Ignatius Loyola lived from 1491 to1556. He was a nobleman and a soldier who recognized a calling to serve the Lord while recuperating from the wounds of battle.  This led Ignatius to become  the founder of a new religious order,  we know as the Society of Jesus. His jesuits soon developed a reputation as great scholars and teachers of both science and math, and the schools they founded attracted Catholics and non-Catholics alike, just as they do today.     And while many who have tangled with them are surprized to learn that there could possibly be any jesuit saints, Saint Ignatius was part of the illustrious "class" canonized on 12 March 1622 .

Some believe that had Ignatius lived two centuries later he surely would have stood at the side of  Lt. Presley O'Bannon on the shores of Tripoli.