Welcome to Love and Freedom, an online retreat focusing on The First Principle and Foundation of the Spiritual Exercises by St. Ignatius of Loyola.

In the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola begins with something he calls the First Principle and Foundation. The foundation of the Spiritual Exercises, and in general our true purpose and goal of life, is to grow a deep understanding and interior knowledge that God loves us unconditionally.

Leaning on this wisdom of St. Ignatius and the First Principle and Foundation we will spend the next six weeks discovering the depth of God's unconditional love for us, embrace the freedom God seeks to give us, and to discover our purpose in life. While we have different and unique purpose in our lives, we explore the true goal of life, to live with God forever.

"The goal of the spiritual life, as (St.) Ignatius conceived it, is to “choose what better leads to God’s deepening life in me.” - David L Fleming, SJ

The starting point of a deep and intimate relationship with God is to understand and believe that we are unconditionally loved, and created as good. As we grow in our understanding and faith in that love for us, we then desire to let go of the attachments in life that distance us from God. As we receive this gift of freedom, a desire wells in us to respond to God with our love.

During this six-week retreat, we will offer a path of prayer to embrace that unconditional love of God and receive God's gift of freedom.

Along with community support, there will be guided Lectio Divina audios, scripture for daily prayer, video lessons and exercises by Becky Eldredge on the teachings of the First Principle and Foundation, and questions for reflection as we journey through the six-week retreat.

There is a community wall which provides an opportunity to gather and share as little or as much as you would like regarding the graces received during your prayer. We will also hold two live Zoom calls to gather together to pray and share our experiences of praying with the First Principle and Foundation.

Before you get started:

1. Visit Before You Begin: Preparing for Prayer. Here you will find suggested materials, prayer handouts, and other helpful information to prepare for your retreat.
2. Visit The Rhythm of the Retreat: How it Works to see our weekly prayer schedule. If you happen to miss a day do not worry! Trust that, with an open heart, the Holy Spirit will give you what you need during this time.
3. Visit Meet the Team to get to know a little about us!
4. On September 14, the day before the retreat begins, you will receive the link to access to Week 1. You can also log directly into Teachable to access the content. Depending on your location/time zone, the content may be accessible the night before.
5. We will hold two live Zoom community prayer calls as a bonus component of the retreat, which are optional to attend. These calls, held on Thursday, September 26 and October 17 at 7 p.m Central Daylight Time are a chance to gather as a community for a guided prayer experience. If the Zoom call does not fit into your schedule, we will post the recordings on the day following the call.
6. As we prepare for our journey together, take a moment to pray the Suscipe Prayer, written by St. Ignatius, that is on the last page of this Welcome Section. Make this prayer a part of your daily prayer time as we embrace the Love and Freedom offered to us by God.

Know of our prayers for you during this time. 

Peace,

Your Ignatian Ministries Team