St. Ignatius of Loyola

Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola is a series of prayers, meditations, and contemplation that involve a month of spiritual practices.  The purpose of the Saint Ignatius spiritual exercises are to offer Catholics a method to make their faith become strong and relevant in their everyday lives. Pope Benedict XVI Quote on February 21, 2008 “The Excercises are the fountain of your spirituality and the matrix of your Constitutions, but they are also a gift that the Spirit of the Lord has made to the entire Church: it is for you to continue to make it a precious and efficacious instrument for spiritual growth of souls…..”

Methods of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ingnatius       I.        Takes place away from home for thirty days in quiet retreat.  This was the original method of the Saint Ignatius Spiritual Exercises.     II.        A shorter weekend retreat or eight days contemplating the basic themes of Saint Ignatius.    III.        Several months of contemplation and practice of the Saint Ignatius Spiritual Exercises while going about daily life. Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius in Four Weeks The spiritual exercises are divided into four weeks which include the following reflections:   God’s mercy and the sins of man   The ministry of Jesus, His Gospel preaching, parables, miracles   The final days in the life of Jesus – arrest, scourging, passion, death and crucifixion   The Resurrection and Acension, Pentecost, and the Holy Spirit today   The role of Jesus in freeing the Messianic people and allowing the spirit of Jesus to lead believers into spiritual action and realize the freedom Jesus gave. The Jesuits offer 370 spiritual exercises for following the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.

Praying with Saint Ignatius Today Millions of Catholics today wear a Saint Ignatius medal or a Saint Ignatius pendant, reminding them to follow the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius in their everyday lives.  They find new life in their faith and practice the ways of Jesus when contemplating on the spiritual exercises.  Wearing a Saint Ignatius necklace is an ideal way to find inspiration to complete the 370 exercises of the Jesuits.

St. Ignatius of Loyola