In omnibus amare et servire Domino
“In all things, to love and serve the Lord.”
Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises; motto of Ateneo de Iloilo
What does “In omnibus amare et servire Domino” mean?
In omnibus amare et servire Domino translates as “In all things, to love and serve the Lord.”
A call to make love and service of God part of every action.
“In omnibus amare et servire Domino” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| In | in | preposition taking the ablative here, meaning “in” or “among” |
| omnibus | all things | ablative plural neuter of omnis, “all”; used as a noun, so “in all things” (it could also be masculine, “among all people”) |
| amare | to love | present infinitive active of amo, “I love” |
| et | and | conjunction |
| servire | to serve | present infinitive active of servio, “I serve”, with the dative of the person served |
| Domino | the Lord | dative singular of dominus, “lord, master”; the object of servire, and also of amare in the sense “to love the Lord” |
How to pronounce “In omnibus amare et servire Domino”
The two differ mainly in the v of servire (w or v) and in the vowels, which are the same in this text. The stress falls on the second syllable of amare and servire, and on the first of Domino.
The story behind it
Word for word the line reads “in all things to love and to serve the Lord”. It is the Latin form of the Spanish phrase “en todo amar y servir” from the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits.
The phrase comes from the Contemplation to Attain Love, the closing meditation of the Exercises. There Ignatius asks the retreatant to find God in every part of daily life, so that love and service are not kept for prayer alone.
The Latin wording became a motto in Jesuit-influenced schools. It is the motto of Ateneo de Iloilo in the Philippines, and it suits any setting that wants faith to shape ordinary work.
How to use “In omnibus amare et servire Domino”
It fits a school or parish motto, a graduation or confirmation card, a tattoo for someone drawn to Ignatian spirituality, or a short line in a speech about faith lived through daily work.
- Latin
- In omnibus amare et servire Domino
- English
- In all things, to love and serve the Lord.
- Source
- Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises; motto of Ateneo de Iloilo
- Era
- Renaissance
- Theme
- Faith
Common mistakes
- The Latin is a later rendering of Ignatius’s Spanish, not a line from a classical Latin author.
- In omnibus means “in all things”, not “above all”. The sense is that love and service reach into everything, not that they rank first.
- The infinitives amare and servire do not change for a different speaker. “I love and serve” would need amo et servio, which is a different sentence.
- Domino is dative (“to the Lord”). Reusing it for another person or title means changing the form correctly.
Questions about “In omnibus amare et servire Domino”
What does “In omnibus amare et servire Domino” mean?
“In all things, to love and serve the Lord.” It asks that love and service of God be part of every action, not only of prayer.
Who said “In omnibus amare et servire Domino”?
It is the Latin form of Ignatius of Loyola’s “en todo amar y servir” from the Spiritual Exercises. It is also the motto of Ateneo de Iloilo.
How do you pronounce “In omnibus amare et servire Domino”?
In Classical Latin: in OM-nih-boos ah-MAH-reh et ser-WEE-reh DOH-mih-noh. In church Latin the v is a normal v and the i vowels are the same.
Is “In omnibus amare et servire Domino” correct Latin for a tattoo?
Yes, the grammar is sound: two infinitives joined by et, with Domino in the dative. Check the spelling and word order with your tattoo artist before inking.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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