St Ignatius of Loyola (Inigo)

Dear XLRI Family,

Warm and hearty wishes to each of you on the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, our patron, guide, and companion on this journey of learning and transformation. Today, as we honour the founder of the Society of Jesus, we also celebrate the enduring values that continue to shape the soul of XLRI—values that call us to grow not only in knowledge, but in wisdom, compassion, and conscience.

Born in 1491 in the Basque region of Spain, Ignatius underwent a profound inner transformation after a cannonball shattered his leg—and his life plans—in 1521. What followed was a journey of discernment, solitude, prayer, and reflection, culminating in the writing of the Spiritual Exercises in 1524, his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and eventually the founding of the Society of Jesus in 1540. He died in 1556, but his spirit lives on in every institution, like XLRI, that draws inspiration from his life and legacy.

As members of XLRI, you are not just recipients of management education—you are companions in an Ignatian journey. This path invites you to:

• Practice cura personalis—care for the whole person—in your relationships, leadership, and inner life.

• Seek the magis—not just more, but the greater good—for your own growth and for the world around you.

• Engage in daily examen—pausing to reflect, become aware, and re-align your desires with your deepest values.

• Embrace discernment—the art of making choices rooted in conscience, wisdom, and love.

• Men/Women for others —the mode of living whereby we  find out fulfilment in that of the others (roughly similar to vasudhaiva kutumbakam or ubuntu).

• Finding  God in  all things— and finding all things in God! That God is truly present in everything. So there is need for discernment.
  
  

In the competitive world of business and leadership, St. Ignatius urges us not to settle for success alone but to aspire to significance—through service, justice, and authenticity. His famous motto—Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (AMDG), For the Greater Glory of God—reminds us that our talents, intellect, and energy are not for ourselves alone, but for the flourishing of others and the healing of our world.

May this feast day inspire you to deepen your inner journey, strengthen your ethical compass, and renew your commitment to become leaders who serve, who discern, and who care!

With warm blessings and deep Ignatian joy,
Fraternally,

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam 🌿