New form of retreat to debut

With interest in spirituality on the upswing, the Albany Diocese is hoping to draw Catholics to a new form of retreat: an eight-month, at-home journey based on the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.

The 16-century Spanish saint was recovering from a war wound, with only spiritual literature available to him, when he came to realize how God was calling him. He turned his insights into a book of "spiritual exercises" for people looking for a deeper relationship with God.

Originally intended to be done in 30 days, the exercises are being spread out over about 30 weeks (or eight months) in the Diocese's plan. After an initial gathering to start the program, retreatants commit to structured times of prayer each day, and to individual, weekly meetings with a spiritual director for the entire eight-month period.

Major undertaking

Sister Kitty Hanley, CSJ, part of the diocesan Vocations team and a spiritual director, said that her fellow spiritual directors at the diocesan Pastoral Center have had several requests for a retreat on the spiritual exercises.

Initially, the directors balked because "it's a pretty arduous undertaking," Sister Kitty said. Each spiritual director would have to commit to guiding two or three participants through the lengthy process to -- as a pamphlet on the retreat states -- "discover their hopes and dreams, and meld them into the life, death and resurrection of Jesus."

But after one chaplain mentioned that he had experience in training spiritual directors on how to lead the spiritual exercises, the group agreed to hold the retreat.

Intense retreat

Sister Kitty told The Evangelist that the spiritual exercises are not intended for the faint of heart: The retreat is intense and structured, and requires self-discipline to complete.

People who want flexibility in their spiritual journey or have an agenda of their own should "go with that for a while" before attempting the spiritual exercises.

However, she added, the Diocese's target audience is "anybody out there who has a desire for this kind of opportunity and self-discipline to give that [amount of] time for prayer."

Info sessions

Sister Kitty urged people to come to an information session to learn more.

"If this [type of retreat] has been in your imagination a bit, that's a good sign," she stated. "If you've never heard of the spiritual exercises, come to an information session and keep listening."

For Sister Kitty, who was educated in the Jesuit tradition of St. Ignatius, the retreat "is a strong call for me to spend more time in prayer and reflection. It's a big undertaking, but I would be deeply privileged if there is a reaction in the Diocese."

(The retreat is sponsored by the diocesan Consultation Center, and the Office of Prayer and Worship. It will begin with an opening prayer gathering on Sept. 14 and end with a "celebration of gratitude" next May 16. The cost, $700, is payable in monthly installments of $87.50. Financial aid is available. For information, call the Consultation Center at 489-4431. Information sessions about the retreat will be held at 7 p.m. on July 22 at St. Clement's, Saratoga Springs; July 30 at St. Madeleine Sophie, Guilderland; July 31 at St. Michael's, Troy; and August 4 at St. James, Albany. To register for a session, call 489-4431.)

(7/17/03) [[In-content Ad]]