“It’s a good renewal experience. It’s a journey of the soul. It’s a good time to re-examine and strengthen our relationship with God.” “Truly a privilege to be here and to be guided so gently and so completely on this life-giving journey with Christ.”
Formally called “The Spiritual Exercises Institute”
For over 50 years Loyola House has been promoting the personally-directed Ignatian retreat. All of our programs are rooted in the methods of St. Ignatius of Loyola and the dynamics of his Spiritual Exercises. While there are alternate ways of doing the Spiritual Exercises, Loyola House is famous for offering the 40-day Spiritual Exercises Experience.
This program includes the 30 days that comprise the four “weeks” recommended by Ignatius. We start with a few “disposition” days* during which we prepare participants to enter into the ways of proceeding which mark the Exercises. These days include input on the theological themes and methods of prayer. The last few days are spent in “appropriation”. These days offer a workshop atmosphere in which the participants give time to reflection and conversation that help them understand and appropriate their experience of the 30 days of prayer.
This brief video titled “Find Peace” introduces the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. The “thirst for God” is at the core of each human being, even those who feel far from the Church. “To follow this thirst is the beginning of a journey towards the peace of the heart and towards a more serene life, beyond the chaos we experience in our hectic days”, Fr. Renato Colizzi, CIS director, explains. Video source: CIS, the Centre for Ignatian Spirituality
See upcoming opportunities for taking the Spiritual Exercises here.
*Ignatian Spirituality Retreat is a 5-day retreat and is a good opportunity for a for both the beginner and experienced director to gain a heightened awareness of the fundamentals of an Ignatian Retreat or to prepare for Annotation 19 (retreat in daily life). Look for opportunities to take the Ignatian Spiritual Retreat here.