From the cannonball to the classroom, St. Ignatius of Loyola left a legacy far greater than he ever imagined. Born in Spain in 1491, Ignatius was a courtier and soldier, ambitious for honour and glory. But everything changed when a cannonball shattered his leg\u2014and with it, his dreams of fame. During his long recovery, he read about the life of Christ and the Saints and his heart turned toward a deeper calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He famously wrote, \u201cWhat will it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lose his soul?\u201d, he gave up everything for Christ. His spiritual awakening led to the founding of the Society of Jesus\u2014the Jesuits\u2014in 1540. The Jesuits became known for their discipline, commitment to education, and missionary zeal. But for Ignatius, their core mission was simple: \u201cto find God in all things\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
The seeds planted by St. Ignatius and his good friend St. Xavier grew into strong roots. Today, Jesuits continue to serve in Goa and across India through education, social work, and spiritual formation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Goa, Jesuit institutions such as Loyola High School (Margao), St. Britto High School (Mapusa), St. Xavier\u2019s College (Mapusa), and Pedro Arrupe Institute (Raia) have become pillars of learning and moral formation. Generations of Goans have passed through Jesuit classrooms, learning not just facts, but values\u2014compassion, justice, service, and critical thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Across India, the Jesuits run over 100 educational institutions, including some of the country\u2019s most respected schools and colleges: St. Xavier\u2019s (Mumbai & Kolkata), Loyola College (Chennai), XLRI (Jamshedpur), and founded GIM (Goa) and XIM (Bhubaneshwar). But their mission goes beyond urban centres\u2014they are present in tribal villages, slums, and rural communities, empowering the marginalised and upholding human dignity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises\u2014a structured retreat that helps individuals deepen their relationship with God\u2014remain a treasure for both clergy and laity. At the heart of Ignatian spirituality is discernment: learning to choose what leads us closer to God. As he said, \u201cDiscernment is not about choosing between good and evil, but between good and better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we honour St. Ignatius of Loyola on his feast day – July 31, let us thank God for his legacy\u2014a saint who transformed suffering into purpose, and education into mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAd Majorem Dei Gloriam\u201d<\/em> (For the Greater Glory of God), his motto, reminds us to live with purpose, and to seek God in all things. St. Ignatius of Loyola, pray for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Louella S. Dias<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" From the cannonball to the classroom, St. Ignatius of Loyola left a legacy far greater than he ever imagined. Born in Spain in 1491, Ignatius was a courtier and soldier, ambitious for honour and glory. But everything changed when a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pormoll"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stsebastianaquem.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stsebastianaquem.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stsebastianaquem.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stsebastianaquem.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stsebastianaquem.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3311"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.stsebastianaquem.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3311\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3317,"href":"http:\/\/www.stsebastianaquem.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3311\/revisions\/3317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stsebastianaquem.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stsebastianaquem.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stsebastianaquem.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}