DIRECTED RETREATS

A directed retreat is a personally guided prayer experience in which the retreatant follows the dynamics of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius while listening for God's personal word spoken through the Sacred Scriptures. Each retreatant is assigned a director with whom the retreatant meets daily for reflection and spiritual discernment. Retreatants may request specific directors, although it may not be possible to comply with these requests. Nonetheless, each retreatant must have a director in order to get the most out of his/her spiritual experience.

There are two 8-day periods set aside each month for individuals who wish to make a directed retreat of 3, 5, or 8 full days, not including the day of arrival and departure. In addition to these, three 32-day periods each year are set aside for those who wish to make the full Exercises. All these scheduled retreats are individually directed by staff members.

SILENCE, both interior and exterior, is a necessary condition for the efficacy of a directed retreat.

Thirty-Day Directed Retreats

The thirty-day directed retreat is a school of prayer and can serve as an introduction to the art of spiritual direction. An experienced director guides the retreatant through the complete program of "spiritual exercises" that St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, formulated as the fruit of his own conversion experience and intended as a way to come to spiritual freedom and maturity. The schedule includes two additional days: one for preparation and one for recapitulation.

Monday Oct. 19 - Saturday Nov. 21, 2009

Friday Feb. 19 - Wed. March 24, 2010
Friday June 18 - Wed. July 21, 2010
Friday Oct. 15 - Wed. Nov. 17, 2010

Please call or write for further information and a special application form to make this retreat. Applications must be submitted at least a month prior to the retreat date itself.

Fee: $1,800.00 (2009), $2,100 (2010)
Deposit: $50.00 (non-refundable)

The eight and five-day directed retreats are the more common ones. The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius are adapted according to the disposition and spiritual background of the individual retreatant. Individual direction according to the needs of each retreatant is the norm. Five-day directed retreats should begin or end on either of the scheduled dates listed below.

A mini-retreat of at least three full days may be arranged for any period during which a scheduled eight-day retreat is in progress, preferably beginning or ending on either of the scheduled dates.

Three-Day Retreat Fee: $180.00 (2009),  $210 (2010)
Five-Day Retreat Fee: $300.00 (2009),   $350 (2010)
Eight-Day Retreat Fee: $480.00 (2009),  $560 (2010)

Deposit: $50.00 (non-refundable)

Individually Directed Retreats

2009 Retreats

Mon, Dec 7-Wed, Dec 16

2010 Retreats

Wed, Jan. 20-Tue, Jan 26 (3 & 5 days only)                          Tue., July 6 - Thu., July 15

Mon, Feb 1-Wed, Feb 10                                                      Mon., July 19 - Wed., July 28

Mon, Feb 22-Wed, Mar 3                                                     Mon., Aug. 2 - Wed., Aug. 11

Mon, Mar 8-Wed, Mar 17                                                     Mon., Aug 23 - Wed., Sep. 1

Thu, Mar 25-Sat, Apr 3 (Holy Week Retreat)                        Mon., Sep. 13 - Wed., Sep. 22

Mon, Apr 12-Wed, Apr 21                                                    Mon., Sep. 27 - Wed., Oct. 6

Mon, Apr 26-Wed, May 5                                                     Mon., Oct. 11 - Wed., Oct. 20

Mon, May 10-Wed, May 19                                                  Mon., Oct. 25 - Wed., Nov. 3

Mon, May 24-Wed, June 2                                                    Mon., Nov. 8 - Wed., Nov. 17

Mon, June 7-Wed, June 16                                                     Mon., Dec. 6 - Wed., Dec. 15

Mon, June 21-Wed, June 30

Unless otherwise indicated, directed retreats begin with supper at 6:00 p.m. on the day of arrival (first day noted on the schedule) and end with breakfast on the last day.

This retreat is an adaptation of the thirty-day experience according to the 19th annotation of St. Ignatius. The retreatant remains at home, prays for an hour to an hour and a half daily, records the graces of prayer in a personal journal and meets with a director at the Center once a week for an hour or so over a period of six to eight months. The ideal time for making this type of retreat would be in harmony with the Church's liturgical year - that is, starting in October and ending after Easter.

Similar programs in which the Spiritual Exercises are adapted for shorter periods of time are available, particularly during certain times of the liturgical year (e.g. the four weeks of Advent, the Lenten season, the three weeks after Easter).

Fee: $30.00 per session

Ongoing spiritual direction may be arranged with members of the Center's staff, usually as a follow-up to an individually directed retreat. Since spiritual direction is our occupation and means of support, we must request an offering to the Center for this service of $30.00 per visit.

The Jesuit Vocation Office for the New Orleans Province of the Society of Jesus sponsors two Discernment Retreats each fall for those considering a vocation to the Society. Part of the time is spent with Jesuit novices who are studying here at St. Charles College, and the remainder of the time is spent with a Jesuit director in a silent, individually directed retreat.

If you have been giving some thought to a possible vocation to the Jesuits, you are invited to take part in one of these retreats free of charge. You are then asked to contact Fr. Paul Deutsch, S.J., Vocation Director, by email: pdeutsch@norprov.org

Thur, Dec 17 - Mon, Dec 21, 2009

Sat. Jan 2 - Wed. Jan. 6, 2010

Thurs. Dec. 16 - Mon. Dec. 20, 2010

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