The Office of Ignatian Spirituality (OIS) was officially launched on May 20, 2021, the first day of the Society of Jesus’ Ignatian Year, but it was several years in the making. Its mandate is to:
- Network: Organize networking among ministries doing the direct ministry of the Spiritual Exercises, as well as those ministries who train Jesuits and others in the ministry.
- Collaborate: Consult with and provide guidance to current ministries and programs that promote the Spiritual Exercises and Ignatian Spirituality.
- Discern: Listen to what God is calling the province to do related to leading people to God through the Spiritual Exercises.
This mission is lived by offering the Spiritual Exercises in ways the province’s retreat houses and spirituality centers do not, such as virtual retreats, and provide spiritual formation to Jesuits, Jesuit colleagues and others. In addition, it will work with institutions struggling to share and foster the Spiritual Exercises to develop strategies and means for such ministry.
The Office of Ignatian Spirituality animates the Society of Jesus’ Universal Apostolic Preference to “show the way to God through the Spiritual Exercises and discernment.”
