as a young kid, Ignatius dreamed of being a soldier, influenced by his uncle. He grew up in a wealthy family, living in a castle. In 1517, this young boy's dream became a reality. He joined the army and quickly rose through the ranks because of his family's wealth and status. Saint Ignatius as a teen was not like how we know him to be today, he was quite rowdy and would make the wrong decisions closer to his middle life (getting arrested twice), and it seemed that he only now wanted to be a part of the army for the glory, but as he matured into more of an adult, he started realising his responsibilities and taking them seriously.
Saint Ignatius’ mid life started around 20th May 1521, when he was struck by a cannonball whilst fiercely defending the city of Pamplona. Shocked by his bravery, the other army let him go alive so he could recover. To pass time, he would read books, but the only 2 books he could read were about christianity. At first, he forced himself to read the books, but soon he became more interested in them. Once he had recovered, he set off to the town of montserrat, where he surrendered his sword and shield in front of the lady of montserrat’s statue. After that, Ignatius journeyed to a town called Manresa, where he lived as a beggar in a cave.
In His late life, Ignatius did many things such as study in places like Alcala and Paris universities. After he had learned Latin, he was ordained and wrote the spiritual exercises. With some men he met on his pilgrimage, he decided to start a group called the society of Jesus. Then they voted on who would be the leader, and Ignatius received every vote other than his own vote, which shows how amazing of a leader he had become. Ignatius lived out the rest of his life preaching and managing the Jesuits, but he passed away on the 31st of July 1556, aged 64. He died of a string of malaria. He was canonised on March 12th, 1622.