Wh
at are the Spiritual Exercises?
at 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. These sessions will be offered on Saturday mornings, between 10:00 am and 12:00 noon – 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.