What is Ignatian Spirituality?
Rooted in
The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, Ignatian Spirituality is a way of encountering God in everyday life. For St. Ignatius, our relationship with God is at the center of how we encounter our lives, our work, and our world. One of the key aspects of this spirituality worldview is flexibility. All of us are on different parts of our journey with God, some might be starting out for the first time. Ignatian Spirituality meets you wherever you are and helps you encounter God already hard at work in your life.
L.E.A.P: Le Moyne Exercises for Active People
As faculty and staff members at Le Moyne college we are pulled in many different directions at work and at home. We all lead very active lives. The offerings laid out below are opportunities for you to engage with Ignatian Spirituality in different ways. There are retreats for beginners, for people with a regular practice of prayer, and everyone in between. All of these offerings meet you where you are, you don’t need to leave home or take a sabbatical. You pick when you want to pray and where you want to pray.
- 19th Annotation of the Spiritual Exercises- This retreat is a full experience of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. It takes place during the academic year from the end of September through the beginning of May. You’ll have assigned prayers and meditations for each day and meet weekly with a spiritual director for 45 minutes. Participants can expect to spend 30-40 minutes or so a day in prayer and reflection. Applications are now available and will be accepted through NEED DATE for the 23-24 Cohort. Please click here for the application.
- Faber Prayer Group- Named after St. Pierre Faber, a college roommate and close friend of St. Ignatius, this prayer group is a five week introduction to prayer. Each day you’ll receive prayer points delivered right to your email. Each week you’ll meet with a group of other faculty/staff to share about your experiences and challenges in learning to pray. Participants can expect to spend 15-20 minutes a day, 5 days a week in prayer for 5 weeks. Applications will be available in early September, 2023.
- Busy Person Retreat- This is a one week retreat along a particular theme, like Advent, Lent, or Caring for Creation. This is designed for someone who is looking for an opportunity to slow down and use some prepared meditations for a week. Applications will be available in Fall 2023.
- Encounter- A 10 week retreat in everyday life rooted in The Spiritual Exercises. This is aimed at anyone who is interested in making the full 19th Annotation retreat or has already made it. Participants meet weekly with a spiritual director and will receive prayer points for each day of the retreat. Participants can expect to spend 20-30 minutes a day in prayer. Applications will be available in Spring 2024.
- Spiritual Work of Racial Justice- Through a partnership with the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion this offering is a spiritual reading group. Participants meet weekly, for six weeks, with a group of 6-8 other faculty/staff members to share about the meditations and prayers in the book “The Spiritual Work of Racial Justice” by Patrick Saint Jean, SJ. Applications will be available in Fall 2023.
Spiritual Direction
In some of the descriptions above it says participants will meet weekly with a spiritual director. These are men and women trained to listen about how God is at work in your life, your prayer, and the retreat. Whenever you are starting something new, it’s good to have someone who is experienced to help you navigate the ups and downs of developing a practice. Some of the direction will be available face to face and some will be available on zoom.
Regular spiritual direction is available for members of the Le Moyne community without participating in one of the above retreats. Please contact Fr. Jason Downer, SJ for more information about that opportunity.