Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Center will offer the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola as a nine-month retreat in daily life, beginning in September 2023. Space is limited! Applications will be accepted and interviews conducted on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply early.
To apply, read on or contact Fr. Bill Noe, SJ at WNoe@ignatiushouse.org.
What are the Spiritual Exercises?
The Spiritual Exercises are a collection of meditations, prayers, and contemplative practices intended to help people to deepen their intimacy with God. By entering into a personal experience of the mystery of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection, one can grow in love for Jesus and into a closer discipleship to him. The Exercises are a proven school of prayer and discernment and can help a person faced with a significant life decision to discover and to choose what God hopes for them.
This retreat is well-suited to a person who:
has made one or more shorter individually directed Ignatian retreats in daily life;
has a habit of daily contemplative prayer; and
has recent experience of ongoing spiritual direction, which demonstrates their ability to articulate their experience of prayer and to entrust it to a trained retreat director.
During the Exercises, one typically prays between thirty and sixty minutes each day and takes time for a prayerful review of their day each evening. One meets with their retreat director for up to an hour about once a week. To maintain one’s focus on the Exercises, they often find it necessary to simplify some aspects of their daily rhythm.
This retreat in daily life will include four (optional) group sessions for those making the Spiritual Exercises. Dates to be confirmed.
The cost for this retreat is $1,000. No payment may be made until you have completed and submitted your application form and supporting materials, and until that application has been approved and an interview has taken place.
For more information, or to request the application form, please contact Sarah Otto at sotto@ignatiushouse.org.
An Advanced Trek Into Deeper Prayer
St. Ignatius of Loyola created the Spiritual Exercises to help us find God in all things, but time away or a great book can’t uncover all of the significant and profound encounters with God that await us. St. Ignatius originally proposed that the Spiritual Exercises be done as a 30-day retreat away from all distractions. Quickly in his lifetime, he learned thatmost people can’t isolate themselves from life’s obligations for 30 days. To remedy this and make the Exercises approachable for anyone, he created the 19th Annotation, commonly called, the “Retreat in Everyday Life.”
The 19th Annotation occurs through daily prayer across eight or nine months and calls for a prayerful evening review of each day. It also involves weekly meetings with a spiritual director who’s chosen specifically for you. (These meetings can be held remotely.) Together, you’ll meet over the course of the retreat to complete the Spiritual Exercises, which include meditations, prayers, and contemplative practices intended to help you deepen your relationship with God. There are also four optional group sessions that offer a sense of community on this profound spiritual journey.
The 19th Annotation retreat isn’t for someone new to prayer or spiritual direction. This is an advanced trek into prayer, contemplation, collaboration and discernment. The 19th Annotation hopes to serve people (1) in the habit of daily prayer, (2) comfortable with Sacred Scripture, (3) receptive to ongoing spiritual direction and (4) who have made at least one silent retreat.
Because the 19th Annotation requires a commitment of time, effort and partnership, an application is required to assess readiness and to match you with a spiritual director that’s right for you. Retreatants are not required to live near Ignatius House.
Begin Your Silent Getaway
Let us help you choose the right retreat experience.
Staff can assist with choosing the right retreat, understanding what to expect, making payment arrangements or other questions you may have. We look forward to welcoming you.
at are the Spiritual Exercises?
at are the Spiritual Exercises?