St. Ignatius of Loyola
Patron Saint of the Jesuits
St. Ignatius was a Spanish priest who founded the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuit order. Ignatius was a true mystic. He centered his spiritual life on the essential foundations of Christianity—the Trinity, Christ, the Eucharist. His spirituality is expressed in the Jesuit motto, Ad majorem Dei gloriam—“for the greater glory of God.” St. Ignatius is also remembered as an influential spiritual director and is the author of the Spiritual Exercises first published in 1548.