How to Make an Online Ignatian Retreat on IgnatianSpirituality.com

Updated

You can make an online Ignatian retreat on IgnatianSpirituality.com through its “An Ignatian Prayer Adventure” entry, which the site presents as a retreat you make online. The site also gathers its retreat material under Ignatian Prayer → Retreats and frames retreats in relation to The Spiritual Exercises. This route suits someone who wants a guided, self-paced introduction to Ignatian prayer rather than a scheduled, in-person retreat.

What the site offers

The homepage presents three main entry points that matter for a retreat:

Entry point What it is Best for
An Ignatian Prayer Adventure An online retreat, described on the site as “Make a retreat online” A first online retreat with a clear starting point
The Daily Examen A daily reflection on God’s presence in your day Building a daily habit alongside a retreat
The Spiritual Exercises The foundational Ignatian retreat framework Understanding what an Ignatian retreat is based on

The site also lists Retreats under Ignatian Prayer, alongside The Spiritual Exercises, The Daily Examen, and Prayers by St. Ignatius and Others. If you are new, the homepage’s “NEW? START HERE” section and the “What Is Ignatian Spirituality?” page give the background you need before beginning.

How the retreat relates to The Spiritual Exercises

Ignatian retreats grow out of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. The site treats the Exercises as a distinct topic under Ignatian Prayer and links retreats to that tradition. In practice, this means an online retreat on the site is a way of praying through Ignatian themes—discernment, examen, and reflection—rather than a replacement for the full Exercises under a director. Use the Spiritual Exercises pages to understand the source material, and use An Ignatian Prayer Adventure as the guided online form.

Step-by-step: start your online retreat

  1. Read the introduction first. Open What Is Ignatian Spirituality? and skim The Ignatian Way so the vocabulary of the retreat is familiar.
  2. Go to the retreat entry. From the homepage, select An Ignatian Prayer Adventure (“Make a retreat online”). This is the site’s designated online retreat path.
  3. Set a daily rhythm. Pair the retreat with The Daily Examen, which the site describes as reflecting on God’s presence in your day. The site’s step-by-step Examen series (for example, “Exploring the Examen Step-by-Step: Give Thanks” and “Ask God for Light”) shows how to pray it.
  4. Use the prayer support pages as needed. Draw on The What-How-Why of Prayer, Prayers by St. Ignatius and Others, and Prayer Online when you want more structure or variety.
  5. Check the blog for companion reading. The dotMagis Blog carries reflections on discernment, the Examen, and the Exercises that can accompany retreat days.

Expected result: a self-directed retreat rhythm built on the site’s own retreat entry, with the Examen as a daily anchor.

Preparation and practical tips

  • Decide on a time commitment before you start. The site does not publish a fixed retreat schedule on the homepage, so choose your own pace and keep it realistic.
  • Keep a notebook. Ignatian discernment and the Examen both involve noticing interior movements; writing them down makes the retreat easier to follow.
  • Use the decision-making pages if a choice arises. Making Good Decisions, An Approach to Good Choices, and Discernment of Spirits are the site’s own resources for that situation.
  • Consider spiritual direction. The site lists Spiritual Direction as a topic; if the retreat raises questions you want to talk through, that page is the place to look.
  • Watch the introductory videos. The “The Ignatian Way” section offers videos that introduce the main ideas—useful before or during the first days.

Common sticking points

  • Treating the online retreat as the full Spiritual Exercises. The site keeps Retreats and The Spiritual Exercises as separate topics; use the online retreat as an introduction and go to the Exercises pages for the fuller framework.
  • Skipping the Examen. The retreat is easier to sustain when the daily Examen is part of it, and the site provides a step-by-step guide for exactly that.
  • Looking for a fixed start date. The homepage describes the retreat as something you make online; plan your own start and pace rather than waiting for a scheduled program.

For a first online Ignatian retreat, start with An Ignatian Prayer Adventure, add the Daily Examen as your daily practice, and use the Spiritual Exercises and discernment pages when you want to go deeper.