CO-HOSTS
Nicholas Collura
Lori Stanley
DATES AND TIMES
Tuesdays, July 18 – October 3, 2023
3PM – 5PM PST
6PM – 8PM EST
DURATION
24 hours (total)
All sessions will be recorded.
This 12-week course will give practitioners the opportunity to unpack new perspectives on Ignatian spiritual direction, and to develop new tools and approaches to their practice and calling.
“The entire life of Ignatius was a pilgrim search for the ‘magis’ [Latin: ‘the more’]: the ever-greater glory of God, the ever-fuller service of our neighbor, the more universal good… Mediocrity has no place in Ignatius’ worldview. Jesuits are never content with the status quo, the known, the tried, the already existing. We are constantly driven to discover, redefine, and reach out for the ‘magis.’… For us, frontiers and boundaries are not obstacles or ends, but new challenges to be faced, new opportunities to be welcomed.”
-Concluding Document of the Jesuits 34th General Congregation
It’s little wonder that the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius continue to inspire and inform the work of so many spiritual directors and companions, as they are centered on discerning God’s presence in our daily lives, and fostering a deep connection with the Divine. The accessibility and invitation of this spiritual perspective makes it particularly significant for spiritual directors and those we companion, as it can be applied in almost any instance.
This unique online course offering from SDI offers spiritual directors the opportunity to connect with peers who are on the leading edge of Ignatian spirituality, exploring and practicing new and creative approaches to implementing this timeless wisdom.
We have lined up a diverse group of Session Presenters, across vocations and differing forms of service, from 1/1 spiritual direction to group practice, inter and intra-Church communities, the arts, anti-racism and social justice work, among other applications. All attendees will have the opportunity to learn from and interact with the various session leaders, receiving encouragement and inspiration for their own practice (more Presenters will be announced shortly).
In each of our 12 sessions, you will have the opportunity to ask questions, and foster community with other like-minded folks in small Breakout Groups. Live attendance is encouraged, but not necessary, as we will record all sessions and make them available as they occur weekly. Recordings and course materials will be offered on a Course Webpage on the SDI website that you can sign into, and which will allow you to pace yourself. Recordings are also guaranteed to be available for at least a year after the course ends, and typically much longer.
WHO IS THIS COURSE FOR?
Anyone with an interest in Ignatian Spirituality is welcome! You do not need to be a spiritual director, or a teacher of the Spiritual Exercises, although those of you with some (or a lot of) background in the field will find this course especially resonant. Please note: this is not an Ignatian Retreat, and we won’t be teaching the Exercises themselves, nor is this offering designed to be a training to become an Ignatian Spiritual Director (though you may well be inspired to become one after this course!). We invite anyone who is seeking to deepen their connection with the Divine via the Spiritual Exercises to use our Find a Spiritual Director or Companion Guide to find suitable individuals.
DATES AND TIMES
The Course series will run 12 consecutive Tuesdays: July 18, 25, August 1, 8, 5, 22, 29, September 5, 12, 19, 26, October 3: 3 PM Seattle/Los Angeles, 5 PM Chicago, 6 PM New York, 10 PM London; Wednesdays: July 19, 26, August 2, 9, 6, 23, 30, September 6, 13, 20, 27, October 4: 7 AM Hong Kong, 10 AM Sydney, Australia.
Find your own local time here.
This series has been scheduled to be convenient to as many people around the world as possible. With that said, if that timing doesn’t work, you can follow along at your own pace, as we record and post each session to our Course Website.
Each session is recorded so you can watch at your convenience.
CO-HOSTS
Nicholas Collura
Nicholas Collura is a spiritual director and visiting retreat director at St. Raphaela Center in Haverford, PA. He earned a Master of Divinity and trained as a spiritual director at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry before spending three years as a Jesuit in California. There, he served as a chaplain at a Jesuit university, at a L’Arche community, and at several juvenile halls and adult state prisons. A board-certified healthcare chaplain and Enneagram teacher, he also co-coordinates EcoPhilly, a faith-based organizing initiative dedicated to creation care in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Lori Stanley
Lori Stanley is the first layperson to become Executive Director of Loyola Institute for Spirituality in 2018. With a background in public relations and over 30 years of service within the Diocese of Orange, she brings her experience in pastoral ministry, organizational leadership, marketing, and development to the organization. In 2020 she was appointed as a member of the USCCB’s anti-racism taskforce for the state of California, and is an active participant in the Jesuit Antiracism Sodality (JARS). She earned a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from UT at Dallas and a MA in Pastoral Theology with a concentration in Spiritual Direction from Loyola Marymount University (LMU).
