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Through me course wide rivers and in me rise tall mountains. And beyond the thickets of my agitation and confusion there stretch the wide
plains of my peace and surrender.
All landscapes are within me. And there is room for everything.
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The topic of contemplation arose at a recent meeting of colleagues. As spiritual directors, we were discussing how important it is to carve out time for our own contemplation amidst the many demands of life. Contemplation invites us to focus on our interiority, noticing what God is doing in us. As one wise colleague said, it is through contemplation that we seek the Magis within.
Thinking about our inner Magis reminded me of the words of Etty Hillesum in the above reflection. Indeed, beyond the thickets of agitation within us are wide rivers, tall mountains and peaceful plains. Contemplation carries us to these life-giving landscapes. As Joan Chittester, OSB writes, “The contemplative refuses to allow the noise that engulfs us to deafen us to our own smallness or blind us to our own glory.” (Illuminated Life: Monastic Wisdom for Seekers of Light).
We’re giving contemplation a prominent place in our program offerings this year. Our fall 2026 series “Being Contemplatives in Action in Troubled Times” invites participants to explore spiritual practices and a faith that does justice to help us face the realities of our time with courage and hope. The five-day in-person retreat for spiritual directors that we are offering in April 2027 will invite us to pause and reflect on who we are as spiritual directors in the Ignatian tradition and how we are evolving through our spiritual direction practice. Scroll down to learn how you can participate in these and other initiatives.
As you move into the season of autumn and all that it holds, may you carry with you these words of wisdom: “No life can afford to be too busy to close the doors on chaos regularly. When the heart is free to give volume to the call of God that fills every minute of time, the chains snap and the soul is at home everywhere in the universe.” (Joan Chittester, OSB, Illuminated Life: Monastic Wisdom for Seekers of Light).
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Autumn blessings,
Nancy
Nancy Small
Associate Director for Spiritual Direction Initiatives
Office of Ignatian Spirituality
USA East Province of the Society of Jesus
929-232-3056
nsmall@jesuits.org
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Being Contemplatives in Action in Troubled Times: A Two-Session Virtual Series for Ignatian Spiritual Directors
October 8 and November 10, 2026
5:30 – 7:30 pm ET
What does it mean to be a contemplative in action during these troubled times? How do we notice God if we are chronically in a state of being overworked, overwhelmed, frightened, or enraged? How do we turn toward these troubled times with a faith that does justice when we may be tempted to turn away? To contemplate God and participate in God's "laboring and loving" today requires a level of presence to ourselves, to others and to the times in which we are living.
Click here for more information and to register.
| | Save the Dates! OIS In-Person Retreat for Spiritual Directors | |
April 26 (4:00 pm) to April 30 (1:00 pm), 2027
St. Raphaela Center, Haverford, PA
This retreat offers sacred space for silent contemplation each day along with time to connect with other spiritual directors each evening. Come and reflect upon how God is shaping you through your spiritual direction practice and inviting you to step boldly into the integrity of your call as an Ignatian spiritual director. Explore spiritual practices that draw you inward and nourish your growth. Mark your calendars now and plan to join us! Details about registration will be shared as they are available, so please check our webpage. Space is limited. Click here if you’d like to be added to our list to receive more information as it becomes available.
| Trauma-Informed Spiritual Exercises Recordings Available for Free | |
Two Languages: One Voice: The Trauma-Informed Spiritual Exercises was offered as a three-session program in fall 2025 to help Ignatian spiritual directors, supervisors and givers of the Spiritual Exercises grow in their ability to accompany trauma survivors. Grounded in Jesuit Fr. Rob McChesney’s book, The Soul Also Keeps the Score: A Trauma-Informed Companion to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, the series explores the origin story of St. Ignatius through the lens of contemporary trauma theory; identifies concrete tools that are central to Ignatian spirituality; and highlights the trauma-informed significance of the Exercises’ “three powers of the soul” – memory, intellect, and will.
