What Are the Spiritual Exercises?

Exercises for the Soul

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola are a set of meditations and contemplations, some written by St. Ignatius, most focused on Scripture, that God uses to draw the retreatant into a more intimate relationship with him through Jesus.

The original Exercises were given over the course of 30 consecutive days. Many retreat centers continue to offer the Exercises in this original format. Through imaginative prayer and the daily examen, retreatants are met by God who is Love loving and are opened to encountering God in all aspects of their lives. St. Ignatius described his experience of God as that of a school master/teacher loving teaching their student. In this way, the retreatant learns how to recognize the inner movements discernment: when one is being drawn closer to God and when one is being drawn away from God. It is in the course of these Exercises that the "muscles" of the soul are strengthened, the eyes of discernment are opened, and the heart is enkindled with love for God and a desire to bring him glory in all things.

Over time, others desired to make the Exercises who could not take 30 consecutive days out of their busy lives for the intensive retreat. Thus was born the Retreat in Daily Life, otherwise known as the 19th Annotation (the 19th notation at the beginning of the book of the Exercises that provide guidelines for those giving the Exercises - the 20th Annotation refers to the 30-day retreat mentioned above). The Retreat in Daily Life is the full Exercises stretched out over 9 to 10 months with one prayer period each day focused on the Exercises material. In this way, the retreatant continues to live and work in their everyday life while integrating the Spiritual Exercises into it - or, rather, God integrates the graces of the Exercises into the retreatant's life.

A key component of the Spiritual Exercises is the regular, individual meetings with a retreat facilitator. While it is possible to do a "self-guided" retreat (there are many "do-it-yourself" Ignatian retreat books out now), to receive the full benefit of the Exercises and to be able to recognize the interior spiritual movements that occur, the listening ear of a trained facilitator is necessary. Both the 30-day retreat and the Retreat in Daily Life provide such guidance.

Is God Inviting Me to Make the Spiritual Exercises?

How do I know if I'm being invited by God?

First, notice what is drawing you or attracting you to this website...and what keeps you reading. What is it about the Exercises that you find appealing? Take note of those things. What desire does it stir within you?

Second, recall if there have been times in the past when the Exercises have come into your awareness. Maybe a friend or family member made a form of the retreat and told you about it. Maybe you saw an advertisement in your church bulletin. Maybe you heard about them on the local Catholic or Christian radio station. Maybe you've had previous encounters with a Jesuit or with imaginative prayer. Often, individuals who eventually make the Exercises retreat mention how God seemed to prepped them by bringing up the Exercises several time over a span of time, often years.

Third, reflect on your relationship with God. Are you satisfied with where you are in your spiritual life? Are things "good" with God? If so, the Exercises may not be for you - yet. If you find yourself hungering for more, sensing that there is deeper prayer and greater connection with God waiting for you. Then maybe the Exercises are calling you.

Fourth, consider if there is something you are discerning or will need to discern soon in your life. Perhaps you are discerning your vocational call to the priesthood or religious life, to marriage, or to the single celibate life. You may be recently retired or in some other transition in your life and unsure about "what's next". There could be something very specific and big that is on the horizon that you need to make a decision about. The Exercises are instrumental for many in helping them to learn how to discern the choices in their life. They may be for you, as well.

Fifth, you may not be aware of anything you need to actively discern at this moment, but you desire greater healing in an area of your life. While the Exercises do NOT substitute for counseling or psychotherapy, for those who are seeking to know God more intimately, the Exercises allow the Spirit of God to raise areas of brokenness and woundedness of heart to the surface to be touched by the Lord. It may not bring "healing" to these areas, but there can be a greater acceptance, a more profound surrender, and even a new appreciation for one's "thorn in the side."

Sixth, notice any hesitancies or resistances when you think about making the Exercises. It may well be that your schedule and time or family and work responsibilities do not allow for the commitment necessary to make a good Exercises retreat at this time. That's okay. But, if you find yourself making excuses for why you can't do the Exercises or trying to convince yourself or God that now is not a good time, then bring those to God in prayer and ask the Lord to show you what the resistances are really about. Even if you decide not to make the Exercises right now, the Lord loves you just the same.

