The historic
period known as the Counter-Reformation, or Catholic Reformation, begins with
the Council of Trent (1545-1563) and ends with the close of the Thirty Years’ War.
The movement started as a response to the Protestant Reformation. Along with
the new religious orders which were fundamentally parts of the new reform, the
movement was also spiritually oriented. As such, Ignatius of Loyola emerges as
a religious leader during the years of the Counter-Reformation. A Spanish
knight coming from a noble family and the founder of the Society of Jesus,
Ignatius would posthumously be canonized. His feast is celebrated on July 31
and he’s known as the patron saint of soldiers.
