Spiritual Exercises

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius are a powerful set of meditations and prayers designed to deepen your relationship with God. At Ignatius House, we offer these Exercises through the Retreat in Everyday Life format, allowing you to integrate daily prayer and spiritual direction into your routine over nine months, making it accessible for those unable to commit to a 30-day silent retreat.

The Spiritual Exercises are a collection of meditations, prayers, and contemplative practices designed to deepen one’s relationship with God. Rooted in St. Ignatius Loyola’s personal prayer experiences in the 1520s, these Exercises invite retreatants into a profound encounter with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through this transformative journey, individuals grow in love for Christ and discover a deeper sense of discipleship.

The Spiritual Exercises, first published in 1548 as a guidebook for spiritual directors, are meant to be experienced rather than simply read. The Exercises offer a proven pathway for prayer, discernment, and decision-making, helping individuals seek and choose what God hopes for them.

The full Spiritual Exercises can be undertaken in two main ways:
- A 30-day silent retreat, traditionally made in a retreat house setting.
- Retreat in Everyday Life (known as the "19th Annotation"), which integrates daily prayer and reflection and weekly meetings with a spiritual director into your ordinary routines over eight to nine months.

Retreat in Everyday Life (19th Annotation)

At Ignatius House, we offer the full Spiritual Exercises through the Retreat in Everyday Life format. This approach invites retreatants to pray approximately one hour each day, engage in a prayerful review of each day, and meet weekly with a trained spiritual director who will accompany them through the journey. Four optional group gatherings along the way provide additional encouragement and community.

This retreat makes the depth and grace of the full Exercises accessible to those who cannot step away for a 30-day silent retreat but who still desire a life-changing experience of prayer, discernment, and deeper intimacy with God. Over nine months, you will be invited to discover how God is moving in your life — and how you are being called to respond.

The Retreat in Everyday Life is best suited for individuals who:

• Have made at least one silent, directed Ignatian retreat,
• Maintain a habit of daily contemplative prayer,
• Are familiar with Sacred Scripture,
• And have experience in ongoing spiritual direction, able to share and entrust their prayer experience to a director.

Apply before August 10, 2026

Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Center will offer the Spiritual Exercises as a nine-month retreat in daily life, beginning in September 2026. Space is limited! Applications will be accepted and interviews conducted on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply early.

To apply, read on or contact Sarah Otto at sotto@ignatiushouse.org.

Because this retreat requires a significant commitment of time and openness to accompaniment, participation is by application only. No payment is collected until after acceptance and an interview.

Step into a deeper, prayerful journey — right in the midst of daily life.