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The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius

From Fall 2023 to Spring 2024, a variety of opportunities for praying The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius will be offered. This commitment comes from the Universal Apostolic Preferences promoted by the Society of Jesus throughout the world in February, 2019. The first of these UAPs is “Showing the way to God through The Spiritual Exercises and Discernment.” All of the Cincinnati Jesuit Works, including Bellarmine Chapel, will provide options for experiencing this spiritual path that you may have heard about but have never personally explored. Or, you may have prayed The Exercises at one time, but now feel called to go deeper and pray them again.

Ignatius always encouraged that one have a companion to guide this prayer practice, but if praying alone is preferred, an excellent resource can be found here.

Explore the opportunities

Here is the form to REGISTER for the options described below:

  • 8-week version will be offered at various times of the week led by experienced parish members.
    • Monday evenings October 2 – November 20, at 7 p.m. at their home in Madeira led by Connie and Dan Cevasco.
    • Other times of the week as facilitators are available.

 

  • 5-week version on Sunday mornings 10:15 – 11:15 am, Hailstones Hall Room 2

    • October 15 An introduction to The Spiritual Exercises – Fr. Damian
    • October 29 Entering the First Week through The Incarnation – Robert VanDyke (Watch a recording)
    • November 5 Entering the Second Week through Jesus’s public ministry – Kieth Daniel (Watch a recording)
    • November 12 Entering the Third Week through Jesus’s Crucifixion – Kim Navaro (Watch a recording)
    • November 19 Entering the Fourth Week through Jesus’s Resurrection – Mary Beth Ottke (Watch a recording)

 

  • 32-week version beginning October 11, at 7 p.m., and continuing on Wednesdays through April. Orientation for the group will be Saturday, October 7, at 10:30 a.m. The group will be led by parishioner Dan Roche who has dedicated many years to providing spiritual direction and leading retreats at the Jesuit Spiritual Center. Hybrid of Zoom and in-person.

 

  • Pray The Ignatian Examen, a “simple life-changing prayer” weekly online group Tuesday evenings 7:30 – 8. Use this form to sign up.

 

  • Praying The Spiritual Exercises in the spirit of Teilhard de Chardin’s wisdom that to love God requires loving all of creation. This 8-week option on Thursday evenings beginning February 1, 2024 will be facilitated by spiritual director Cissy Eyre.

 

  • A group for women who want to uncover liberating possibilities within the language and imagery of St. Ignatius. Contact Jane Myers if you are interested.

 

We invite each of you to choose one of these offerings so you can discover new ways of praying and new ways of living your life in Christ. If you are interested in leading any of these groups, please contact Jane Myers.

  • The Eucharist and the Spiritual Exercises – Women’s Retreat on November 3 – 5, 2023: This weekend we will be guided by the theme of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter: On the Liturgical Formation Of The People Of God by focusing on the interaction between the movements of the Mass and the movements of the Spiritual Exercises.
  • The Eucharist and the Spiritual Exercises – Men’s Retreat on February 9 – 11, 2024: This weekend we will be guided by the theme of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter: On the Liturgical Formation Of The People Of God by focusing on the interaction between the movements of the Mass and the movements of the Spiritual Exercises.
  • Walking the Way of Mercy with St. Ignatius – Men’s Retreat on March 1 – 3, 2024: Lent is the Season of Mercy, a time to reflect on the need for mercy in our own lives and in the world. Using the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius join us as we focus on how the experience of God’s mercy transforms hearts to be more like the Heart of Jesus.

For more information, please contact Mary Ann Fellinger via email or at 513-248-3500. For a complete list of retreats at the Jesuit Spiritual Center, visit their website.

  • 8-week version from St. Xavier Church about The Spiritual Exercises “in everyday life.” It began September 24 from 8:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. in the St. X Parish Center (611 Sycamore St. Cincinnati, OH 45202) and continues weekly in-person through November 19. The material for the retreat is The Ignatian Prayer Adventure by Kevin O’Brien SJ. To discover how your faith and everyday life can thrive together, please join us! Email Sandy Keiser or call her at 513 477-2906.

Various faculty groups praying The Spiritual Exercises.
*Parent groups prayed The Spiritual Exercises January through May 2023; new groups continue to be offered. For information, please contact Matt Kemper.

The Dorothy Day Center for Faith and Justice (CFJ), Xavier University’s student ministry office, offers a wide range of formation in the Spiritual Exercises.

  • Approach Retreat – An introductory retreat calling students to a greater awareness of God in the world around them and the importance of reflection in one’s everyday approach to life. 
  • Discernment Mini-Retreat: How will you Give Glory to God? – A mini-retreat with guest Jesuit directors where students listen, pray, share and move forward knowing that God is calling them.
  • Emmaus Retreat – A Catholic retreat, rooted in the Scripture story of the Walk to Emmaus, challenging students to further expand their spiritual lives. Students are invited to explore Christ’s role in their lives through prayer and reflection.
  • Encounter Retreat – A next step after the Approach Retreat, this retreat calls students to deepen their spiritual lives. Rooted in Ignatian Spirituality students are invited to intentionally explore and develop a personal relationship with God through individual reflection, small group sharing and communal prayer.

The CFJ offers ongoing spiritual direction with many other retreat options, such as Nineteenth Annotation and Vocational Discernment retreats. To get involved, please contact Colleen Ryan Mayrand.

 

Xavier’s Center for Mission and Identity focuses on faculty, staff and university administrators including trustees.

  • Manresa for New Faculty and Staff is offered as an overnight experience and luncheon series option that orients new employees to Ignatian spirituality and Jesuit pedagogy.
  • AFMIX (Assuring the Future Mission and Identity of Xavier) is a two-year program that meets weekly during the academic year to provide an in-depth understanding and engagement with Xavier’s Jesuit Catholic mission and identity. During the program, participants spend a semester experiencing the Spiritual Exercises in small group format. 
  • WISE – Wisdom and Integration through the Spiritual Exercises, a yearlong program for faculty to assist finding deeper meaning and purpose in their vocation and Xavier’s understanding of its Jesuit Catholic educational identity through the Spiritual Exercises.
  • The Spiritual Exercises and spiritual direction are offered on campus. Currently, five staff members are being trained as Ignatian guides to expand the availability for one-on-one spiritual direction.

To get involved, please contact Joe Shadle.