Renew your heart, mind, and soul on a weekend retreat at Ignatius House. In his Discernment of Spirits, St. Ignatius assumed that God communicates directly with each of us. However, he recognized that not all of our thoughts, feelings, and desires come from the Holy Spirit—some desires are indeed holy, while others stem from different sources. The challenge, then, is to discern which inner stirrings come from God and which do not.

To help with this, Ignatius developed guidelines or “rules” for discerning spirits, which have guided people for centuries. This retreat draws from the 500-year-old tradition of Ignatian spirituality, inviting us into a deeply connected relationship with God and neighbor through prayer and contemplation. You’ll receive helpful suggestions to aid in your own silent and prayerful discernment of the stirrings in your heart, whether big or small. The retreat includes guided presentations on Ignatian discernment techniques, including journaling, imaginative prayer, and the Examen.

This is a silent retreat. Guests are expected to maintain a sacred silence throughout the retreat, including at meals, unless otherwise noted.

About Fr. Jim Fleming, SJ and Fr. Bill Noe, SJ

Rev. James J. Fleming, SJ is from the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus and has been a Jesuit priest for 25 years. He joined Ignatius House on Aug. 3, 2022 as Spiritual Director and Director of Mission Outreach. Previously, he was the executive director of Campion Conference & Renewal Center in Weston, Ma., and president of Wheeling Jesuit University (WJU). Before joining the leadership team at WJU, Fleming taught at Boston College (BC) and worked as director of mission assessment & planning in the Office of Mission and Ministry at BC, where he led a national research project related to the spiritual development of college students. While at BC, he served as spiritual director for student retreat programs and offered retreats and spiritual direction for faculty and administrators. He trained as a spiritual director at St. Bueno’s in Wales, UK, at Cova de Sant Ignasi in Manresa, Spain, and at the Jesuit School of Theology at the Santa Clara University where he earned a Master’s of Divinity with a focus in scripture and spirituality. He holds a Ph.D. in educational policy, organization, measurement, and evaluation from the University of California, Berkeley. He served as lecturer and the Director of the University Academy at the University of San Francisco, and as an instructor of Urban Education at SCU. Fleming is a member of the National Board of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps, currently serves on the Board of Trustees of St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and previously served on the Boards of Nativity Prep Boston and Boston College High School.

Rev. Bill Noe, SJ, the youngest of eight brothers, is a native of Racine, Wis. Before entering the Society of Jesus in 2003, Fr. Bill lived in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area for several years, where he worked as an electrical engineer. Fr. Bill has enjoyed long associations with St. Anselm’s Abbey, a Benedictine monastery, and Bethlehem House, a community formed for people with an intellectual disability – both in Washington D.C. During his formation as a Jesuit priest, Fr. Bill was trained in catechesis, comparative theology, and interreligious dialogue. Fr. Bill began his ministry of spiritual direction at St. Ignatius Retreat House in Manhasset, N.Y., in 2005 and has served as a spiritual director in New York, Chicago, Bolivia, and the United Kingdom. From 2015 to 2019, Fr. Bill served as director of Ignatian Spirituality at Loyola on the Potomac, a Jesuit retreat house in Faulkner, Md. He recently received an MA in Pastoral Mental Health Counseling from Fordham University.

Weekend Ignatian Retreat: Discernment of Spirits

Weekend Ignatian Retreat: Discernment of Spirits

About Fr. Jim Fleming, SJ and Fr. Bill Noe, SJ