She attributes the principles of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius with providing personal insight, contentment and joy in her life. Lori and her husband, Keenan have been married for 33 years and have one adult daughter. They have been facilitators in the Catholic Engaged Encounter ministry for 19 years. For enjoyment, Lori can be found listening to live gospel and jazz music, playing golf, reading autobiographies and hosting gatherings with family and friends.
PRESENTERS
Lauren Schwer
A trained educator, dedicated minister, and experienced spiritual director, Lauren Schwerhas been involved with Ignatian formation in a variety of roles for the entirety of the 21st century. Lauren serves as the Director of Ignatian Spirituality at Loyola University Chicago, where she focuses on the spiritual formation of faculty and staff and coordinates the university’s Spiritual Exercises program.
Oliver Goodrich
Oliver Goodrich, M.Ed., is a religious educator and spiritual director who is passionate about making spirituality accessible to all. In his 20-year career in higher education, Oliver has worked in a variety of roles supporting college student spiritual wellbeing at Boston College, Loyola University Chicago, Cornell University, and Bowdoin College, where he currently serves as the Director of the Rachel Lord Center for Religious & Spiritual Life.
Lauren Morton
Lauren Morton is the founder of The Bee at Peace project, based on the spiritual wisdom of St. Ignatius, which helps develop new faith-sharing communities that build spiritual growth, brightness, and personal power for Black women. Participants engage in small, Faith-Sharing groups (“honeycombs”) across the South and meet seasonally for prayerful Days of Reflection or overnight Spiritual Retreats.
Edgardo Lugo
Edgardo Lugo is currently serving as the Director of Bereavement at Calvary Hospital where he leads a team of bereavement counselors who offer individual and group counseling to children, adolescent and adults and offer training on grief, mourning and bereavement to education and mental health professionals. Prior to Calvary he served 20 years in community mental health services in New York as a therapist and supervisor. He is a spiritual director and is affiliated with the Ignatian Spirituality in Everyday Life ministry with St. Francis Xavier Church in New York, New York. He was trained in Spiritual Direction in the Center for Spirituality and Justice in Bronx, New York, 1991-1992. He holds an MS in Pastoral Counseling from Iona College, a Masters in Social Work from Fordham University, and is currently completing an MA in Christian Spirituality in Fordham University.
Clairssa Aljentera
Clarissa V. Aljentera works with the Ignatian Solidarity Network as the Director of Education for Justice. She is a second-generation Filipina American who lives and works in Chicago, Il. Clarissa is an author, educator, and performing artist. She has an MA in pastoral ministry from Boston College School of Theology and Ministry and a BA in journalism from San Jose State University.
Marilyn Nash
Marilyn Nash (she/her) is an educator, consultant, and spiritual director, who believes in Revolutionary Love. Her work includes teaching Ignatian Spirituality at Seattle University; consulting with mission-based schools & nonprofits; encouraging individuals & groups to practice discernment, particularly in the context of the culture of Racism; and presenting & writing about these life-giving passions. She lives & works in the Pacific Northwest on the ancestral homelands of the Coast Salish people, in particular the traditional territory of the Puyallup and Duwamish. www.achangeofbeing.com
Elise Gower
Elise Gower is the Associate Director for Contemplative Leaders in Action and member of the Ignatian Young Adult Ministries team. She most recently served as the Associate Director of Programs at Loyola University Maryland’s Center for Community Service & Justice. Elise is committed to fostering intentional community around the tradition and values of Ignatian Spirituality. She is drawn to the art of sacred storytelling as a tool for antiracism work and exploring the intersections of spirituality and LGBTQ+ identity. Elise proudly calls Baltimore, Maryland home.
