founded the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, to be active missionaries and meet the challenges of the Reformation.” 

As the order’s superior general, Ignatius wrote “The Spiritual Exercises,” which would become his greatest work, Franciscan Media reported.

Ignatius made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and then spent years traveling to different universities to study, Catholic.org said. Several men began to follow Ignatius, and the group started to refer to themselves as "Friends in the Lord." The group traveled to Rome, where they presented themselves to the Pope and offered to serve him. Pope Paul III approved the group as an official religious order, and they became known as the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits. The Jesuits are known today for their work in educating people around the world. Ignatius is the patron saint of the Society of Jesus, soldiers, educators and education. 

More than 800 Jesuit schools can be found around the world, including 28 colleges and universities, and 62 high schools in the U.S.