The Spiritual Exercises
“The Spiritual Exercises” refers to both a book and a retreat experience. The book was written by St. Ignatius Loyola based on his own spiritual journey and is a collection of prayers, meditations, and notes meant to guide those making the retreat.
Jesuit typically say they “make” a retreat, by which they mean “go on a retreat,” not that they are creating the retreat in a literal sense.
Make the Exercises
Interested in making the Spiritual Exercises? We have a list of ministries within the USA East Jesuit Province that offer the full Spiritual Exercises, many of which are offered online and can be made from anywhere.
St. Alphonsus Rodriguez Church
B.C. High / Jesuits of Boston
Christian Life Community
Companions on the Way
Gonzaga Eastern Point Retreat House
Holy Trinity Catholic Church
Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Center
St. Ignatius of Loyola Church and the Center for Ignatian Spirituality
Ignatian Spiritual Exercises of Worcester
Ignatian Spirituality Partnership of Maine
Ignatian Spirituality in Everyday Life at the Church of St. Francis Xavier
St. Joseph Retreat Center
St. Joseph Spirituality Center
Linwood Spiritual Center
Loyola Jesuit Center
Loyola on the Potomac
Loyola University Maryland
Manresa Way
Mercy Spirituality Center
Murphy Center for Ignatian Spirituality
Our Lady of the Way
St. Peter Catholic Church
St. Raphaela Center
Sacred Space
Sisters of Saint Joseph Center for Spirituality
Spiritual Renewal Center
WNY Institute of Ignatian Spirituality
St. Raphael the Archangel
12 Weeks in Manresa
West Virginia Institute for Spirituality
St. Alphonsus Rodriguez Church B.C. High / Jesuits of Boston Christian Life Community Companions on the Way Gonzaga Eastern Point Retreat House Holy Trinity Catholic Church Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Center St. Ignatius of Loyola Church and the Center for Ignatian Spirituality Ignatian Spiritual Exercises of Worcester Ignatian Spirituality Partnership of Maine Ignatian Spirituality in Everyday Life at the Church of St. Francis Xavier St. Joseph Retreat Center St. Joseph Spirituality Center Linwood Spiritual Center Loyola Jesuit Center Loyola on the Potomac Loyola University Maryland Manresa Way Mercy Spirituality Center Murphy Center for Ignatian Spirituality Our Lady of the Way St. Peter Catholic Church St. Raphaela Center Sacred Space Sisters of Saint Joseph Center for Spirituality Spiritual Renewal Center WNY Institute of Ignatian Spirituality St. Raphael the Archangel 12 Weeks in Manresa West Virginia Institute for Spirituality
Online
Connecticut
Georgia
Massachusetts
Maine
Maryland
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
West Virginia
Online
Atlanta, GA
Baden, PA
Boston, MA
Baltimore, MD
Buffalo, NY
Carlisle, PA
Charleston, WV
Charlotte, NC
Chestnut Hill, MA
Fairfield, CT
Faulkner, MD
Online
Gloucester, MA
Haverford, PA
Kennebunk, ME
NYC
Morristown, NJ
Pittsburgh, PA
Portland, ME
Raleigh, NC
Rhinebeck, NY
Rochester, NY
Syracuse, NY
Washington, DC
Wheeling, WV
Woodstock, MD
Worcester, MA
Online Connecticut Georgia Massachusetts Maine Maryland New Jersey New York North Carolina Pennsylvania West Virginia Online Atlanta, GA Baden, PA Boston, MA Baltimore, MD Buffalo, NY Carlisle, PA Charleston, WV Charlotte, NC Chestnut Hill, MA Fairfield, CT Faulkner, MD Online Gloucester, MA Haverford, PA Kennebunk, ME NYC Morristown, NJ Pittsburgh, PA Portland, ME Raleigh, NC Rhinebeck, NY Rochester, NY Syracuse, NY Washington, DC Wheeling, WV Woodstock, MD Worcester, MA
Retreat in Daily Life
In-person or Online
19th Annotation
30-Day Retreat
18th and 19th Annotations
The Long Retreat
Ignatian Directed Retreats
Retreat in Daily Life In-person or Online 19th Annotation 30-Day Retreat 18th and 19th Annotations The Long Retreat Ignatian Directed Retreats
What are the Spiritual Exercises?
“The Spiritual Exercises” refers to both a book and a retreat experience.
During the 1520’s, St. Ignatius Loyola began writing about the emotions that took hold of him — feelings of gratitude and anguish, consolation and sadness — while encountering the Scriptures. Those meditations eventually became The Spiritual Exercises, which were first published in 1548.
The book itself is a guide written for spiritual directors who accompany others as they make the Exercises. Yes, you can buy the book on Amazon, but you will quickly notice that it is more of a reference guide than the page-turner you were hoping for. It is a compilation of meditations, prayers, and other contemplative practices, mostly written in the form of notes for the director.
