On May 20, 1521, one man’s fate–and faith–was changed forever. Ignacio de Loyola was a soldier who was called to defend the city of Pamplona against the French. As he stood on one of the wall towers, he was struck by a cannon ball. With both legs injured, he was carried back to his home in Loyola where he spent the next few months recuperating. The rest, as they say, is history. But this ‘cannon ball moment’ effectively changed not only his life, but countless others.
This marker is found in front of the San Ignacio de Loyola Basilica in Pamplona. It says “Here San Ignacio de Loyola fell wounded on 20 May 1521. AMDG” AMDG stands for ad maiorem Dei gloriam which means “for the greater glory of God”. This is San Ignacio’s motto, and the motto of the Jesuit order and all Jesuit schools around the world.
Incidentally (and as you probably know by now), we are producing a film about San Ignacio de Loyola entitled Ignacio: the First Jesuit. I will post about it in detail later but for now, you can visit our IndieGoGo page to contribute to our crowdfunding campaign here www.tinyurl.com/ignaciomovie. We only have until August 31 before the campaign ends so hurry up! 🙂 AMDG!
