--- title: "St. Ignatius of Loyola: Feast Day July 31, Life & Quotes" url: https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-loyola/ description: "St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest, patron of soldiers and retreats. Feast day July 31, died 1556. Read their life and their own words, with sources." --- Priest · Feast day July 31 # St. Ignatius of Loyola The feast day of St. Ignatius of Loyola is July 31, a memorial in the US Catholic calendar. Traditionally invoked as patron of soldiers and retreats. Below: a short life and 3 sourced quotations in their own words. | | | |---|---| | Feast day | [July 31](https://blessbible.app/saints/july/#31) | | In the US calendar | Memorial | | Title | Priest | | Died | 1556 | | Patron of | [soldiers](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/#soldiers), [retreats](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/#retreats) | | In their own words | [3 sourced quotations](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-loyola/#words) · 2 attributed sayings (source unconfirmed) | | Next on Bless’s Today screen | [Saturday, July 31, 2027](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-loyola/#calendar) | ## Life A Basque soldier whose leg was shattered by a cannonball at Pamplona. Convalescing with nothing to read but lives of Christ and the saints, he noticed that worldly daydreams left him dry while thoughts of God left him in peace — the seed of his rules for discernment. From that sickbed came the Spiritual Exercises and the Society of Jesus, which he governed from Rome until his death, sending men to the ends of the earth for the greater glory of God. ## Patron of Tradition invokes St. Ignatius of Loyola as patron of soldiers and retreats. [Soldiers](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/#soldiers) [Retreats](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/#retreats) ### Saints with the same patronage - [St. Sebastian](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-sebastian/) soldiers · January 20 - [St. George](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-george/) soldiers · April 23 - [St. Joan of Arc](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-joan-of-arc/) soldiers · May 30 - [St. Martin of Tours](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-martin-of-tours/) soldiers · November 11 Patronages are traditional, not an official list. [All patron saints in Bless, A to Z](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/). ## In their own words Each quotation names the work it comes from. Bless quotes these in the comments beside the verses listed under [In Scripture](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-loyola/#scripture). > Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul. — *Spiritual Exercises, 23*, 1548 > Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. You have given all to me; to You, Lord, I return it. — *Spiritual Exercises, 234*, 1548 > Love ought to manifest itself in deeds rather than in words. — *Spiritual Exercises, 230*, 1548 ### Attributed, source unconfirmed These sayings circulate under the saint’s name, but no source has been confirmed. Bless shows them with that label. > Pray as if everything depended on God; work as if everything depended on you. — Popular saying, source unconfirmed > Go, set the world on fire. — Popular saying, source unconfirmed ## In Scripture In Bless, St. Ignatius of Loyola’s words appear in the comments beside these verses. This page’s labels say how each is linked: “on this verse” means the saint wrote about that very verse; “on this theme” means the quotation shares its theme. Scripture is quoted from the Catholic Public Domain Version. 1. On this theme > Let us all listen together to the end of the discourse. Fear God, and observe his commandments. This is everything for man. — [Ecclesiastes 12:13](https://blessbible.app/bible/ecclesiastes/12/#v13) · CPDV Beside their words: [“Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save…”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-loyola/#q57) 2. On this theme > And each one who calls upon my name, I have created for my glory. I have formed him, and I have made him. — [Isaiah 43:7](https://blessbible.app/bible/isaiah/43/#v7) · CPDV Beside their words: [“Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save…”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-loyola/#q57) 3. On this theme · source unconfirmed > Therefore, go forth and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, — [Matthew 28:19](https://blessbible.app/bible/matthew/28/#v19) · CPDV Beside their words: [“Go, set the world on fire.”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-loyola/#q61) 4. On this theme · source unconfirmed > I have come to cast a fire upon the earth. And what should I desire, except that it may be kindled? — [Luke 12:49](https://blessbible.app/bible/luke/12/#v49) · CPDV Beside their words: [“Go, set the world on fire.”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-loyola/#q61) 5. On this theme > saying: “Father, if you are willing, take this chalice away from me. Yet truly, let not my will, but yours, be done.” — [Luke 22:42](https://blessbible.app/bible/luke/22/#v42) · CPDV Beside their words: [“Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will…”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-loyola/#q58) 6. On this theme > And so, I beg you, brothers, by the mercy of God, that you offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, with the subservience of your mind. — [Romans 12:1](https://blessbible.app/bible/romans/12/#v1) · CPDV Beside their words: [“Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will…”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-loyola/#q58) 7. On this theme · source unconfirmed > And so, my most beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but even more so now in my absence: work toward your salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you, both so as to choose, and so as to act, in accord with his good will. — [Philippians 2:12–13](https://blessbible.app/bible/philippians/2/#v12) · CPDV Beside their words: [“Pray as if everything depended on God; work as if everything depended on you.”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-loyola/#q59) 8. On this theme · source unconfirmed > Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as for the Lord, and not for men. — [Colossians 3:23](https://blessbible.app/bible/colossians/3/#v23) · CPDV Beside their words: [“Pray as if everything depended on God; work as if everything depended on you.”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-loyola/#q59) 2 more verses 1. On this theme > Thus even faith, if it does not have works, is dead, in and of itself. — [James 2:17](https://blessbible.app/bible/james/2/#v17) · CPDV Beside their words: [“Love ought to manifest itself in deeds rather than in words.”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-loyola/#q60) 2. On this theme > My little sons, let us not love in words only, but in works and in truth. — [1 John 3:18](https://blessbible.app/bible/1-john/3/#v18) · CPDV Beside their words: [“Love ought to manifest itself in deeds rather than in words.”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-loyola/#q60) ## In the calendar The upcoming dates, through December 31, 2028, when Bless’s Today screen shows St. Ignatius of Loyola. Where the US calendar keeps another celebration that day, it is named instead and no rank is given. | Date | In the US calendar | Color | Mass readings (US) | |---|---|---|---| | [Saturday, July 31, 2027](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2027/07/31/) | St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest (Memorial) | White | Leviticus 25:1, 8-17 · Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 7-8 · Matthew 5:10 · Matthew 14:1-12 | | [Monday, July 31, 2028](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2028/07/31/) | St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest (Memorial) | White | Jeremiah 13:1-11 · Deuteronomy 32:18-19, 20, 21 · James 1:18 · Matthew 13:31-35 | Readings Later citations were computed by Bless from the US Lectionary cycle — confirm with your parish. [July 30 St. Peter Chrysologus](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-peter-chrysologus/) [August 1 St. Alphonsus Liguori](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-alphonsus-liguori/) [All the saints of July](https://blessbible.app/saints/july/) [Born on July 31?](https://blessbible.app/saints/birthday/#07-31) [A saint for every day](https://blessbible.app/saints/) Spotted a mistake in a date, a patronage or a quotation? [Report an error](https://blessbible.app/support/#report) and we’ll fix it in the app and here. St. Ignatius of Loyola Feast day July 31 On this page 1. [Life](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-loyola/#life) 2. [Patron of](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-loyola/#patron) 3. [In their own words](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-loyola/#words) 4. [In Scripture](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-loyola/#scripture) 5. [In the calendar](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-loyola/#calendar) In the app Bless shows a saint every day on its Today screen, with their life and their words. Free on iPhone.