The Spiritual Exercises are meant to be experienced, not read. That experience is called a “retreat,” and it can take several forms. The full Exercises can be experienced as a 30-day retreat — a full month spent in prayer at a retreat house. There is also the Retreat in Daily Life, sometimes referred to as the “19th Annotation,” during which retreatants typically spend about an hour each day reading and praying, and then meet with a spiritual director periodically. There are also shorter retreats, made either at a retreat house or in daily life, which are designed around specific meditations and contemplations in the Exercises.
Video.
What are the Spiritual Exercises?
Matt Wooters, SJ, explains what the Spiritual Exercises are in this short video interview. (3 minutes, 24 seconds)
Articles.
What are the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius?
by Dr. Stephanie Russell (4 minute read)
Marquette University
The 19th Annotation of the Spiritual Exercises
by Henry Frank (4 minute read)
Office of Ignatian Spirituality
Books.
-
![]()
The Ignatian Adventure
by Kevin O’Brien, SJ
An annotated version of The Spiritual Exercises frequently used for the Retreat in Daily Life (also called the 19th Annotation). The explanations of various facets of Ignatian spirituality found at the beginning of each section are excellent.
However, we strongly recommend that you work through the prayer exercises with a spiritual director or as part of a guided retreat.)
-
![]()
Inner Compass
by Margaret Silf
Written for lay people, Inner Compass is a practical and experience-based guide to greater self-knowledge and spiritual awareness.
Anyone seeking to deepen their relationship with God will greatly benefit from this dynamic presentation of the profound insights of St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises.
-
![]()
Moment by Moment
by Carol Ann Smith, S.H.C.J. & Eugene Merz, SJ
Drawing on the classic retreat model, The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, Moment by Moment offers a new and inviting way to find God in our often busy and complex lives.
In a series of 32 “Moments,” the text guides the reader with thought-provoking questions, practical suggestions, and excerpts carefully chosen from scripture and The Spiritual Exercises.
-
![]()
Finding Christ in the World : A Twelve Week Ignatian Retreat in Everyday Life
by Joseph A. Tetlow, SJ, & Carol Atwell Ackels
Finding Christ in the World invites the reader to “let God show you where and how He concretely breaks into your life.”
A 12–week prayer experience framed by the Spiritual Exercises, the book is of particular help to faith communities such as Bible study and prayer groups. But individuals can also use it as a means of prayer.
-
![]()
Seeing with the Heart A Guide to Navigating Life's Adventures
by Kevin O’Brien, SJ
Journeying through this book, with its inspiring prose and practical spiritual exercises, will cause a dramatic shift in your perspective.
Your day-to-day life will be transformed by a better understanding of who you are and what you are called to be, as well as by a closer relationship with God and others.
-
![]()
An Ignatian Introduction to Prayer
by Timothy M. Gallagher, OMV
Following the spiritual itinerary of the Spiritual Exercises by Ignatius of Loyola, forty reflections offer a great resource for those beginning to pray with Scripture.
This book is for those learning to pray with Scripture and for those who seek new depth in such prayer. The reflections are useful for spiritual directors, retreat directors, small groups, and in the home.
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding,
and my entire will,
All I have and call my own.
You have given all to me.
To you, Lord, I return it.
Everything is yours; do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace,
that is enough for me.
- “Suscipe,” St. Ignatius Loyola, Spiritual Exercises, 234
Three Recommendations for those thinking about making the Spiritual Exercises.
Making the full Spiritual Exercises is a big commitment and can be a significant life experience.
Most people, including Jesuits, will only make the full Exercises once or twice in their lifetime, and typically at a significant moment they have discerned is the right one for such a powerful experience.
There are many recommendations we could make, but here are three key suggestions, if you are interested in experiencing the Spiritual Exercises.
One:
Pray the Ignatian Examen
This prayer of reflection is found right at the beginning of the Spiritual Exercises, because it is so fundamental to the practice of Ignatian spirituality.
Try developing the habit of praying the examen daily.
Here are some resources to help you.
Two:
Talk to a Spiritual Director
Deciding when to make the full Spiritual Exercises is something that must be discerned. A spiritual director can be invaluable in helping you with your discernment.
The experience of spiritual direction is also an important part of the retreat itself, so it is recommended that people have been in spiritual direction before they begin the Exercises.
Three:
Make an Ignatian Retreat
There are many Ignatian retreats that offer a shorter, less intense, experience of the Spiritual Exercises. Jesuits typically only make the full Spiritual Exercises twice in their lives, but they make an 8-day retreat annually.
Retreats come in all shapes and sizes. Some take place at a retreat center, and others can be made at home in the midst of a busy life.
Keep learning.
Los Ejercicios Espirituales
Los “Ejercicios Espirituales" se refieren tanto a un libro como a una experiencia de retiro.
Obtenga más información aquí: EspiritualidadIgnaciana.info.