Spiritual Exercises
The full Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola are a creative and flexible programme of prayer and reflection centred on the life of Christ. The person who receives the Exercises is encouraged to open themselves generously to God, to become more aware of what gets in the way of their commitment to Christ and his kingdom, and to move into a deeper affective and active relationship with God and the world. The Exercises are often made by people who are at a time of decision, and who want to see more clearly how God draws them. The full Exercises can be made in a number of ways. Ignatius thought the Exercises would ordinarily last about 30 days if people did nothing else, that is on a silent, individually guided retreat. Another way of making this retreat is as 3, 10 day residential retreats. The Centre is not able to offer these retreats, but we can give contact details of other places in the UK where the 30 day retreats are held regularly. (see our links page)
Exercises in Daily Life
The other popular way of making the Exercises is alongside one’s normal life. The person making the Exercises commits themselves to regular prayer with the Exercises. They meet with the director once a week for about an hour where they talk about their experiences of the exercises over past week and the director offers material for the coming week. The whole experience lasts between 7 and 12 months.
Here at the Centre, it is often most convenient for people to begin the Exercises in the Autumn. However, it may well be possible to begin the retreat at other times if a director is available. Please contact us for application forms and further details.