Have you ever done an Ignatian Retreat?

  • Thread starter Thread starter JamalChristophr
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
J

JamalChristophr

Guest
I’m thinking of going on one. And I’m wondering what others can say about it, as far as, personal experiences, general advice, and such. How it helped them? Where to go?

Thanks.
 
Are you talking about a generic retreat or the 19th Annotation?

The 19th Annotation was a life-changing experience.

I’ve also been on private retreats at a Jesuit retreat house where it was silent except for a daily meeting with my director.

I’m not sure what you want to know about them.
 
Yes, 2 different things.
I have done both the 19th annotaion of the Spiritual Exercises (typically a 30 day silent retreat than can also be done over 30 weeks) and have been on 3-5 day silent retreats at the Jesuit Center in Wernersville, PA.

It all depends on what you are looking for.
 
Oh, I was thinking of doing the Spiritual Exercises.at a retreat house. Possibly a 30 day retreat or one of the shorter ones.
 
Is there something I should know about them for any particular reason. Why are you interested in going there? Just curious.
 
The 19th Annotation would be far more practical for most, obviously, as one can stay at home. I have some free time that would allow me to go to a retreat house, although I’m not sure I could afford it.
 
JamalChristophr said:
Oh, I was thinking of doing the Spiritual Exercises.at a retreat house. Possibly a 30 day retreat or one of the shorter ones.
Click to expand...
I know about the 30 day retreat second-hand from my Jesuit friend. It’s very intense and actually runs a bit longer than 30 days since you have some time to ease into it and out of it.

The 19th Annotation is different since you continue going to work and living your everyday life, but add this prayerful structure to it. There’s still a time commitment both for your daily prayer sessions and weekly meetings with your director.

I was looking at info about the long retreat at the retreat center in Los Altos. Just completing the application would take a lot of thought and prayer. Considering the questions on the application might give you a good start toward discerning if that’s what you want to do.
 
Wernersville was very reasonable. Around $200 for Friday evening-Sunday afternoon retreat with meals and spiritual direction.
 
I used to work for a man who made a retreat there every year, he looked forward to it.
 
I’m looking forward to reading more experiences.

I’ve been looking at doing a weekend retreat at the Jesuit House outside ATL. It’s a bit of a journey, but I think the distance will be well worth it.

There are also a couple options for Trappists in the same geographic area. Holy Spirit monastery and Gethsemani.

I definitely want to do something after Easter. 🤔
 
Last edited:
I did the 19th annotation about 30 years ago while continuing to live my everyday life and going to work. A good Jesuit priest from a nearby Jesuit retreat house directed me through it. I was considering a religious vocation but had conflicting thoughts and feelings so going through the Ignatian exercises helped me to discern with the help of the priest what was going on here. I learned that my conflict was essentially between my mind and heart. The mind as referring to the intellect whose object is knowledge and truth and the heart as referring to the will whose object is the good which is desirable and lovable and associated feelings/emotions/passions that overflow into the soul/body composite which we may experience as ‘feeling’ good about something or ‘feeling’ an aversion towards something. So, my discernment concerned somehow integrating my mind and heart for we are a unity of soul and body and I learned that God speaks to us through both our mind and heart, our thoughts and desires or ‘feelings’ as it were.

On the one hand, concerning the religious vocation, my mind told me from the teaching of the Church, St Paul, and the example of Christ’s life itself that this vocation is objectively better than marriage or the single state in the world without vows since the religious vows are about a better thing. On the other hand, my heart or desires appeared to be more inclined to life in the world or the lay state and I also was aware from the teaching of St Josemaria Escriva who founded Opus Dei that the lay state in the world is a divine vocation from God as well as what Vatican II taught about the universal call to holiness in all states of life.

As I was going through the meditations the priest gave me to do such as from the gospels, the priest told me to write down the thoughts that came to my mind in the meditations as well as how I felt about these thoughts such as did I experience a good feeling about them or a not so good feeling or aversion to them. To make a long story short, the thoughts that came to my mind in the meditations seemed to predominately relate to the lay state or vocation and which I felt pretty good about. On the other hand, thoughts pertaining to the religious life I seemed to feel a kind of aversion for. The priest told me that if God wants us to do something such as discerning a vocation, for the Ignatian exercises are for trying to discern God’s will for us at that time we do them, He will give you a desire for it which you will feel good about for we desire and love something because it seems good to us. It makes sense that if God is calling some person to the religious life or priesthood, for example, He will give that person a desire for it, a love for it. God doesn’t force somebody to enter religious life who has no desire for it and who may even have an aversion for it. So, in my case and at the time I went through the Ignatian exercises, it was discerned with the help of the priest directing me, that God was not calling me to the religious state at least at that time.
 
Last edited:
(continued)

So, it was very helpful for me going through the 19th annotation way of the Ignatian exercises directed by the priest. I discovered that God speaks to us both through our mind and our heart, our intellect and will, our thoughts and how we feel about those thoughts such as either good which is the object of the will or an aversion to them. Of course, this has to be understood in context for we cannot always rely on our feelings or emotions, true love is in the will. A married couple may not always ‘feel’ love for each other, the emotion or passion, but love each other nonetheless. I may not feel like going to Mass tomorrow or go to work every day, but these are things I need to do regardless. Nor is it a matter of discerning whether we should commit a sin or not because we may feel like it or because it is pleasurable. There is no discernment to be had when it involves sin however we feel about it. Discernment involves alternatives or choices that are good in themselves or at least neutral but not evil such as in my case and at that time in my life of discerning between the religious state or remaining in the lay state.
 
Last edited:
mrsdizzyd said:
I definitely want to do something after Easter. 🤔
Click to expand...
I always go on retreat during Lent and it’s something I look forward to each year. One thing that’s important for me is to get it on my calendar early so I can keep the time blocked out. And since we’re into the new year, it’s probably time for me to make a reservation and know when my retreat is coming up.
 
SuscipeMeDomine said:
I always go on retreat during Lent
Click to expand...
That sounds like an excellent time to do it. I will consider that in the future.

I say after Easter this year because I want to wait until I have recourse to the sacraments. I think a retreat would be an excellent way to start out life as a visible member of the church. 🙂
 
Last edited:
Yes, over several months with meetings weekly. I would attend again.
What is the suggested format of the retreat you are contemplating?
 
@mrsdizzyd that sounds like a perfect start to your life in the Church!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top