Fr. McChesney leads each session and is joined by his colleague Dr. Lisa López Levers, Ph.D. in Session 3. Recordings of each session of this program are now available free-of-charge by clicking here.
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| For Spiritual Directors of Color | | |
We welcome Colleen Thomas as our new Spiritual Directors of Color Project Facilitator. Colleen will be serving in this role from September through June, cultivating spaces for connection, reflection, and ongoing formation among Spiritual Directors of Color. She will build upon the firm foundation created by Brenda Bertrand who completed her term as Project Facilitator in July. You can reach Colleen at: ueasdoc@jesuits.org.
Colleen is a trained spiritual director and long-time practitioner of centering prayer. She has a rich background in facilitating contemplative prayer groups and offering workshops and retreats with a particular passion for curating sacred spaces for younger contemplatives and the BIPOC community. She serves as the Diversity Outreach Coordinator for Contemplative Outreach Ltd. and co-hosts Opening Minds, Opening Hearts, a seasonal podcast focusing on contemplative spiritual practice.
Colleen completed her M.A. in theology and art at Fuller Theological Seminary. She holds a certificate of distinction in spiritual direction & retreat formation from the Spirituality Center at Mount St. Mary’s College. She pursued additional training in the art of group spiritual direction and contemplative practices. Rooted in Ignatian spirituality, she made the 19th Annotation Retreat in Daily Life at Mary and Joseph Retreat Center in Palos Verdes, CA. She makes her home in Washington, D.C. where she enjoys thunderstorms, free museums, and frequent travel.
| Creighton University Offering Scholarships for Spiritual Directors of Color | | |
Creighton University is awarding scholarships for two Spiritual Directors of Color to enroll in its Spiritual Direction and Directed Retreats Graduate Certificate program. Grounded in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, this program includes a nine-month, directed practicum experience with supervised spiritual direction and retreat formation. Prerequisites include a bachelor’s degree or equivalent and a minimum of two years receiving spiritual direction.
Click here to learn more about this program.
Applications will be accepted beginning in January 2027 for the program that officially begins in fall 2027. To apply for this scholarship, please email program director Tom Kelly at thomaskelly@creighton.edu and indicate that you are interested in the Spiritual Director of Color scholarship.
| | The ISDI Spiritual Directors of Color webpage. | | A living resource of spiritual direction and spirituality materials written by people of color. Please share a book or an article that has shaped you. We build this together. | | Add your name to the ISDI community list of BIPOC Spiritual Directors. | |
ISDI Catalog Updates
and Announcements
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OIS Catalog of Spiritual Directors
Conversion of the Catalog to a New Platform
We are building a new platform that is custom-designed and user-friendly. Spiritual directors in the Catalog will be able to view their records online and update them directly.
The new platform will offer optional public-facing profiles to Jesuits and spiritual directors who have signed the OIS Catalog Covenant. Spiritual directors can choose to share a profile of their background for potential spiritual directees to view as they conduct an online search of the OIS Catalog.
This new platform is under development. We will be testing it out in the next several months, and we hope to have it ready to go by November.
Conversion of OIS Spiritual Direction Referral Process
Once the new platform is ready to go, we will be integrating a new spiritual direction referral model. Those who contact us seeking a spiritual direction referral will be able to choose one of the following options:
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Option 1: The ISDI Program Coordinator reviews the seeker’s application and refers seekers to a potential spiritual director based on the information provided by the seeker and the background of the potential spiritual director (this is the trusted and time-honored process we use now).
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Option 2: Seekers conduct an online search of the Catalog to view the profiles of potential spiritual directors. They will be able to view only the profiles of spiritual directors who choose to make their profiles public (and this option will be available only to Jesuits and spiritual directors who have signed the OIS Catalog Covenant). They will then contact the potential spiritual director using the contact information provided.
