Ignatian retreat quenched thirst for God

When the first round of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius came to an end recently, among those who saw the eight-month retreat to its conclusion were Sister Eleanor Guerin, RSM, and Marge Addeo.

Mrs. Addeo was a retreatant; Sister Eleanor, who directs senior services and outreach for St. Vincent de Paul parish in Albany, was a spiritual director for the retreat, held for the first time in the Albany Diocese from September 2003 to May 2004.

Both said the experience enriched their lives, and they encourage other Catholics in the Diocese to sign up for the next session.

Time to exercise

Mrs. Addeo, a former elementary school teacher, told The Evangelist that retirement gave her time to try things she'd always wanted to do. When she heard about the spiritual exercises, she decided to get to know herself better through the retreat.

St. Ignatius, a 16th-century Spanish soldier, was recovering from a war wound when he realized that God was calling him. He wrote up his insights as a series of "exercises" for people hoping to deepen their relationship with God. 

Originally intended to be done in 30 days, the exercises were stretched out over eight months by the diocesan Consultation Center, and Office of Prayer and Worship, which co-sponsored the retreat. Participants attended an opening prayer session, and committed to several periods of prayer and reflection each day, plus weekly meetings with a spiritual director, all leading up to a closing ceremony last month.

Commitment

Sister Eleanor was surprised that about 34 people signed up for the exercises -- more, in fact, than there were spiritual directors to counsel them. About 25 people completed the retreat, guided by about 10 spiritual directors.

"It's a big commitment, but people are hungry for God," she remarked. At the opening ceremony, she was struck by one person who said, "I just love God, and I want my relationship to grow."

Sister Eleanor herself had done the spiritual exercises 14 years ago and also completed a three-month internship at Mercy Center in Madison, Conn., where she learned about helping others through the retreat.

Retreatants came from seven of the Diocese's 14 counties, and ranged from laypeople to deacons, women religious and priests. There was also diversity in occupation and marital status.

Meeting Jesus

Mrs. Addeo, who was widowed some time ago, enjoyed contemplative prayer even before trying the retreat. As she delved into spiritual exercises in which participants imagined themselves being present at events in Jesus' life, she realized she could relate to Jesus.

"There's nothing we endure that He didn't," she pointed out. "One thing that touched me most deeply was the aspect of abandonment. I had periods in my life when I felt alone or abandoned, especially when I became widowed at a young age," just as Jesus was abandoned or misunderstood by His followers.

Sister Eleanor helped those under her spiritual direction reflect on God's love for them even in their weakness, growing to know Jesus on a deeper level and committing themselves to Him.

Through her daily prayer times, Mrs. Addeo learned those lessons, using suggested Scripture passages as a guide. She said that even if she occasionally didn't have time to pray during the day, "you never lose that morning awareness of the Lord, of what you hope to accomplish, how you hope to be with Him in your work."

Guidance

As a spiritual director, Sister Eleanor's job was to give feedback about the changes she saw in her charges during her meetings with them.

She advised retreatants to do a "consciousness examen" in the evening, asking themselves when they had been loving people during the day and when they hadn't. She also helped participants to learn about their "dark sides," the things that separate them from God, and encouraged them to write in journals as they looked for patterns in their behavior.

For the director, watching retreatants change as they went through the retreat was exciting. "It was a wonderful experience for me to be able to watch a person grow in self-awareness, explore more deeply God's love for them," she said.

Called to serve

According to Sister Eleanor, many retreatants find during their journey that God is calling them to some kind of service. For Mrs. Addeo, the spiritual exercises led to realizing her own gifts and how she might use them at her parish, St. Vincent's, and in the community.

She considers herself to be in a "transitional period" in life, trying to decide what activities to take on, but she now hopes to give service to Emmaus House (Albany's Catholic Worker House) and get involved in outreach.

"My shortcomings will always be there, but the love of the Lord is there no matter what," she stated.

Although the spiritual exercises are demanding, Mrs. Addeo called them "an excellent way to take a good long look at yourself. I recommend that." 

(The next opportunity to do the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius will be in the fall. The cost is $700, payable in monthly installments. Both group and individual options will be included. Information sessions for those wishing to learn about the retreat will be held July 26 at Our Lady of the Annunciation parish, Queensbury; July 28 at St. Thomas, Delmar; August 3 at St. Mary's in Clinton Heights; and August 5 at Our Lady of Grace, Ballston Lake. For times and other information, call the Office of Prayer and Worship at 453-6645 or email [email protected].)

(6/17/04)