St Ignatius of Loyola, whose feast is celebrated by the Catholic Church on July 31, is famous principally for founding the Society of Jesus, but his Spiritual Exercises are considered among his greatest gifts to Western Christianity.
Ignatian methods of prayer, observed Pope Pius XI a century ago, “lead a man by the safe paths of self-abnegation and the removal of bad habits up to the supreme heights of prayer and divine love”.
The exercises were developed to allow souls to practise “discernment”, to become attuned to the action of God in their lives and to make decisions in accordance with His will for them.