Click here if you are interested in learning more about the OIS Catalog and how to register if you meet the Catalog criteria. Please direct any questions to Michelle Gomez, ISDI Program Coordinator, at mgomez@jesuits.org.
| | Ongoing Spiritual Director Formation | | |
Exploring the Dynamics of the Directed Retreat:
Directing the Prayer of Another
(Mercy by the Sea)
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Saturday, October 10, 2026 | 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Program Leader: Karen Doyle, SSJ
In-person - Mercy by the Sea, Madison, CT
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Spiritual Director Enrichment Session
(Mercy by the Sea)
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Sunday, October 11, 2026 | 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM
Listening to the Prayer of Another
Program Leader: Karen Doyle, SSJ
Virtual - Mercy by the Sea, Madison, CT
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A Pathway Out of Spiritual Trauma Webinar
A gentle webinar designed to help participants process church hurt
and discover a hope-filled path toward healing.
Saturday, October 24 | 12:00 pm ET
Program Fee: $25
Sponsored by Anam Cara. To learn more about this virtual event and
to register, click here.
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Directed Retreat Training Series - Fall, 2026 (Virtual)
Wednesdays, September 16 – November 4 | 4:00 – 5:30 pm ET
Program Leaders: Joan McCarthy, CSJ and Maureen Casey, SND
Cost: Total Series (8 Sessions): $220 or $30 for individual session
Topics include the art of discernment, relationship with God, forms of prayer, resistance, trauma, annotations and additions, supervision, awareness of assumptions and judgments and deepening the graces. All sessions will include input, case studies, verbatims, Q&A, reflection and sharing.
Pre-Requisites include receiving personal spiritual direction, training in spiritual direction, directing at least four people, and receiving individual and/or group supervision. Having made the Spiritual Exercises would be very helpful. For more information or to request an application, email ii@csjboston.org or jmccsj@aol.com.
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If you are in need of individual or group supervision,
here are two good resources:
| | Together in the Mystery offers group and individual supervision. | The Ignatian Spiritual Direction Initiative | ISDI offers referrals for group/individual supervision - limited to spiritual directors living within the Jesuits USA East province – Maine to Georgia. | | Would you like to try individual supervision for free? Six monthly sessions are being offered for free by a trained supervisor for an advanced training practicum with Together in the Mystery. Contact nsmall@jesuits.org if you are interested in learning more about this opportunity. | |
When the Ministry is Quiet: Supervision in Seasons Without Spiritual Directees
by Luz Marina Diaz
Dr. Luz Marina Díaz is Director of Religious Education at the Church of St. Francis Xavier in Manhattan. She is the director of the Spiritual Direction Practicum and the Haciendo Caminos Initiative at Fordham University. She is a bilingual religious educator, spiritual director, and supervisor of spiritual directors, a liturgical dancer, and a contributing writer for Give Us This Day.
Click here to read
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Ignatian Spirituality and
Social Justice
by Deogratias M. Rwezaura
Deogratias M. Rwezaura, SJ is a Jesuit priest and member of the Eastern Africa Province of the Society of Jesus (AOR). He is currently serving as delegate for formation for the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar. He teaches social ethics at Hekima University College in Nairobi, Kenya.
Click here to read
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What are they saying about
Spiritual Direction?
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Spiritual direction at its best entirely focuses on helping the directee to become attentive to the presence, action and movements of God in ordinary human experiences, and on noticing the directee’s own responses to these movements of the Holy. Whatever content the direction conversation may hold, however many interesting twists and turns and diverse paths it takes, the director listens for one thing only. The director “tunes in” like a person fiddling carefully with a radio dial, spinning from one music clip to another, one fragment of speech to the next, until “Aha, this is it!” The director recognizes the presence of God in the conversation and then helps the directee to explore further what has occurred or is occurring.
~ Mary Ann Scofield
“Waiting on God: Staying with Movements of God” in Sacred is the Call
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