Ignatius of Loyola

Today is the Feast of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus. It's hard to think of a more consequential figure in Catholicism over the last 500 years, and, as Louis Dupre aptly argues in Passage to Modernity, Ignatius--most especially through the Spiritual Exercises--was an epochal figure in the making of the modern West. So on this feast day, watch Ennio Morricone conduct the music from "The Mission," give thanks for the work of the Jesuits, and consider what Ignatius wrought when he told Francis Xavier to "go set the world aflame."