Pope Francis: "God is a friend, an ally, a spouse. In prayer one can establish an intimate relationship with him..." 
General Audience, May 13, 2020.

A Few quotes from past attendees of this retreat:

• "I pray more frequently and differently every day than I did before the retreat."
• "Greater desure to seek God and His will."
• "Closer walk with God"

What is an "Ignatian retreat"?
A retreat in the Ignatian tradition is based upon the Spiritual Exercises written in the 1500s by St. Ignatius of Loyola while he was a layman. The retreat uses a process of prayer and reflection that covers four "weeks": 

1. God's creative love and our rejection of it and God's divine mercy through Jesus
2. The life of Jesus
3. Jesus' passion and death
4. And Jesus' resurrection

The duration of a "week" is a period of time rather than a set number of days.

Logistics:
This retreat runs for an Intro week plus 12 following, consecutive weeks. The retreat requires 15-30 minutes of time each day plus a weekly, one-hour group meeting. 

Requirements to attend the retreat:

1. A retreat guidebook
   • The retreat will be using: "Finding Christ in the World: A Twelve Week Ignatian Retreat in Everyday LifePurchase book from Publisher Here
2. A willingness to spend 15-30 minutes each day in prayer/reflection
3. Attending the 1 hour weekly group meeting (total of 13 meetings)
4. Register for the retreat. Limited to room capacity.

Facilitator:
Deacon Mark Olivieri will facilitate the groups. He has been leading groups through this retreat since the Fall of 2020. He has been attending Ignatian retreats since 1994 and graduated from Loyola Chicago in May 2021 with a Masters in Christian Spirituality / Spiritual Direction with an emphasis in Ignatian Spirituality.