Spanish noble who founded the Jesuit order
1540. His deep interest in the religious life
began in 1521, when reading the the life of
Jesus while recuperating from a war wound. He
visited the Holy Land in 1523, studied in
Spain and Paris, where he took vows with St
Francis Xavier, and was ordained in 1537. He
then moved to Rome and with the approval of
Pope Paul III began the Society of Jesus,
sending missionaries to Brazil, India, and
Japan, and founding Jesuit schools. Feast day
31 July.