Ignatian Exercises
Noticing and embracing the presence of God is the essence of spiritual direction. Experiencing this in a group is life giving and life transforming. Group spiritual direction is a soul friendship where our soul speaks, listens, and receives.
The purpose of spiritual direction groups is formation. Spiritual formation is a “process of being conformed to the image of Christ to bring glory to God, give us abundant life, and for the sake of others.”
The purposeful goal of group spiritual direction is to help participants become more aware of God in their lives. This leads to an awakening of the soul.
IGNATIAN EXERCISES
God invites us into an intimate, genuine, rewarding, and sustainable life with Him. You can experience a maturing depth in your walk with God.
Most of us are slightly aware of how our bodies and minds grow, develop and shape who we are. But are you aware of your spiritual formation? What has formed your spiritual beliefs? Are you intentional about what goes into forming your spiritual life?
If you are ready to be intentional in your spiritual formation, the Ignatian Exercises can guide and structure your formation.
Can Ignatian Exercises Benefit You?
If you
Are longing for more spiritually
Would like to draw closer to God
Desire simplicity
Are in transition or need to make a major decision or
Want to discern his call in your life
partaking in the Exercises may be what you’re needing.
How Does This Work?
Going through the Ignatian Exercises you will learn to notice what is moving in your heart, and discern which movements are coming from the deepest core of your being, where God is indwelling.
St Ignatious was a Spanish Jesuit from the 14th century who embarked on an adventure with God that transformed his life. He, in turn shares his journey in the form of a “school of prayer”, The Ignatian Exercises. For centuries, the Exercises have profoundly impacted people from all Christian backgrounds, not just Catholicism. Click link for more information about the Ignatian Exercises.
Retreat in Daily Life
The most common way of going through Exercises is a “retreat in daily life”. The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius are an 8-9 month-long retreat of prayer and reflection. Each day there is a time of prayer leading you through the Scriptures, awakening and reviving a thirst for God.
The retreat in daily life can be done individually and/or in a group. Typically, the Individual Exercises start in September and run through May/June. For more information, contact Laura by email or phone at 605-381-9435.
The structure of the prayer time is designed to provide a personal and intimate encounter with Jesus. Over the months of prayer, you rekindle your love for the Trinity, grow a friendship with Jesus, and come to know yourself better. At the end of the retreat, you will sense a difference in yourself and growing freedom to love God, self, and others. You will also find it much easier to say “Yes!” to God’s invitations in your life.
Group Exercises
One variation that has proven to be fruitful is to offer the Exercises to groups of pray-ers. Instead of meeting one-on-one with a director, retreatants meet in a small group facilitated by a spiritual director. The group meets for ten weeks, 75 minutes each session. Even if a person does the Exercises individually with a director, he or she may enjoy getting together with others who are doing the Exercises. Our next group starts in the fall of 2024. There is a small fee of $30/per group.
Upcoming EXERCISES
Typically, the Individual Exercises start in September and run through May/June. For more information, contact Laura by email or phone at 605-381-9435.
TESTIMONIALS
Since I was very young, I’ve had a personal relationship with Jesus. I have always trusted with full faith in the Word of God and the assurance of my salvation through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection.
But from a young age, I established an intentional barrier between Jesus and I. I didn’t want to draw too near to him. There was something about him that made me feel that I may not be fully accepted by him. That if he truly knew me, he may not love me. I may be judged by him. I always found it easy to relate to God the Father so that relationship is where I focused much of my prayer time. I neglected to get to know my Savior out of fear of rejection.
Throughout my time in the Ignatian Exercises, Jesus revealed himself to me in a new way. I came to know him as a brother as well as a Savior. I found kindness in his eyes and his invitation to draw closer to him. I came to know him, to know his heart and love for me and his desire to be free from the misconceptions I had come to believe.
I am forever grateful for the 9 months I spent getting to know Jesus and His true heart for me. This experience truly changed my life.
Stacy Omorefe
Co-Founder/Executive Director City of Refuge Ministries
I’ve been a follower of Jesus for as long as I can remember. I love to read and study Scripture and I am passionate about prayer.
As part of my training to become a Spiritual Director, I was required to participate in the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, a “retreat in daily life.” This nine-month retreat came at the perfect time. I had fallen into a pattern of reading large portions of Scripture each day, listening to multiple podcasts weekly, and reading book after book on the Christian life. The reality of all of this information-intake was that very little actually made it from my head to my heart. At one of my first sessions with Laura, I told her I felt like God was inviting me to fast from all of that and to slow down.
The Spiritual Exercises became an answer to a deep longing of my heart — a longing I didn’t even realize I had — a yearning to relax and breathe freely with Jesus.
As I journeyed through the Exercises, I was required to slow down, reflect, to go back and pray again on a short passage of Scripture. I learned how to truly pray with Scripture, not just study it. As the months progressed, I felt like I was slowly released from my captivity of activity. I found joy and delight in the rhythms of the Exercises and began to experience the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in new ways.
I am so grateful for my time spent with Jesus going through the Spiritual Exercises. It was truly life-changing.
Bev Roozeboom
Spiritual Director, prayer minister, and author of A Day in the Life and Unlocking the Treasure: A Bible Study for Moms Entrusted with Special Needs Children.
Reeny Wilson
How do we find the one who is seeking us? I know the Lord is with me always, the problem is me making the time to meet with him.
What I loved about the 10-week journey in the 18th annotation of the Ignatian Spiritual exercises with Laura from Walking In Grace, Inc was the quiet peaceful approach to incorporating 45 to 60 minutes of prayer into my daily routine. The written materials were helpful, Laura‘s explanations and guidance made it that much more meaningful.
Having the flexibility to incorporate that time of prayer into my daily routine when it worked for me, was very beneficial. The weekly meetings with the other participants helped keep me accountable and drew me closer to the Lord as well as the other participants.
My spiritual journey with the Lord ebbs and flows… for this particular time in my life, the 10-week course fit beautifully. But, I credit that to the one who is seeking me, opening a door that I needed at this moment in my life.
I continue to utilize the exercises in my daily prayer. They helped deepen my relationship with the Lord while also encouraging a greater sense of interior freedom from the chaos of life.
Maureen (Reeny) Wilson-Terra Sancat Retreat Center Director