Retreat for Ignatian Companions

Do you have a strong yearning to deepen your spiritual life with other women and men seeking to do the same? Are you willing to accompany the poor and marginalized on their journey and get more out of the experience than you give? Ignatian Companions may be what you are looking for! It is a program for those who desire to deepen their love of God through accompanying the poor and marginalized and engaging with others in dialogue, prayer, and reflection. The spirituality of St. Ignatius Loyola is the basis of the program. 

Companions deepen their relationship with God by direct
service (we call it accompaniment) with the disenfranchised
members of our local community. In COVID times this has
been challenging, yet as things begin to open up, we hope
that the commitment can be weekly and of sufficient hours to be able to establish a meaningful relationship with those we accompany. In the past, Companions have served in prison ministry, with homeless seniors, in health clinics serving the uninsured, tutoring GED candidates, feeding the
hungry, mentoring survivors of sex trafficking, advocating for justice in their communities, and doing much more.

The spiritual component includes daily prayer and meditation using an Ignatian Companions Spiritual Exercises Guide, monthly gatherings with other members of their group to reflect on prayer and its connection with service, monthly meetings with a spiritual director to be attentive to God's presence in our lives, and beginning
and ending retreats. The opening retreat for the 2022-2023 program year is Saturday, August 27 at the Dominican Motherhouse in Fremont. We hope to have in-person monthly meetings this year. If it is not safe, we will continue to meet via Zoom. In the East Bay, monthly meetings include coffee and bagels, liturgy, and lunch. Companions meet at Santa Clara University, the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, and the Ignatian Spiritual Life Center.

For more information or to participate in a virtual Come and See event to talk with current Companions and learn more, contact Harry Hutzel (650) 303-8843 or Marco Matuite (415) 297-7954, [email protected]