What

The full experience of making The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola in the 30-day retreat format can be life transforming. Pope Benedict described “The Spiritual Exercises” as a “strong experience of God, sustained by listening to his Word ... which in a climate of silence, prayer and by means of a spiritual guide, offer the capacity of discernment in order to purify the heart, convert one’s life to follow Christ, and fulfill one’s own mission in the Church and the world.” It is timely to note that Pope Francis’ pastoral emphasis on learning discernment of spirits is rooted in his intimate knowledge of the power of the Trinity’s laboring love and mercy in his experience of “The Spiritual Exercises.”

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Why

One enters into the retreat to receive more deeply an ongoing experience and encounter with the mission of Jesus’ Spirit. It can also be a profound means for discerning what Jesus’ Spirit is choosing to reveal about the Father’s will for the retreatant.

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When: 2024

• 30-day retreat: June 30 (arrive by 4:00pm) until August 2 (departure)

• 3 day retreat: July 11 (arriving by 6:00pm) until July 14 (concludes at 3:00pm)

• 5 day retreat: July 15 (arriving by 3:00pm) until July 20 (concludes at 1:00pm)

• 8 day retreat: July 22 (arrive by 3:00pm) until July 30 (concludes at 1:00pm)

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Where

Joseph & Mary Retreat House is located on the beautiful campus of Mundelein Seminary. Each guest room is air conditioned and has a private bath. There is easy access to the seminary library, gardens and chapel. Bicycles are available to enjoy the nearby extensive biking and walking trails. The retreat center is situated beside an expansive lake and is adjacent to Marytown, the National Shrine of St. Maximilian Kolbe. This shrine offers perpetual Eucharistic adoration.

 

Who

Preference for admission to the 30-day retreat is given to Bishops, Seminary Formators, Vocation  Directors, Priests, Deacons and their Wives, Religious and Lay Leaders involved in spiritual formation and evangelization. 

 

Prerequisites include having made two week-long silent directed retreats or the equivalent. Silent conference retreats without daily individual spiritual direction or quiet time spent in a monastic setting for days of personal retreat do not fulfill the prerequisites. Exceptions to these prerequisites can be discussed if there seems to be an equivalent spiritual preparation through intensive spiritual formation programs and/or life experience. A telephone interview is required. During this interview daily habits of prayer and the regularity of spiritual direction are discussed as well as one’s personal experience of God’s love.

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More About The Spiritual Exercises

During the retreat, participants experience God’s invitations to be loved, reconciled and called to live in companionship with Jesus’ Spirit. This entails some type of sharing in Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection.  The paschal mystery is tested through the image of God, alive in the retreatant’s heart, being placed in dialogue with the experience of the Holy Spirit’s consoling activity in this mystery.  It is a mystery to be lived out in day-to-day faith following the retreat.

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The Spiritual Exercises are a type of map for the human heart to follow in prayerful meditation and contemplation. To follow these exercises brings one into intimate contact with the risen presence of Jesus Christ who reveals the Father of all mercy and consolation. If the book called The Spiritual Exercises is read, the experience is dry, like reading a manual. To actually experience The Spiritual Exercises one must follow the guidance of a spiritual director who provides guidelines for a deeper encounter with God at work amid the inter-dynamic of human desiring. In the 30-day format the retreatant prays four to five hours daily and sees the spiritual director for an hour each day. Eucharistic liturgy is also celebrated on a daily basis.

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Opportunities for 3, 5, and 8 Day Silent Directed Retreats

The rich opportunity to come away and enter into silence to taste and see the goodness of the Lord is offered in the Ministry of the Spiritual Exercises. The retreat participant engages in meditation and contemplative prayer rooted in the Sacred Scriptures and the Ignatian Tradition. Daily Mass and spiritual direction are part of each of the 3, 5 and 8 day retreats. One personal reference is needed to give testimony to an applicant’s readiness to enter into a silent retreat.

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Spiritual Directors​

• Fr. Christopher Awiliba

• Fr. Ray Herard

• Fr. John Horn, S.J.

• Fr. Bernard Messier, C.C.

• Mrs. Sheryl Moran

• Fr. Nich Mormando, O.F.M., Cap.

• Fr. Thomas Pulickal (Jesus Youth)

• Dr. Carol Razza

• Deacon John Vomastek

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Cost

Due to the generosity of benefactors we are pleased to offer the following low rate: 30-day retreat is $3,700.00 includes all materials and the stipend for spiritual direction. The 3, 5, and 8 day retreats have a fee of $125.00 per day.

 

Contact for Applications

30 Day Retreat Contact:

Fr. John Horn, S.J.

Phone: (561) 374-2268

email: jhorn@svdp.edu

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3, 5, and 8 Day Retreats Contact:

Fr. Thomas Pulickal, Jesus Youth

email: frthomas@jesusyouth.us