Studies in Ignatian Practice will bring research and lived experience together, with each issue centred on a substantial 15,000-word research article exploring a topic relevant to spiritual practitioners.
The publication has grown out of a biannual seminar at Campion Hall, Oxford, where Jesuits, researchers and Partners in Mission come together to explore how Ignatian spirituality is practised today. Practitioners present substantial papers for discussion, bringing their experience into conversation with theological and academic reflection before developing their work into articles for publication.
The inaugural issue takes up a question that many people who have experienced the Spiritual Exercises may recognise: what happens after the retreat ends? How can people carry that experience into everyday life?
Dr Annemarie Paulin-Campbell, who works freelance internationally, training Spiritual Directors and doing Ignatian Spirituality research and writing, explores the challenge of returning to everyday life while making the gradual changes needed to continue living in the spirit of the Exercises.
In her article, she makes the case for developing forms of support that can help people discover the Spiritual Exercises not simply as a retreat experience, but as a way of life.
Ignatian spirituality has undergone significant renewal over the past fifty years, offering Christians a practical pathway to deepen their relationship with God, discern major life decisions prayerfully, and grow together as missionary disciples of Jesus Christ. Much of this renewal has been nourished by reflection on practice, bringing experience into conversation with insights from theology and related disciplines.
Studies in Ignatian Practice aims to encourage this kind of reflection for a new generation. Some of its topics may be specialised, but the aim is practical: to deepen Ignatian formation and reflection across different sectors and contexts.
As apostolic religious numbers decline, there is a growing need to support lay researchers and practitioners who can write about Ignatian spirituality, give the Spiritual Exercises and contribute to their continuing renewal and outreach.
Alongside the research articles, the seminar also creates space for people with different perspectives and experiences to learn from one another. Six to eight invited participants join the core organising group for each seminar, with future areas of reflection including contemplative prayer and living, discernment and navigating life with God, and spirituality for integral ecology.
The first issue of Studies in Ignatian Practice will be published this autumn and distributed free upon request to Jesuits and partners in mission in North West Europe, subject to availability. A PDF version will also be available.
For more information about Studies in Ignatian Practice, and to find out how to receive a free copy or PDF, please visit the Studies in Ignatian Practice website.
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