Saint Ignatius Pilgrim big size

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SAINT IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA. Text collected by Father Luis Gonçalves da Camara between 1553 and 1555

At Montserrat, on the night of Our Lady of March, in the year 1522, he went as secretly as he could to a poor man, stripped off all his clothes, gave them to him and dressed in his desired attire, and went to kneel before the altar of Our Lady; sometimes in this manner, and sometimes standing, with his staff in his hand, he spent the entire night. And at dawn, he left so as not to be recognized, and went, not by the direct route to Barcelona, ​​where he would find many who would know and honor him, but by detouring to a town called Manresa, where he decided to stay in a hospital for a few days, and also to note some things in his book, which he kept carefully guarded, and with which he was greatly consoled. And having gone a mile from Monserrat, a man caught up with him, who was coming very quickly after him, and asked him if he had given some clothes to a poor man, as the poor man said; and when he answered that he had, tears sprang from his eyes, out of compassion for the poor man to whom he had given the clothes; out of compassion, because he understood that they were harassing him, thinking that he had stolen them.