My history hero: Dame Rachel de Souza chooses Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556)
Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza chooses Ignatius of Loyola as a history hero
Ignatius of Loyola: in profile
Ignatius of Loyola was a Spanish Catholic priest and theologian who co-founded the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) and became its first Superior General in 1541. After being injured in battle in his youth, he underwent a spiritual conversion and devoted his life to the church, missionary work and teaching. He was beatified after his death and later canonised. In 1922 he was declared the patron saint of spiritual retreats, soldiers and education.
When did you first hear about Ignatius?
I went to a Catholic school and as a little girl I had to recite St Ignatius’s prayer. Later, as a student, I got a summer job teaching English to foreign Jesuit students and one of the things I taught them about was Ignatius. The more I learned about him, the more fascinated I became. He’s been very influential in my life, though not necessarily in a religious way.
What kind of man was he?
There were three Ignatiuses. As a young man he was a soldier, womaniser and rebel. After being hit by a cannonball, which shattered his right leg, he lay down his sword and embraced the Christian faith. But the man I really admire is the third Ignatius, the educationalist who reformed the Catholic church and sent out missionaries all over the world.
What made Ignatius a hero?
He had terrible luck in his life – for instance, he was imprisoned for 42 days during the Spanish Inquisition – but he never gave up and would battle on until he achieved his objective, or persuaded the pope to his way of thinking about a particular issue: he called his approach “storming heaven”. It’s that determination and ability to persuade, influence and get stuff done that I so admire.
What was his finest hour?
For me, it was the moment when he decided to change his life. He walked to Montserrat in Spain, climbed the mountain, lay down his sword and dagger at the Virgin’s altar at the Benedictine monastery, and vowed to devote his life to rebuilding the church. He then went to live in a cave by the banks of the river Cardoner where he prayed and meditated. It was here that he went through a spiritual experience, changing him as a person, which enabled him to do all the good work he later did as a Jesuit.
Is there anything that you don’t particularly admire about him?
I suspect that he may have been a bit of a nightmare to work with and I’m sure he was a hard taskmaster – but the good far outweighs the bad. However, I doubt we’d be sending out missionaries these days, would we?
Can you see any parallels between Ignatius’s life and your own?
Like him, my path hasn’t been easy, and many of the things he said during his life have inspired me. Like him, I’ve also had to battle to get my ideas taken seriously.
What would you ask Ignatius if you could meet him?
I’d ask him what we could do to ensure that the UK is the best place in the world to grow up.
Dame Rachel is an educationalist and former head teacher. She was made a DBE in 2014 and became Children’s Commissioner in 2021.
This article was first published in the October 2023 issue of BBC History Magazine
Authors
York Membery is a regular contributor to BBC History Magazine, the Daily Mail and Sunday Times among other publications. York, who lives in London, worked on the Mirror, Express and Times before turning freelance. He studied history at Cardiff University and the Institute of Historical Research, and has a History PhD from Maastricht University.
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