Finally, you are simply making a decision to apply or not to apply for the Exercises retreat. You do not have to decide to actually make them. That decision is not entirely yours to make. There are a couple additional steps to the final decision about the Exercises. The first one is if you will apply. If you do, then there will be a discernment interview with a facilitator in which both you and the facilitator will mutually discern if God is in fact inviting you to make the Exercises now. If it is determined that, yes, now is a good time and, yes, God does seem to be inviting you, then you make the next preliminary decision to register for the retreat. But it doesn't end there! You will have almost 2 months once the retreat begins to decide if you will continue through the whole of the Exercises. The first couple of months are spent in Ignatian prayer, with prayer material, in preparation for the Exercises. This time of preparation is focused on God's love for you, deepening that felt-experience, and beginning to recognize how God meets you in prayer and in life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please reach out to us at if you cannot find an answer to your question.

What is the commitment for the retreat?

The commitment to the Spiritual Exercises Retreat in Daily Life consists of the following:

A 1-day Orientation Retreat.
Daily prayer of about 45 minutes to one hour with specific prayer material,
15-20 minutes of journaling each day,
10-15 minutes each night for the Examen prayer (a prayerful review of the day),
1 hour of weekly, individual retreat direction,
2 hours every 1 to 1-1/2 months for a group faith sharing conference gathering,
A half-day Closing Retreat in June.

*PLEASE NOTE: Retreatants are also asked to make their Exercises prayer their primary time with God and priority for their spiritual practices for the duration of the retreat. This involves mutually discerning with your individual retreat facilitator any other spiritual reading, videos or podcasts and any other prayer commitments during the course of the retreat. While can certainly and does use and speak through spiritual reading, the Rosary, etc., a commitment to the Exercises retreat is a "yes" to a specific invitation from God. We want to ensure that you are properly disposed to receive the fullness of the graces God intends for you...and that means freeing yourself from anything else that could potentially get in the way of that and/or pull your attention away from the Exercises prayer.

Are the Spiritual Exercises offered virtually?

Yes. All group meetings for the virtual retreat will be held on Zoom. The weekly, individual meetings can be either in-person (if the retreatant is local to the South Bay of Los Angeles area) or virtually via Zoom.

What about in-person?

Yes! We are also offering an in-person retreat option. All group meetings will be held in-person at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in San Pedro, CA. The weekly, individual meetings can be either in-person or virtual.

What is the suggested amount for the retreat offering?

We ask that you prayerfully consider your financial situation and discern how much you would like to offer for your retreat.

Information to assist with your discernment:

No one will be turned away based on financial situation or the amount offered for the retreat.
The cost to provide the virtual retreat is approximately $2000 per person. The cost for the in-person retreat is approximately $2600 per person. We are also offering a discounted rate for parishioners of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in San Pedro, CA where the in-person retreat faith sharing groups will meet. If you are a parishioner of Holy Trinity, please contact us.
The retreat fee covers all individual direction/facilitation sessions for the 10 months, all materials (handouts, books, and prayer materials, including shipping for our virtual retreatants), and all group gatherings.
Your total financial retreat offering may be paid in equal monthly installments by check, credit card, Square or PayPal. Payments for Holy Trinity parishioners are made directly to Holy Trinity Church by cask or check.
If you need or want financial assistance, please download and complete the scholarship application in addition to the retreat application. Limited, partial scholarships are available.

Key Information for Your Discernment

To help you discern about applying to make the Spiritual Exercises you may want to consider some of the following:

1) What am I hoping to receive from God out of the Exercises?

2) It's a 9 to 10-month retreat in daily life. Do I have the time to commit to this retreat?

3) Do I feel a draw to the Exercises or am I considering it because I feel pressured by my friends, family or others?

4) Has the Spiritual Exercises been popping up into my awareness over time unexpectedly?

5) Are the people in my life (e.g., spouse, adult children, close friends, etc.) able to be supportive of me making the Exercises

6) Are there internal thoughts, apprehensions, beliefs, etc. that causing me to be hesitant, resistant, or doubtful regarding making the Exercises?

7) Are there any spiritual practices that you are currently engaged in that you are not willing to let go of for the duration of the retreat?

8) Are there other things that might get in the way of me completing the retreat, either external situations or internal issues or concerns?