The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola
Although St. Ignatius of Loyola lived during the 1500s,
his wisdom is incredibly relevant and practical for life today.
My Journey with The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola
I completed The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola in June of 2017. For me, the three main fruits of this adventure have been:
coming to know and love Mary,
the movement from an experience of interior unfreedom to spiritual freedom, and
understanding that I am loved; that I exist in love; that I am surrounded by love; and that I am love to others.
Through this profound and transformative journey, I heard my call to serve as a spiritual director and to companion others through the Spiritual Exercises.
That upcoming fall I began my journey of educational and spiritual formation to be able to serve in this way.
In June of 2022 I was commissioned, along with my amazing cohort, to go forth and share this transformative process with other seekers. As part of our commissioning ceremony, we were asked to share our commitments as we step more fully into this ministry. Here are my promises:
I promise, with God’s grace, to ~
receive people, in all their beauty, fullness, and complexity. And to
listen to, accept, and believe the truth of each person’s experience of God, as they describe it, in that moment. And to
reverence God and stand in awe at the particularity of God’s relationship with each person -
forming and calling each person,
on purpose,
in and for Love.
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Just like physical exercises advance one’s goals of physical wellbeing, so the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola are meant to advance one’s goals of spiritual wellbeing.
The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius are an incredibly well-crafted series of spiritual movements, or practices, that one engages in, repetitively and in new ways, over an extended period of time. And just like when one is attempting to meet a goal of physical improvement they must pay particular attention to their physical composition and habits, one must bring a level of intention, awareness, and curiosity to their spiritual composition and practice for the best result.
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I love that The Exercises provide a great structure for spiritual growth AND immense freedom to explore one’s particular relationship with God.
Also, many people find The Exercises provide them an opportunity to get to know Jesus in a new way: directly through their own experience of him, as they walk and pray with him throughout the retreat, rather than primarily through what they’ve been taught by others.
Finally, I love that The Exercises help people establish a level of consistency in their prayer life that many have not yet experienced… all while trying out “new” ways of praying and deepening their spiritual life. The benefit of this experience extends far beyond the official “close” of the retreat.
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There are different formats for The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Many people who work and have families or other responsibilities choose to participate in what’s known as the “19th Annotation” of The Exercises. This is also called “The Retreat in Daily Life,” and very often takes retreatants about 9 months to complete. People who choose to make The Exercises commit to about 45 minutes of daily guided prayer and weekly meetings with a spiritual director.
Let’s make The Exercises together.
I’m so grateful for the gifts of this tradition and for the many communities of faith and friendship that have loved me into being.
I would love to be part of your spiritual community as God continues to love YOU into being as well.
Please be in touch if you’d like to connect and learn more.