Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life

There is a practical component of my theology studies called Supervised Ministry, where I gain academic credits for my carrying out of ministry during the academic year. For this purpose, outside of my studies, I have also been working on a project called the 19^th Annotation, more widely known as the Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life.

While St Ignatius of Loyola created his Spiritual Exercises with the intention of the retreatant following them over the course of 30-40 days in an isolated setting, he also inserted an annotation to his manuscript (the 19^th Annotation) that stated that it is possible to tailor the Exercises so that people can part in the Spiritual Exercises during the cut and thrust of their daily life. Here at Boston College, through St Ignatius Parish and the Center for Ignatian Spirituality, such a program exists, allowing many people associated to the university or parish to experience the Spiritual Exercises in their daily life.

The Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life requires the retreatant to pray for an hour a day, following prayer passages, exercises and methodology subscribed by St Ignatius of Loyola. As well as their individual prayer life, they also meet with a Spiritual Director who helps them makes sense of their experience, and meet in a faith sharing group with other participants. And this is where my supervised ministry comes in.

As part of my ministry, I meet with two retreatants twice a month for spiritual direction sessions. These sessions involve listening to their experiences and asking questions that help them to better reflect on their experiences and better understand how God is present and at work in their lives. In addition, as part of the core team delivering the program, I help facilitate the group faith-sharing conversations that allow our participants to experience a safe space in which they can share and also hear how others are experiencing the Spiritual Exercises.

This ministry is a powerful and highly privileged insight into the spiritual lives of other people. To support me in this task and as part of my Supervised Ministry requirements, I have a supervisor who monitors my practice and offers me guidance with how to offer spiritual direction to others. Like the RCIA program I am working on, this is a wonderful formation opportunity that is helping me mature in my own spiritual life and develop in my ministerial skills prior to ordination.