Larry J Morris III
Rev. Larry J. Morris III is the SDI Communities Coordinator, and will be in dialog with Elise on service to the LGBTQ+ Community.. He has a BS in Psychology at Alliant International University, an MDiv and MTS from the Claremont School of Theology, and is currently a Ph.D. student at Christian Theological Seminary. He is the founder and apostle of Communion Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Henderson, NV., and his research interests are at the intersections of race, sexuality, and sacred rhetoric. Learn more at www.larryjmorris3.com
Stephanie Clouatre Davis
Stephanie Clouatre Davis, OPA, is an Associate with the Dominican Sisters of Peace and is an Ignatian trained Spiritual Director. In her more than 20 years of ministry for the Catholic Church, she has directed hundreds of retreats and spoken at many conferences for teens, young adults, and adults. Stephanie graduated from Loyola University New Orleans with a BA in Theology and spent more than 15 years teaching junior high, high school, and college level courses while seeking masters in both Pastoral Studies and Rhetoric from Loyola University and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Brian Anderson
Brian Anderson has served as an interfaith chaplain at Loyola University Chicago, directing students from a multitude of spiritual and faith backgrounds, running retreats, and companioning them in their adult identity formation. Currently, Brian is the Executive Director of Fathering Together, a non-profit empowering dads to be agents for positive change in the lives of their children. More information about Brian’s work can be found at www.theconnecteddad.life. More information on his non-profit work can be found at www.fatheringtogether.org.
Becky Eldredge
Becky Eldredge is an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator, former SDI New Contemplative, and author of two books: The Inner Chapel (Loyola Press, April 2020) and Busy Lives & Restless Souls (Loyola Press, 2017). She leads a ministry team that offers spiritual direction, resources, and retreats (virtual and in-person) rooted in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Passionate about Ignatian spirituality and teaching people how to pray and discern, Becky draws from over twenty years of ministry experience to help people make room for God in the busyness. You can learn more about her ministry at www.beckyeldredge.com.
Jenéne Francis
Jenéne Francis is an aspiring contemplative in action who enjoys adapting and offering the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius for days of reflection and retreats. Jenéne recently retired from the Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus after many years supporting Jesuits and colleagues who serve retreat houses, spirituality programs, parishes, and as hospital chaplains and other pastoral ministers. Her first career at the Procter and Gamble Company in product development and manufacturing.
Matthew Meyers
Matthew Meyers is the Director of Programs for the Ignatian Spirituality Project. He is devoted to working with nonprofits that build communities of hope and provide transformative experiences. Prior to joining ISP, Matthew worked with undergraduate students in Campus Ministry and as a live-in residential counselor at Boys Hope Girls Hope Cincinnati. Matthew received dual Masters degrees in Public Administration for Nonprofit Management and Theology from Villanova University.
COURSE OUTLINE (subject to change)
- July 18 - Building a Learning Community: Where is Ignatian Spirituality Today?
- July 25 - Spiritual Grounding: The Contemporary Accessibility of the Spiritual Exercises (Lauren Schwer and Oliver Goodrich)
- Aug 1 - “Shame and Confusion”: Themes from Ignatius’s First Week in Dialogue with bell hooks’s “All About Love” (Lauren Morton)
- Aug 8 - A Clinical Perspective on the Grief Dynamics of the Third and Fourth Weeks (Edgardo Lugo)
- Aug 15 - Engaging in Cura Personalis, an Opportunity for Heart Work and Hard Work (Clarissa Aljentera)
- Aug 22 - Comfort or Consolation? Ignatian Discernment & Direction in the Context & Culture of AntiRacism (Marilyn Nash)
- Aug 29 - A Conversation on the Queer Experience and Ignatian Spirituality (Elise Gower and Larry J. Morris III)
- Sept 5 - Beyond the Individual: Communal Discernment (Jenene Francis)
- Sept 12 - The Examen and the Spiritually Connected Dad (Brian Anderson)
- Sept 19 - Ignatian Spirituality and Young Adults (Stephanie Clouatre Davis)
- Sept 26 - The Magis: Ignatian Spirituality for Leadership Development (Becky Eldredge)
- Oct 3 - Ignatian Spirituality in Practice: A Conversation with the Ignatian Spirituality Project (Matthew Meyers and Guests)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- Participants from all spiritual traditions and orientations are welcome in this webinar series as are those with all levels of spiritual experience.
- Each session will run 120 minutes. We understand that the timing of the course will not be convenient in every time zone on the planet. For those who have trouble making this time, a recorded copy of each session will be made available to all those who sign up.
- CEU credits are available for all those who participate. SDI will provide a certificate of completion for self-reporting to agencies. More information can be found here: continuing education units (CEUs).
- Cost: $249 for non-members, with significant discounts for SDI members
- Scholarships are available for those facing financial hardship. Please apply here.
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