REFLECTION

Prayer Inspired by Laudate Deum

This prayer is adapted from a prayer published by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, inspired by Laudate Deum, Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation on care for creation.

We praise you, O God, Creator of all things,

whose mystery unfolds in “a leaf, in a mountain trail, in a dewdrop, in a poor person’s face.”

Jesus, your Son, taught us to wonder

as he made his way throughout the land, contemplating the beauty of creation.

We pray, O God, that you may stir in us

a reverent awareness of our invisible link with the entire created world.

We pray for humility—

to remember that we, too, are created and are not creation’s masters.

We pray for compassion—

for open eyes and hearts to welcome those forced to flee from their homes due to rising sea levels and drought.

We pray for repentance—

so that our thirst for power and domination may be transformed into service.

We pray for simplicity—

and the will to turn from our greed which impacts vulnerable people everywhere.

We pray for cultural conversion—

that we may simplify our lifestyles, reduce pollution and waste, and exercise prudence in our decision making. 

We pray for policy changes—

that as a nation and world we may work together to reverse the course of climate change.

Our hearts ache as we ponder:

“The world sings of an infinite Love: how can we fail to care for it?”

We praise you, O God, 

confident that you work in our hearts and through our actions, so that we may better care for our common home. 

Amen.

Dear Spiritual Direction Colleagues,

As Thanksgiving approaches, I’m reminded that gratitude is a strong thread woven deep into the fabric of Ignatian spirituality. We encounter it in each of the four weeks of the Spiritual Exercises and in the prayer of those making the Exercises. Gratitude grounds us through anxious times. It reinvigorates our drooping spirits when we recall God’s saving grace in times of desolation.

“There is always something for which to be grateful,” writes Marina Berzins McCoy. “That does not mean that we must be grateful for the bad things that happen or minimize loss and suffering, but rather that God is there in the midst of whatever we experience. We are...always guided by a God who is at the very heart of all that we are. For this, we can be thankful, indeed.” (Gratitude and the Spiritual Exercises - Ignatian Spirituality)

There is much to be grateful for in the work of the Ignatian Spiritual Direction Initiative (ISDI), including all of you, a community of Ignatian spiritual directors who offer steadfast spiritual accompaniment during shaky times. I’m grateful for occasions to celebrate, like spiritual directors who completed formation/training programs this year, as well as efforts to network and build community and timely programs for spiritual enrichment and development. Read on to learn more about all of these initiatives. 

May your Thanksgiving be blessed by the God who is at the very heart of all that we are, the God whose saving grace grounds us in gratitude and gives us hope.

Autumn Blessings,

Nancy

Nancy Small

Associate Director for Spiritual Direction Initiatives

Office of Ignatian Spirituality

USA East Province of the Society of Jesus

929-232-3056

nsmall@jesuits.org

IGNATIAN SPIRITUAL DIRECTION FORMATION PROGRAM GRADUATES!

More than eighty spiritual directors completed Ignatian training and formation programs in the USA Jesuit East province this year, including graduates of three new programs featured here. All programs embrace the spirit of the Universal Apostolic Preference of “Showing the Way to God through the Spiritual Exercises and Discernment.” Congratulations!

Tending the Flame at Ignatius House in Atlanta, GA will graduate its first 11 spiritual directors in December. Grounded in Ignatian Spirituality with the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius as a prerequisite, this spiritual direction formation program includes segments on trauma, addiction, and cultural competency. It has a strong practicum focus on individual and retreat direction and its priorities include training spiritual directors of color. Residency experiences develop a bonded learning cohort. (Spiritual Direction Formation Program – Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Center)

The Loyola Ignatian Formation Experience (LIFE), a new program offered at Loyola University Maryland, graduated its first cohort of 16 spiritual directors. Students directed the 19th annotation retreat and accompanied retreatants on a four-week Lenten Ignatian retreat modeled on the First Exercises by Fr. Michael Hansen, SJ. This three-year program is for individuals who have made the Spiritual Exercises and have discerned a call to the ministry of giving them. (First cohort of spiritual directors graduates from Loyola’s LIFE program) More info: tbrown@loyola.edu.

