INTERNSHIP - INTRODUCTION
First Year — Second Year — Endorsements

Purpose

All Christians are called in virtue of their baptism to contribute to the building up of the Kingdom or Reign of God. This call extends not only to each Christian's personal striving for holiness and active participation in formal Church activities, but also to the discovery of God's presence in every aspect of modern life. This internship is offered to adult Christians who desire to develop further this apostolic orientation in themselves through formation in Ignatian spirituality as this spirituality is applied to our time and culture. The Manresa program, which is both informative and formational, will seek to give the participants a deeper grounding in the Ignatian prayer tradition, teach Ignatian methods for discerning the will of God in one's life, and provide a personal framework for apostolic action.

The Internship was begun in the early 1980s and has continued until the present. God has provided amazingly well and has touched deeply many interns and many others through the more than 400 people who have been interns. It has been a wonderful realization of the vision of the Second Vatican Council in regard to the apostolate of the laity and the universal call to holiness. It has also been a wonderful instance of the kind of mutual sharing of ministry and friendship between Jesuits and laity and other religious that St. Ignatius envisioned. And it realizes some of the hopes of Jesuits' 34th General Congregation regarding collaboration with the laity and support and colleagueship with women in ministry.

Leadership

The internship is led by a full-time Jesuit priest and part-time laywomen conducting the classes, as well as a community of 14 who provide one-on-one supervision of the ministerial practice that the interns engage themselves in during the second year of the internship.

Participants

This internship is oriented to a specific group of Christians. It is meant for those who have already made basic vocational choices and who have already worked through many of the personal difficulties to which all human beings are subject. It is open to both married and single individuals. It includes both those involved in ministries such as spiritual direction and retreat giving, as well as those involved in apostolic work in the social area such as those who are seeking to bring Gospel values to social structures, to the workplace, and to the family.

Most of the interns are Roman Catholic; some are Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist, African American Baptist, Mormon, Presbyterian, or Evangelical Protestant. About 75% are women, 25% men. Almost all are lay persons, but a few are women religious, a few deacons. There are about 20-25 interns in each of the two years of the internship (therefore about 45 participants each year). Their median age is 50; a few have been in their 30s and a few have been in their 70s.

The program is not dependent on any specific educational accomplishment. Some example of apt participants would include:

• Business men and women who wish to integrate their work life with their apostolic call;

• Doctors, nurses, lawyers, judges, teachers and other professionals who wish to influence their profession apostolically;

• Mothers or fathers who seek the spiritual development of their families;

• Individuals holding public office or who work for the government;

• Clergy, religious and lay ministers who wish to further develop their apostolic orientation along Ignatian lines.

  Admission

A maximum of 30 individuals will be accepted each year into the two-year program that begins in September. Acceptance will be based on the following:

• Formal application no later than May 15; application after May 15, if there is still room.
• Two or more letters of recommendation from persons who are familiar with the applicant's spiritual history.
• A minimum of 6 months of receiving spiritual direction, or its equivalent (i.e., other experiences of the interior spiritual search). One may contact the director of the Internship program, Bernard Owens, SJ, for the names of trained directors or to discuss the possibility of your background and experience qualifying you.
• An interview with a member of the Manresa Internship team.

Cost

Tuition is $1800 per year (personal spiritual direction and a year-end retreat are extra). Payments are quarterly, unless different arrangements are made with Internship director.

Completion

Those who complete the two-year program will be given a certificate stating that the Manresa program has been successfully completed.

For More Information

Contact us and ask for Fr. Bernie Owens

First Year — Second Year — Endorsements