E.A. Bucchianeri ~ Author ~ Official Site

Devotion to Saint Ignatius

Spiritual Wisdom, Traditional Prayers,

and the Enduring Spirit of the Founder of the Jesuits

“O father of my soul, worthy of my deepest veneration…”

~ From the Prayer of Saint Francis Xavier

to Saint Ignatius

Wounded while defending Pamplona and confined during his recovery, the young Íñigo López de Loyola saw his worldly ambitions begin to yield to a greater calling. The former courtier and soldier would become Saint Ignatius of Loyola: founder of the Society of Jesus, author of the Spiritual Exercises, and one of the most influential spiritual masters in the history of the Church.

In Devotion to Saint Ignatius, Fr. Marin de Boylesve, S.J. honours the father of his religious order through meditation, biography, prayer, and traditional Jesuit devotion.

Translated into English for the first time, this collection introduces readers to the character and spirituality of a saint who taught souls to seek God in all things, discern His will, labour generously for His glory, and surrender themselves without reserve to His service.

From Earthly Ambition

to the Greater Glory of God

Saint Ignatius understood spiritual combat because he had first pursued the honours of the world. His conversion redirected the courage and discipline of the soldier toward the service of Christ and the salvation of souls.

Fr. de Boylesve’s dramatic meditation presents the spirit and mission of Saint Ignatius in a vivid devotional form, inviting readers to consider the choices that shape a soul: self-interest or sacrifice, worldly recognition or divine glory, hesitation or generous action.

The collection also explores the defining qualities of Ignatian spirituality—discernment, detachment, courage, gratitude, perseverance, obedience, and confidence in Divine Providence.

For readers who know Saint Ignatius chiefly through the Spiritual Exercises or the history of the Jesuits, this book offers a more personal encounter with the saint as spiritual father and heavenly intercessor.

Prayer in the Spirit of Saint Ignatius

“Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory,

my understanding, and my entire will.”

~ From the Suscipe of Saint Ignatius

The prayers gathered here express the generosity at the heart of Ignatian spirituality: a willingness to place one’s gifts, labours, sufferings, and future entirely in the hands of God.

Alongside prayers composed by Saint Ignatius are traditional petitions addressed to him, the prayer of Saint Francis Xavier to his spiritual father, novenas, a litany in Latin and English, and the Ten Sundays devotion.

Together, they provide material for personal prayer, preparation for the saint’s feast, and renewed dedication to serving God with greater courage and purpose.

Inside This Edition

This first English edition includes:

An abridged biography of Saint Ignatius drawn from his traditional Office

A dramatic meditation by Fr. Marin de Boylesve, S.J.

A novena in preparation for the feast of Saint Ignatius

Traditional prayers to the saint in Latin and English

Prayers composed by Saint Ignatius, including the Suscipe

The prayer of Saint Francis Xavier to Saint Ignatius

The Litany of Saint Ignatius

The Ten Sundays devotion

Reflections upon the spirit and virtues of Saint Ignatius

Accounts of saints and blesseds of the Society of Jesus

A fuller biography by Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger

Quotations and counsels drawn from Ignatian spirituality

Twenty-three sacred illustrations and explanatory annotations

The Holy Water of Saint Ignatius

The collection also presents the history of the Holy Water of Saint Ignatius, a traditional Jesuit sacramental associated with prayers for spiritual and temporal assistance.

Included are the traditional rite and prayer of blessing in Latin and English, together with historical accounts of favours attributed to its devout use.

This unusual material preserves a once widely known aspect of popular devotion to Saint Ignatius that many Catholics today may never have encountered.

For the Greater Glory of God

Saint Ignatius continues to speak powerfully to Christians facing difficult decisions, conflicting desires, discouragement, or uncertainty regarding God’s will.

His spirituality is neither passive nor merely theoretical. It calls the soul to prayerful discernment followed by generous action: to labour faithfully, use every gift well, and entrust the results entirely to Divine Providence.

Devotion to Saint Ignatius offers an introduction for those meeting the saint for the first time and a traditional devotional companion for those already formed by his wisdom.