What is Ignatian Spirituality?
Ignatian Spirituality is based on the experience and teachings of St Ignatius Loyola.
Its essence is simply bringing God into every day life.
It is a way of seeing God in all things
It offers a contemplative way of praying
It is a powerful way of helping us to make God-based decisions in our lives
It is for anybody who is trying to find God in their daily life.
Ignatian Spirituality offers a guiding hand by directing your personal prayer. It helps centre you on your true desires or goals. You are challenged to walk in faith and are constantly reminded that choosing God in all your daily experiences is never ending.
It shows a way to discover God’s dream for you; to discover our deepest desires and live them with integrity and freedom.
“In the Spiritual Exercises, the foundational book of Ignatian Spirituality, Ignatius presents us with a vision of Life, Work and Love.
His vision takes in how we see our world, how we see our life, and how we are to grow in our relationship with God.”
Who was Ignatius of Loyola?
Ignatian Spirituality is deeply practical. It is a spirituality for those living in the world. It is based on the experience of St Ignatius. who was born in 1491 in Loyola in the Basque country of Spain.
While Ignatian Spirituality is rooted in his experience of God and how he grew through his daily reflections and choices, the spirituality has become a place of growth over these 500 years.
He was a lay man when he experienced his inner journey of coming to know Jesus and his followers. These experiences moved him from being a young, proud, honour seeking soldier to a person who was challenged to do “great things for God”.
He never set out to be a priest, or hold any other position within the church. His one desire was to listen to the Holy Spirit and make choices that led him to God.
Drawing of Ignatius Loyola (no attribution). If you know the source of this image, please let us know.