Retreats at Ignatius House introduce participants to important principles of Ignatian prayer and engage them in meditations based on key aspects of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. The retreats combine elements of both guided prayer experiences and individual one-on-one spiritual conversations with a spiritual director as well as opportunities for the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist.
This is a silent retreat. Guests are expected to maintain a sacred silence throughout the retreat, including at meals, unless otherwise noted.
Rev. Bill Noe, SJ, the youngest of eight brothers, is a native of Racine, Wis. Before entering the Society of Jesus in 2003, Fr. Bill lived in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area for several years, where he worked as an electrical engineer. Fr. Bill has enjoyed long associations with St. Anselm’s Abbey, a Benedictine monastery, and Bethlehem House, a community formed for people with an intellectual disability – both in Washington D.C. During his formation as a Jesuit priest, Fr. Bill was trained in catechesis, comparative theology, and interreligious dialogue. Fr. Bill began his ministry of spiritual direction at St. Ignatius Retreat House in Manhasset, N.Y., in 2005 and has served as a spiritual director in New York, Chicago, Bolivia, and the United Kingdom. From 2015 to 2019, Fr. Bill served as director of Ignatian Spirituality at Loyola on the Potomac, a Jesuit retreat house in Faulkner, Md. He recently received an MA in Pastoral Mental Health Counseling from Fordham University.
Sarah Otto, M.Div. is a Jesuit-trained retreat director and spiritual director who completed her Master of Divinity at Boston College. She studied theology as both an undergrad and graduate student. Her passion has focused on the intersection of faith and justice, which led her to study in El Salvador. Sarah spent a year in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, serving men and women experiencing homelessness in Portland, Ore. Sarah has worked as a hospital and prison chaplain and most recently worked in college campus ministry for five years, both at Providence College and as director of a Newman Catholic Center in Chico, Calif. As a mom, Sarah is particularly passionate about ministering to women and families but continues to enjoy helping people discern how to live a faith that does justice, as well as discovering the unique and creative ways God works in everyone.
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