Who will benefit from the Spiritual Exercises?

* Women and men serious about their Christian life.

* Those who desire to grow in their relationship with Christ.

* Lay persons, religious, priests, Christians from any tradition.

* Those who have important decisions to make about their life.

* The young who have potential to spread the gospel.

* The middle-aged who want to discern the next step in their life.

* The elderly who seek to understand the path their lives have taken.

* Men and women who are in transition.

* Women and men in leadership positions.

* Those in Christian formation programs as part of a community or volunteer organization.

Participants

Those who make the Spiritual Exercises are diverse in age, gender, ethnicity, and Christian perspective. An application process helps determine one's readiness for this experience. By asking for references and a spiritual autobiography, this process seeks to discover if a person is sufficiently free of issues which might block the dynamic of the retreat.

Retreat Origins

The Spiritual Exercises have been described as a school of prayer, a means of discernment, a means of discernment, a means for growing in a relationship with Christ. The text is considered a unique spiritual classic. This treatise on prayer offers a method of prayer that allows the "retreatant" to follow Jesus and seek God's will in any circumstance__from the most mundane activity to the most moving experience. Approximately 1,000 men and women in Portland, Seattle, Yakima, the TriCities, Spokane and Missoula have benefited from SEEL.

While the ideal way to make The Exercises is by withdrawing to a Retreat House for a silent 30 day retreat, St. Ignatius noted that:
"One who is educated or talented but engaged in public affairs
or necessary business"
....might take the retreat over the course of many months.

In 1993, The Jesuit Provincial for the Oregon Province, in response to a plea from St. Francis Xavier parishioners, instituted a program for offering the Spiritual Exercises in a parish setting. With the support of the St. Francis Xavier parish, the Exercises have flourished in Missoula and have become a model for giving the Exercises in parishes throughout the country.

What are the Requirements?
The SEEL retreat in Missoula invites anyone wishing to enter into a deeper relationship with God to consider participating in this unique opportunity. The program begins in September and ends in mid-May. Participants are expected to pray daily, meet with a Spiritual Director regularly (once a week is a norm) and meet once a month for a two hour mini-retreat with other participants.

Who are the Directors and what do they do?

The Directors are men and women who have made The Spiritual Exercises themselves and have been prepared to walk with others in this experience. These are people who know that it is God who truly directs. The Director helps the person discover who to pray best, how God prays in you and where God is leading you.

What is the cost?
St. Francis Xavier Parish subsidizes the cost of the Spiritual Exercises as part of their commitment to the spiritual life of the parish and community. The parish covers the cost of all materials, library, supervision, and education of the directors. The directors themselves donate their time for education, supervision, and direction. Spiritual Exercises offered elsewhere in the country cost the retreatants up to $1000.00. We only ask of you a generosity of spiritual and a commitment to prayer.

How do I apply?

* Complete an application form.
* Have two people complete recommendation forms.
* Attend a discernment session in early September.

For more information contact:
Ann Moriarity
Phone: (406-542-0321)
Fax (406-327-8537)
E-mail: amoriarity@montanadsl.net

The Spiritual Exercises

* Responding to the movements of my heart.

*Discovering the nature of my deepest desire.

*Seeking God's will.

*Noticing God's action in my life.

*Making choices in line with my truest self.

*Connecting my lived experience with the life, death and resurrection of Christ.

* Responding to God's love for me.

*Finding God in All things.

Sponsoring Institutions

* The Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus

* St. Francis Xavier Parish, Missoula, MT

From past retreatants:

"This has been a tremendous opportunity for me to seek out my true identity as a creature of a loving God -- and He does this by bringing me deeper into relationship with Jesus as I become more aware of the Spirit who moves within all of us as we encounter each other in our daily lives."
St.Francis Xavier parishioner
Missoula businessman