The Spiritual Directors Institute, supported by Canisius University and McQuaid Jesuit, graduated thirteen people whose course requirements included a one-year internship directing the Spiritual Exercises. SDI’s two-year formation process prepares spiritual directors to direct the 19th annotation Spiritual Exercises retreat, offer ongoing spiritual direction and accompany individuals and communities in spiritual conversations and discernment. (mcquaid.org/ignatian-ministry/office-of-ignatian-identity/spiritual-directors-institute) (Accepting applications for the next cohort until May 15, 2024).

Read more about this year’s graduates from seasoned Ignatian spiritual direction formation programs by clicking here.

SEEKING SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS OF COLOR

The Ignatian Spiritual Direction Initiative will host a virtual conversation among Spiritual Directors of Color on May 11, 2024 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm ET.

If you identify as a Spiritual Director of Color and would like to participate in this conversation, please click here to complete an initial contact form (if you haven’t already done so).

More detailed information and a registration form will be sent to all who complete the initial contact form at a future date. Please share this information with Spiritual Directors of Color you know who may be interested.

ISDI CATALOG UPDATES

Thanks to the more than 100 of you who responded to our summer request to update your listing in the ISDI Catalog of Spiritual Directors.

Our newly-expanded Catalog includes sections on expertise you bring to your SD ministry (including training/formation in Ignatian spirituality), experience working with specific groups/populations (e.g. LGBTQIA+, divorced/widowed, young adults, survivors of abuse, etc.), and whether or not you are receiving supervision. We consider all of these areas carefully when making referrals. The more we know about you as a spiritual director, the better we can respond to the expressed desires of those seeking an Ignatian spiritual director. 

We want to hear from more of you. 

If you are registered in our Catalog but didn’t get a chance to update your record over the summer, please do so by clicking here. 

If you are not registered in our Catalog (which we use to refer those seeking spiritual directors with a trained Ignatian spiritual director in the USA Jesuit East province) and would like to be, please click here.

ISDI WEBPAGE UPDATES

We are gradually updating our ISDI website for easier use and adding more resources. You’ll now find separate tabs for upcoming programs and events, ISDI newsletters, Spiritual Direction Formation programs and past programs and videos. 

Our ISDI program and video archives include an array of past programs to enrich your ongoing formation and development as a spiritual director. Programs offered free of charge are available for viewing shortly after they take place while programs offered with a registration fee are available for viewing a year after they take place.

Click here to find archived videos of programs on the Spiritual Exercises, racial justice, spiritual direction with young adults, forgiveness, shame, images of God, and much more, including Spiritual Direction as an Ecclesial Ministry, a popular three-session series led by Fr. Brian McDermott SJ offered in the Fall of 2022 and the 2019 ISDI Symposium at Fordham University.

CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY'S CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY PROGRAM

Creighton University’s Christian Spirituality Program (CSP), now in its 50th year, trains spiritual directors in the tradition of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.

The CSP offers a Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Direction & Directed Retreats as well as a Master of Arts degree in Christian Spirituality and is currently receiving applications for its 2024 class. Interested clergy, religious, and laity are encouraged to reach out to csp@creighton.edu for more information.

ARTICLE

Fr. Robert McChesney, SJ, an experienced trauma-informed spiritual guide and pastoral counselor, recently published an article in The Way entitled "A Trauma-Informed Reading of the Incarnation Contemplation."

You can access the article by clicking here with permission of the publisher.

Find out more about The Way, an international journal of contemporary Christian spirituality published by the British Jesuits, by visiting their homepage at www.theway.org.uk.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

WHAT ARE THEY SAYING ABOUT SPIRITUAL DIRECTION?

"When I began spiritual direction, I would come home and reflect on my time with my spiritual director. I found that I couldn’t really remember specific words I said or advice I received. What I could remember was the illumination. I feel that spiritual direction is a special grace that turns on a light in my soul. I see differently by that light.

— A Community Worker

If you have quotes to share about the importance of spiritual direction, please email them to nsmall@jesuits.org.