Love Remains

As we enter these sacred days of Holy Week, we are invited again—not as observers, but as companions—to walk closely with Jesus. To stay near to him in the vulnerability of love given and received, in the sorrow and surrender of the Cross, and in the quiet, waiting stillness of the tomb. These are not distant mysteries. They unfold within us.

This year, we carry more consciously the weight of the world. The reality of war, the persistence of exclusion and violence, the suffering of so many—these are not abstractions. It can be tempting to linger in the weight of these days. They press into our prayer. They ask something of our hearts. The Cross stands in this present moment—alive in the wounded places of our lives and our world.

And still, just as real is the tenderness of the Lord. Jesus' nearness that does not turn away. Here is a love that remains - always attentive, forever merciful - even in what feels unbearable. Our God is not absent from suffering; God's love is laboring within it - holding, accompanying, and quietly drawing all things toward life.

Our Lenten time of prayer, sacrifice, and repentance is serious—it asks for truth, for humility, for courage. Holy Week moves us further, gently but persistently, toward redemption. Its work is to deeply embed joy and hope in us. Because to accompany Jesus and turn toward God is to discover that we are already being received. Already being forgiven. Already being invited to begin again. Our journey in these sacred days opens an experience of a quiet, steady, interior hum knowing that we are held in love that does not fail.

At ISI, we are grateful to walk with those who are seeking— to stand with one another in prayer, in questions, in desire, and in hope. We listen with those who are listening for the Lord in the midst of real lives, real questions, real longing. It is a privilege to witness the ways God continues to meet people, drawing us all into freedom, healing, and relationship.

As you move through this Holy Week, perhaps the invitation is simply to stay. To remain present to what is quietly unfolding. Trusting that even here, especially here, God's love is at work.

prayers,

Carol Atwell Ackels

Director, Ignatian Spirituality Institute

Workshops for Spiritual Directors

Workshop May 29-30, 2026

The Art of Companioning: Ignatian Insights for Spiritual Directors

Spiritual direction is more than a method—it is an art shaped by prayer, presence, and trust in the Holy Spirit.

This ISI workshop invites spiritual directors to deepen their capacity for companioning through Ignatian wisdom, reflective practice, and shared conversation.

Together we will explore how attentiveness, discernment, and holy listening open space for God’s work in the lives of those we serve.

The workshop will be held May 29-30, 2026 at Baylor University Truett Seminary in Waco.

Registration deadline May 8, 2026.

Workshop

Giving Witness Practicum

@ Bellarmine Retreat House

June 8-12, 2026

Are you being drawn to speak of God from within prayer—to preach, to lead retreats, or to guide others into sacred listening?

Giving Witness invites you to Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington, Illinois, June 8–12, 2026, for a practicum grounded in the Ignatian tradition.

This practicum is designed to deepen your understanding of retreat ministry in the Ignatian tradition and to foster your ability to speak in ways that open pathways for others to encounter God.

Registration deadline April 30, 2026.

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Joseph A. Tetlow, SJ
Endowment

This year, ISI marks ten years since the establishment of the Joseph A. Tetlow, SJ Endowment in 2016. This anniversary is, above all, a moment of gratitude—gratitude for Fr. Joe's enduring legacy, and gratitude for the many of you who have carried that legacy forward. What began as a simple desire to honor our beloved friend and Founder Emeritus has become a lasting sign of thanksgiving, sustaining ISI's ministry.

Over the years Fr. Joe has often encouraged us, with characteristic clarity and humility, simply to “do the next good thing.” Making an appeal for building the endowment feels like a next good thing - a fitting way to mark these ten years. Your support is an act of gratitude that honors his legacy while helping to ensure that this work continues to form people who can respond faithfully in a wounded world.

Would you consider making a gift to the endowment?

Retreats & Companioning

Spiritual Companioning

ISI’s Ministry of Spiritual Companioning feels like a quiet, faithful response to the Spirit already at work among us. It leans into gentle attentiveness—honoring the sacred stories people carry and the subtle movements of grace within their lives.

Here at ISI, companioning is not about fixing or guiding, but about making room: room for silence, for questions, for the slow recognition of God’s presence in places both ordinary and tender. Our work unfolds with humility and hope, trusting that in simply showing up with one another, something holy is already happening.

For those who notice within themselves a quiet longing—a desire to deepen relationship with the Lord and to walk more intentionally with others—you are warmly invited to come and see.

ISI companions offer a space of prayerful presence, where hearts are gently opened and lives are received with reverence.

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Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius

ISI offers the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius in Daily Life as a deeply personal and flexible journey of prayer and discernment. Rather than following a fixed calendar, ISI invites individuals to begin the Exercises when you become aware of an inner call, trusting that this desire is itself a movement of grace.

Retreatants pray each day with scripture and Ignatian contemplative practices, while meeting regularly with an experienced guide for one-to-one spiritual direction.

Every ISI guide has personally made the Spiritual Exercises and have been carefully formed to accompany others.

This individualized accompaniment allows the Exercises to unfold in a way that is both grounded in the Ignatian tradition and responsive to the realities of daily life.

ISI’s ongoing, open-entry model reflects a commitment to meeting each person where you are, honoring the unique timing and rhythm of your spiritual journey.

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