Saint Ignatius of Loyola is the patron of Jesuits, soldiers, retreats, and the Spiritual Exercises. He was wounded as a soldier which led him to read a collection of saint biographies and the Life of Christ by Carthusian while recovering. These two books and his time in contemplation led to his change of heart. After recuperating he became a pilgrim and eventually founded the Society of Jesus, today known as the Jesuits. The Jesuits today have over 500 universities, 30,000 members, and teach over 200,000 students a year. St. Ignatius of Loyola's feast day is July 31st.