Ignatius of Loyola 1491-1556

Children's Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza chooses

- Dame Rachel de Souza

When did you first hear about Ignatius?

I went to a Catholic school and as a little girl I had to recite St Ignatius's prayer. Later, as a student, I got a summer job teaching English to foreign Jesuit students and one of the things I taught them about was Ignatius. The more I learned about him, the more fascinated I became. He's been very influential in my life, though not necessarily in a religious way.

What kind of man was he?