Loyola Hall: Jesuit Spirituality Centre

Fr. Gerald O’Mahony’s take on the Beatitudes is available now at Thinking Faith, the British Jesuits‘ on-line journal. Gerry’s article is adapted from the course he gave at this summer’s Living Theology summer school arranged by Loyola Metro — Loyola Hall’s collaboration with St Francis Xavier’s parish in Liverpool’s inner city.

One of the kinds of event offered by Loyola Hall is the preached retreat, a series of talks and presentations on a theme with ample space for personal silence and prayer. One such retreat has just finished and another is still under way.

Fintan Creaven, SJ has just completed a 6-day preached retreat, ‘Journeying into God’. The title drew 22 people who together looked at different aspects of journeying: The Journey of God (the Processions of the Trinity); the journey of Creation (from the Big Bang to now); the Journey of Ignatius; the Journey of Jesus; The Voyage of Prayer; and Peregrinatio (the journeyings on the sea of the ancient Celts). We even looked at journeying on the Wrong Road (moving away from God). Original materials and audio-visuals combined with some lovely weather to make a relaxing and enjoyable event.

Meanwhile Gerry O’Mahony, SJ is currently giving a preached retreat from Monday – Friday to thirteen Columban Missionary priests. Between them they have worked in the Philippines, Brazil, Chile, the United States, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Belgium. Now they are home from the missions, yet still working in parishes in England, Ireland and Scotland.

This past weekend saw the first of our ongoing series of study weekends with Philip Endean, SJ. A group of 20 active Ignatian practitioners (including many of the Loyola Hall team) gathered to work on the subject of how sin and forgiveness are handled in the text and giving of the Spiritual Exercises.

Philip’s lively and provocative style ensured discussion was engaged and energetic. He approached the topic in three sessions dealing with good and bad aspects of guilt and conscience, the varieties of ways we describe and recognise stories of conversion, and the shape an Ignatian theology of sin might take.

Each session began with a brief orientation from Philip to set up and guide individual reading, space to read and reflect on the (very varied!) texts, discussion of the material in small groups, followed by a plenary where Philip answered some questions and posed more.

Philip presented theology (and historical studies) as a tool to widen horizons rather than narrow them. The response was enthusiastic — even from some participants who were initially a little daunted at the thought of having to think hard for the weekend. A final session looked at some of the ways the weekend might shape our practice as spiritual directors and retreat givers — and surfaced a long list of possible subjects for future study weekends.

The next weekend in the series is 24 – 26, September, 2010. Each weekend is free-standing so if you are involved in Ignatian spirituality and would like to reflect more deeply on its underpinnings do consider coming along.

Last week, 10^th – 14^th May, six Jesuit Volunteers stepped back from their busy involvements with service projects in Birmingham and Manchester to enjoy the peace of Loyola Hall. A silent individually guided retreat is part of their one year programme which sees them working alongside asylum seekers, the homeless and other people in need.

They began with a couple of days introduction to some themes of Ignatian spirituality — such as imaginative engagement with scripture, discernment of spirits, decision making, and finding God in all things — and then entered into the silent, individually guided retreat.

For most the retreat was a completely new experience, and all relished the time for reflection, and came to treasure the silence and the deepening of their companionship that happened in the silence. For most too the retreat was an opportunity to explore new ways of praying and to give time to their relationship with God. All found the experience of talking to a spiritual director rewarding.

One of the Loyola Hall team, Stephen Hoyland, spent Holy Week and Easter in the Middle East. He was invited to Jordan by Annieke Van Dijk who took part in our training programme in 2006 and lives and works there with the Evangelical churches in the Middle East.

Stephen led two Ignatian retreats, one a small group retreat in the desert and the other individually directed. By all accounts the project was a great success.

Stephen found his stay extended by volcanic activity and has only just made it back to the UK–where he has launched straight into a week of guided prayer at Reading University.