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.

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THE JESUIT SPIRITUALITY CENTER
WILL BE CLOSED
FROM NOVEMBER 2011 UNTIL SUMMER 2013
DUE TO THE RENOVATIONS TO OUR BUILDING. 

Father Mark Lewis, S.J., the Provincial of the New Orleans Province, and his advisors reached the conclusion over this past summer to close down completely the Spirituality Center from this November 2011 until the late spring or early summer of 2013, at which time the renovations are expected to be completed. Shutting down the Center completely during the renovation will allow the general contractor to complete the project sooner, and it will also help to reduce the cost of the project. Since the Center will be out of business, no retreat programs will be offered during that period.

Four general contractors submitted bids, and J. B. Mouton, Inc., of Lafayette, Louisiana, was chosen to lead the project. Interestingly, they were the contractors that constructed Our Lady of the Oaks Retreat House on our grounds in 1938.

Father Mark Lewis appointed Jesuit Brother Larry Huck to oversee the project on behalf of the Jesuits. Brother Huck worked as an electrician in his family's electrical business before he entered the Jesuits, and is familiar with construction projects.

Please pray along with us that the construction will progress on time and with as few problems as possible. Thank you for your support during this construction. Plan to schedule a retreat once we move back into our newly renovated facilities!

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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.

DUE TO RENOVATION ISSUES, THERE ARE NO THIRTY-DAY RETREATS AVAILABLE FOR SCHEDULING AT THIS TIME.  EARLIEST AVAILABILITY WOULD BE THE SECOND HALF OF 2012.

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: $2,100
Deposit: $50.00 (non-refundable)

Thirty-day 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.

Please arrive between 4:00 and 5:30 p.m.

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Three, Five, and Eight-Day Directed Retreats

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 retreat of 3 or 5 full days may be arranged for any period during a scheduled eight-day retreat, preferably beginning or ending on either one of the scheduled dates listed below.  The number of days of a retreat is counted as full days; that is, the day of arrival and the day of departure are not counted as part of the 3 or 5 days.

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.

Please arrive between 4:00 and 5:30 p.m.

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Fees

Three-Day Retreat Fee: $210
Five-Day Retreat Fee: $350
Eight-Day Retreat Fee: $560

Deposit: $50.00 (non-refundable)

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Individually Directed Retreats

2011 Retreats                                                                                                   

Retreats are suspended until mid-2013 due to renovations.

The Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life

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.