SoulStream now offers accompaniment in The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola
Ignatian Spirituality affirms God is present “in all things” and “labours on our behalf” to draw us close to God. Jesuit educator and author Kevin O’Brien SJ, says that in the Exercises, “Ignatius invites us into an intimate encounter with God revealed in Jesus Christ so that we can think and act more like Christ.”
Why the Spiritual Exercises?
In the Spiritual Exercises, the retreatant engages in an intimate encounter with Jesus, journeying with him from his birth to his death and resurrection. The Exercises are good for increasing one’s openness to the movement of the Spirit, for bringing to light hindrances within us that may obstruct one’s attunement to the Spirit and their truest self, and for strengthening and supporting them to open more fully to God’s boundless love and live more freely from this truth.
Ignatian Spirituality affirms that God is present in all things—creation, our relationships, our jobs, our thoughts, our culture—and in all we do, allowing us to be who we were created to be.
What is the 19th Annotation/Retreat in Daily Life?
St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) initially intended that the Spiritual Exercises be given by a spiritual guide and made by a retreatant in a thirty-day silent retreat of daily prayer and daily sessions with the guide. However, he soon realized that many who desired to make the Exercises were not in circumstances that allowed them to leave their homes, families, and responsibilities for a month. Thus, he developed the 19th Annotation, an adaptation to the Exercises, to make it possible to complete the full Spiritual Exercises in 30-35 weeks while living their daily life. In this format, a retreatant commits to a disciplined daily habit of prayer and exercises of 45-60 minutes per day, six days a week over a period of eight to nine months.
The Retreat in Daily Life offers an opportunity for the retreatant to integrate the blessings of their prayers into all aspects of their life, engage in various prayer forms, deepen their trust and intimacy with God, and grow in discernment that will last a lifetime.
The Structure of the Spiritual Exercises
The Spiritual Exercises follow closely the key events in the life and ministry of Jesus. By engaging with scripture and prayer, and with exercises of the imagination called meditations and contemplations, the Spiritual Exercises help the retreatant to consider who they are for God and who God is for them.
The Spiritual Exercises is structured into four phases, or what Ignatius called “weeks”, with a preparatory phase before entering. The preparatory phase is an introduction to the prayer forms and sets the context for entry into the body of the exercises. The Weeks organize distinct themes of prayers, contemplations, and meditations for the retreatant to learn to experience God’s nearness and God’s graces.
Each retreatant meets individually with their spiritual companion weekly. During these sessions, their spiritual guide listens to the prayer experiences of the retreatant from the week before and assigns prayer exercises for the week ahead. Each of our companions has received training in guiding those making the Spiritual Exercises.
SoulStream’s Retreat in Daily Life 2024-2025
The mission of SoulStream is to nurture contemplative experience with Christ leading to inner freedom and loving service. SoulStream’s values are reflected in the way the Exercises are offered and are co-facilitated by SoulStream partners, Jan Evans and Esther Hizsa.
Program Details
September 23, 2024 to May 31, 2025
Cost: $1775 plus a $75 non-refundable registration fee.
Included:
- 33 individual weekly sessions (50-60 minutes, virtual or in-person) with their assigned spiritual guide/companion
- Seven group teaching sessions (60-minute, virtual) held each four to six weeks on a
Monday at 4pm PT/7pm ET
The group sessions will include teachings that will support a deepening of prayer and an opportunity for brief sharing around the circle. These sharing times allow us all to hear the many unique ways God’s loving presence and invitations may be experienced. (NB: All sharing times are voluntary.) The teaching segment of group sessions will be recorded and made available to participants.
Course registration deadline July 15, 2024 or when the course is full.
Cancellation Policy
Would you like to know more?
Jan and Esther are hosting a time to answer any questions you may have about SoulStream’s offering of the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises.
Join us online
Monday, May 27, 2024 at 4 pm PT/7 pm ET
If you would like to participate in this online conversation, please email Esther at aneverydaypilgrim@gmail.com for a Zoom link.
Facilitators
Jan Evans accompanied many persons through the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life (Annotation 19) over the past 14 years. She received her Ignatian training through workshops offered by Loyola House – Ignatian Spirituality Centre in Guelph and a nine-month supervised practicum with a Loyola House spiritual director. She currently offers spiritual direction from her home in London, Ontario and teaches in the Ontario Jubilee Spiritual Direction Training Program.
Esther Hizsa has completed and accompanied people praying the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises Retreat in Daily Life (Annotation 19) with JSAV (Jesuit Apostolate Spirituality of Vancouver). She has an M Div from Regent College, co-facilitates Living from the Heart and is on the Leadership Team of SoulStream. She posts weekly on her blog An Everyday Pilgrim and is the author of Stories of an Everyday Pilgrim, Seed Cracked Open, and In the Heart of the Beloved. Esther attends St. Stephen the Martyr Church in Burnaby.
Jan and Esther are both members of SoulStream, a dispersed, contemplative Christian community.
All photos (except the ones of Jan and Esther) are by Irene Fennema and gratefully used with her permission.