A hallmark of Jesuit education today is its orientation to "the service of faith and the promotion of justice." We explore memory, practices of discernment and prayer, and the meaning of Jesuit education—both at the secondary and university level. We also take a moment to appreciate the significance of the Ignatian Family Teach-in for Justice for our students and for ourselves, and explore the unique insights that our students offer to the meaning of Ignatian Spirituality today.

Here's an episode with an actual Ignatian family! John and Clara are a married couple deeply engaged in the Ignatian family as key staff in Jesuit Refugee Service USA and American Jesuits International respectively. They both share about the Ignatian and Jesuit mission to be with others and to be at home in the world, and to face our world with hope as we pursue faith and justice. As they echo, our house is the world, and Ignatian Spirituality helps us stay grounded and at home in the world by keeping us attentive to our feelings, aware of our history, and focused on seeing Jesus.

Special thanks to our guests: Clara Sayans, Outreach Manager, Jesuit Refugee Service USA, and John Byrd, Communications Manager, American Jesuits International.

Recently, more than forty participants from communities in New Jersey, Long Island, Brooklyn, and The Bronx gathered at the Loyola Jesuit Center to take part in the retreat “A Heart Like Yours.” During this grace-filled weekend of prayer and encounter, participants were invited to contemplate the love of Christ through the spirituality of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, allowing themselves to be inwardly formed by that heart which loves, consoles, calls, and sends.

This past April, thirty-two participants from communities in North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland took part in the retreat “Escuchando a Dios como Ignacio,” held at Loyola on the Potomac in Faulkner.

On Saturday, May 2, St. Ignatius Loyola Parish hosted an Ignatian Prayer and Reflection Day for Couples under the theme “Listening to the heart to choose the path together.” Nine couples participated in this formative and spiritual gathering focused on communication and Ignatian discernment.

As part of the initiatives of tof the Office of Ignatian Spirituality (OIS), on Saturday, April 11, approximately thirty-five people from St. Anthony Parish in Oceanside, NY, along with others from Long Island communities, participated in the retreat “Walking with Creation” presented by OIS’ Ministerio Hispano Ignaciano.

Recently, young adults from Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Richmond, Virginia, participated in the program Lenten Journey with the Apostolic Preferences for Young Adults. This journey began on February 24 and concluded on Saturday, March 28, following a process that included four weekly hybrid sessions and culminated in an in-person retreat at the Roslyn Retreat Center.

Why should someone go on a retreat? In this live conversation from the Ignatian Family Teach-in for Justice, we talk with Shevaun Low and Jim Palmer, from Gonzaga Eastern Point Retreat House and Loyola on the Potomac Retreat House, respectively, two of the four retreat houses in the East Province. They offer some beautiful answers to this question, and insights into what to expect on a weekend retreat, especially at their retreat houses. Fittingly, our episode takes place amidst the din of a busy Ignatian Family Teach-in, so our conversation symbolically invites the listener to tune into God's grace and filter out the background noise—which is exactly what retreats do. This conversation reinforces the importance of prayer for a life of justice, and that when you decide to make a retreat, it is not actually your decision, but a response to God's invitation to be still and rest in God's presence. Learn more about why you should "retreat yourself" in this great episode.

Special thanks to our guests: Shevaun Low, Executive Director, Gonzaga Eastern Point Retreat House, and Jim Palmer, outgoing Executive Director, Loyola on the Potomac Retreat House.

Coming to you from the Ignatian Family Teach-in for Justice, this mini-reunion of Regional Coordinators of the Contemplative Leaders in Action program focuses on how Ignatian Spirituality helps us press on. We explore the importance of noticing and savoring in Ignatian Spirituality, and muse on the ways that young adults today have a profound window into these dimensions of Ignatian spiritual practice. The conversation covers topics such as Ignatian spirituality and our professional lives, the opportunities that digital culture offers to engage in noticing and savoring, and heroes in faith and justice.

Special thanks to our guests: Beth Brin, University Minister for Formation and Outreach, Regis University and Roxanne de la Torre, Pastoral Associate, Father William J. Bergen SJ Office of Ignatian Spirituality and Faith Formation, Church of St. Ignatius Loyola.