MAKING THE FULL SPIRITUAL EXERCISES

Thirty-Day Retreats

Bridge at Manresa (1988) a watercolor monotype by Lily Dudgeon [click image for other "Manresa" art]

The full Spiritual Exercises may be done in the form of a thirty-day silent retreat at a retreat house or equivalent location. It means leaving family, friends and business responsibilities and dedicating oneself to the discipline of silence and of four or five hours of prayer each day. Each day retreatants will meet with their director and reflect about their experience in prayer. The thirty-day retreat is not a panacea to cure all spiritual ills, resolve doubts of faith or bring about longed-for mystical experiences. Nor is it a spiritual Mount Everest, a challenge to be met that proves one's abilities or determination. It is rather, for those who are ready for this particular step, an opportunity for significant growth in the spiritual life and in knowledge of oneself, of God, and of God's will.

It is important that those who undertake a retreat of this magnitude be ready for and committed to the undertaking, since it is a major investment of time and energy on the part of both the retreatant and the director. If there is any significant doubt about a person's readiness it would be advisable to defer such a retreat until a later date. It ought normally to grow out of experience with shorter directed retreats, regular daily meditation, and regular spiritual direction with someone who reflects with you on your experience of God in prayer. Such a spiritual director, familiar with both your spiritual experience and with the demands of the Spiritual Exercises, could confirm for you and for whoever will be directing your 30-day retreat that it is time for you to make the full Exercises.

Retreat house that have well developed 30-day programs usually have certain expectations and requirements of those who wish to make a thirty-day retreat:

• Prior experience with silent, individually-directed Ignatian retreats seven or eight days in length,
• Daily substantial meditative prayer,
• Experience of spiritual direction for a year or more that demonstrates awareness of one's prayer experience, the ability to verbalize it and the trust to share it with another,
• Recommendations that the individual may profit at the present time from this experience from people who understand the thirty-day Ignatian retreat as well as the capabilities of the retreatant, for example, a spiritual director or former retreat director.

Manresa can occasionally provide both room and direction for a 30-day retreat or can recommended retreat houses with fully developed 30-day retreat programs. Contact Fr. Fennessy for further information.

The Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life

St. Ignatius foresaw that some people would be ready for the experience of the full Exercises but unable get away for a 30-day period. He provided in the Exercises an approach whereby one can make this retreat in the midst of ordinary daily life at home with guidance from a spiritual director. It involves a daily commitment of 60-90 minutes in prayer and reflection centered on the themes of the Exercises and a weekly meeting with the spiritual director for approximately eight or nine months. It is usually called The Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life, but because Ignatius describes it in the 19th annotation or introductory note to the Exercises, you will hear it referred to sometimes as a 19th Annotation Retreat. As with the thirty-day format, entry into this retreat should grow out of experience with shorter directed retreats, regular daily meditation, and regular spiritual direction with someone who reflects with you on your experience of God in prayer.

This retreat is for those who seek a deeper relationship with their True Self, those who long to know Jesus more intimately, to love Him more deeply, and follow Him more closely, for those who desire spiritual freedom. We especially recommend beginning this retreat around September since the usual course of the meditations can be coordinated with the celebrations of the liturgical year.

Ann Dillon of our staff is able to recommend to those who are interested in making The Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life spiritual directors who are qualified to guide retreatants through this experience and who are usually resident not too far from the retreatant's home. For further information contact Ann Dillon at Manresa: (248) 644-4933.