I've been asked if Ignatian retreats are better than an ACTS retreats. How would you answer the question, which child is your favorite? Each are unique and loved. The retreats are different and yet both are designed to draw you closer to God. If you are looking to grow your personal relationship with Jesus, then maybe this retreat is for you. No, you don't have to be Catholic to participate. Space is limited. The parish will bulk order the guidebooks to save you individual shipping fees. The deadline to be included in the bulk order is 8 AM Monday, January 25. Interested? Keep reading.
How is your relationship with God? If you are looking to go deeper, then maybe this retreat is for you. It will be a daily guided retreat with weekly group meetings that will last about an hour. The retreat will be using: "Finding Christ in the World: A Twelve Week Ignatian Retreat in Everyday Life". Each book costs $40 and is designed to be written in daily by the retreatant to capture their journey for future reflection. Each week begins with two sections: an introduction and prayer talk. Each day includes directions for reflecting with the day's short scripture passage. The retreat runs for 13 consecutive weeks beginning February 3 and requires about 15-30 minutes of time each day plus a weekly one hour group Zoom meeting. The retreat wraps up on April 28.
A retreat in the Ignatian tradition is based upon the Spiritual Exercises written in the 1500's by St Ignatius of Loyola while he was a layman. The retreat uses a process of prayer and reflection that covers four "weeks": God's creative love and our rejection of it and God's divine mercy through Jesus, the life of Jesus, Jesus' passion and death, and Jesus' resurrection. The duration of a "week" is a period of time rather than a set number of days.
1) a retreat guide book
2) a willingness to spend 15-30 minutes each day in prayer/reflection
3) attending the 1 hour weekly group session
Space is limited to 12 retreatants.
Groups will meet weekly via Zoom on Wednesdays, from 12 PM - 1 PM.
Deacon Mark Olivieri will facilitate the groups. He lead two groups through this retreat the Fall of 2020 at St Thomas Aquinas. He has been attending Ignatian retreats for the past 27 years and is expecting to graduate from Loyola Chicago in May 2021 with a Masters in Christian Spirituality with a concentration in Spiritual Direction.
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.