PRAYER EXPERIENCES

The Spiritual Exercises

The Spiritual Exercises originate in St. Ignatius' own experience in dealing with God, particularly during his ten-month retreat at a place called Manresa. Over the course of some 25 years, Ignatius developed his spiritual notes taken at Manresa into a practical handbook for directors to guide persons into closer relationships with God and into living out those relationships in the world.  

The Exercises themselves are a series of prayers and experiences that move through four stages or weeks (a week is a segment of time, not necessarily seven days). Each week has a particular focus: the First Week on rejecting a loving God (sin) and God's continuous response of mercy; the Second Week on developing a relationship with Jesus, the Christ, through his public life; the Third Week on being with Jesus in his passion and death; and the Fourth Week on relating to the risen Jesus as he is now and on becoming a "contemplative in action."

The Spiritual Exercises are a process, adaptable to each retreatant. However, a retreatant, entering into the Spiritual Exercises, is asked to be large-hearted, to be open, and to pay attention to God acting in her/his life. An experienced companion-guide accompanies the retreatant, but the true guide-director is always the Holy Spirit.

The Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life
Ignatius recognized early on in the development of the Exercises that many people were too occupied with day-to-day responsibilities to get away for a thirty-day period. For these people, he recommended that they do the Exercises "in everyday life" over several months. This version is often referred to as the Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life.

The Exercises in Everyday Life take place over a nine-month period, beginning in September and concluding in May. Activities include a commitment to daily prayer of approximately one hour, as well as a weekly meeting with a prayer guide to review one's prayer, to receive direction for the following week's exercises, and to learn about different prayer exercises.  

Content, Method, and Movements of the Spiritual Exercises
There is no one method or source of Ignatian prayer: Ignatius drew on a number of sources, and the Exercises contain perhaps ten different kinds of prayer. Though a readiness to pray with scripture is important, there is opportunity for stillness, too. Ignatius did not wish to force people into a spiritual straitjacket. The Spiritual Exercises, therefore, involve a process whose aim is to help retreatants reach inner freedom in responding freely to the personal call of Christ to help build the Kingdom of God.    

Through the Exercises, retreatants develop characteristics which then become part of their daily lives. First, retreatants become better able to discern their inner desires and to see how God is working in their lives and in the world.   Second, they learn how to bring together contemplation and action. And, third, they become increasingly aware of the presence and activity of God in all things.

Who should make the Exercises?
People of varied backgrounds and Christian traditions, as well as people who are active or contemplative, have benefited from the Exercises. The Exercises especially benefit

• Women and men serious about their Christian life;
• Those who desire to grow in their relationships with Christ;
• Lay persons, religious, Christians from any tradition;
• Those who have important decisions to make about their lives;
• The young who have a desire to live their lives at a deeper level;
• The middle-aged who want to discern the next steps in their lives;
• The elderly who seek to understand the paths their lives have taken;
• Men and women who are in transition;
• Women and men in leadership positions.

If you think the Spiritual Exercises are right for you at this time, fill out the application materials on line and, if possible, return them on line. If on line application is not possible, print out the application and return it to the Center by mail. Return it as soon as possible, but no later than August 21, 2008. Receipt of a complete application will indicate to us your intention to make the retreat.  

Acceptance into the retreat depends on an applicant's readiness for this experience and the availability of guides.  

Click Here to view and print the .pdf application form. * 

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Mailing Address:
Ignatian Spirituality Center of Kansas City
c/o St. Francis Xavier Parish
1001 E. 52 nd St.
Kansas City, MO 64110

For questions or further information, contact
Joseph Cirincione at 816-523-5115, ext 212, or at jcirincione@sfx-kc.org

What is the Cost?
The fee for the retreat is $250. Arrangements can be made to pay this over the course of the retreat year; scholarships are also available.  Contact the Center for these details.  
816-523-5115, ext. 212
email: jcirincione@sfx-kc.org

Our cost for the retreat program is significantly higher than $250. However, alumni, spiritual guides involved in this retreat, the Missouri Province Jesuits, and others generously support the program, so that all who desire to participate will be able to do so. Along these lines, if you have the means to pay more than $250, we encourage you to do this in the form of a tax-deductible gift to the Spirituality Center. (We are a tax exempt organization.)