The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius in Spanish: When Faith Becomes a Journey
by Zandra Schiemann
On August 17, 2026, a journey began for 41 people to experience prayer, discernment, and encounter with God that will conclude for them on November 30.
The Office of Ignatian Spirituality of the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus, in collaboration with the Casa Kino Ignatian Spirituality Center in California and with the guidance of Fr. Jorge Ochoa, SJ, launched a new edition of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius in Spanish. Participants include members of our Ignatian Hispanic Communities, as well as individuals from other regions and backgrounds across the country.
Over the coming months, participants will embark on a journey of prayer and discernment that invites them to “seek and find the will of God.” As a fundamental part of this process, each participant will be accompanied by a Spanish-speaking spiritual companion, trained and supervised by Casa Kino, who will help them deepen their prayer life and recognize God’s presence in their daily lives.
This program responds to the growing desire within the Hispanic community for opportunities for prayer, accompaniment, and discernment in their own language and cultural context. The reach of this initiative is reflected in the participants’ geographic diversity, with 75% of participants living on the East Coast of the United States, while the rest live in other regions of the country. This diversity enriches the experience and adds a variety of cultures, realities, and faith testimonies.
A significant aspect of this year’s program is that many participants previously completed the pre-Exercises program, “Preparing the Heart,” an initiative developed by the Office of Ignatian Spirituality with the support of Fr. Rocco Danzi, SJ. Through this initial experience, participants became familiar with Ignatian prayer, the Examen, and the practice of discernment, preparing themselves to engage more deeply in the Spiritual Exercises.
The group also highlights the strength of Ignatian networks in reaching participants. Those enrolled are connected to parishes, communities, and Jesuit institutions throughout the Province, while others learned about the program through personal recommendations and the pastoral outreach of the Ignatian Hispanic Communities and other ministries.
This program not only responds to the Hispanic community’s desire for spaces of prayer, accompaniment, and discernment in their own language and culture, but also advances one of the Universal Apostolic Preferences of the Society of Jesus: to show the way to God through the Spiritual Exercises and discernment. This makes this transformative experience accessible to an ever-growing number of people.