St. Ignatius of Loyola

Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556) was a Basque soldier whose leg was shattered by a cannonball; reading the lives of the saints during his recovery, he resolved to serve Christ as a "knight" of the Church. He founded the Society of Jesus and wrote the Spiritual Exercises, the classic guide to retreat and discernment. He is the patron of retreats and soldiers.