Being Contemplatives in Action in Troubled Times
A Two-Session Virtual Series for Ignatian Spiritual Directors
October 8 and November 10, 2026, 5:30pm-7:30pm ET
Program Presenters
Joanna Arellano-Gonzalez (click here for bio)
Laurie Cassidy, Ph.D. (click here for bio)
Sessions
Session 1: Oct. 8, 2026 (5:30pm-7:30pm ET)
Session 2: Nov. 10, 2026 (5:30pm-7:30pm ET)
Registration Fee
$75.00
The OIS offers generous financial assistance. Click here to apply for financial assistance. If you are applying for financial assistance, please wait for a response before registering for this program .
About This Series
What does it mean to be a contemplative in action during these troubled times? How can we remain attentive to God if we are chronically in a state of being overworked, frightened, or enraged? How do we turn toward these troubled times with a faith that does justice when we may be tempted to turn away?
As Ignatian spiritual directors, these questions stir in our hearts and surface in our conversations with our directees. To contemplate God and participate in God's "laboring and loving" today requires a heightened level of presence to ourselves, to others and to the times in which we are living.
Both sessions of this program will be recorded. All who register for this program will receive a copy of the recording.
Program Session Descriptions
Session One
Social Transformation: Shedding the Light of Faith Upon These Troubled Times
Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026
Program Leader: Joanna Arellano-Gonzalez, Director of Training and Formation at the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership
This session will explore the troubled times in which we are living in the light and wisdom of a faith that does justice. We will explore how a faith that does justice equips us to face the realities of our time with courage and hope. Together, we will reflect on the social, political, and spiritual challenges impacting our communities and examine practices that help us stay grounded in God's presence and connected to one another.
Session Two
Stabilizing Practices for Being Contemplatives in Action
Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026
Program Leader: Laurie Cassidy, Ph.D., spiritual director, formator, program and retreat leader and author
Drawing upon contemporary neurological research, this session will explore how we stay with our collective reality when it can be overwhelming just to watch the news. We will explore practices to stabilize ourselves in order to be present and responsive to God in all things. Together we will explore how these practices are an intentional way to find shelter under the standard of Christ.
About the Program Leaders:
Joanna Arellano-Gonzalez is a proud first-generation Mexican-American from the La Villita neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. She is a co-founder and Director of Training and Formation at the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL), a Catholic and Christian-rooted community organizing coalition that advances community transformation through spirituality and grassroots organizing. She holds a Master of Arts in Christian Spirituality from Fordham University, with a concentration in Spiritual Direction. A writer, speaker, and formator, Joanna explores the intersections of spirituality, theology, organizing, and the historical Jesus. Her writing has appeared in a variety of Catholic and social justice publications, including Give Us This Day and the Center for Action and Contemplation. She has also served as a guest preacher with Catholic Women Preach. She is currently writing a series on the historical Jesus.
Laurie Cassidy, Ph.D. is a theologian, anti-racist activist and spiritual director. She currently teaches in the Christian Spirituality Program at Creighton University and was associate professor in the religious studies department at Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania. An award-winning author and editor, her latest book is entitled Praying for Freedom: Racism and Ignatian Spirituality in America. Her previous books include Desire, Darkness, and Hope: Theology in a Time of Impasse, co-edited with M. Shawn Copeland. Over the past thirty years, she has been engaged in ministry that facilitates the intersection of personal and social transformation. Raised in Massachusetts she now makes her home in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, traditional homeland of the Ute in Colorado.
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