Experiencing God through Ignatian Contemplation and Imaginative Prayer
An Ignatian, Silent Weekend Retreat for Men
October 20 - 22, 2023
Groups Attending: Catholic Community of Northbrook, Individuals
This retreat is currently at capacity or registration is closed. Please call the office at 847.381.1261 with questions.
Summary
This guided retreat will make use of Ignatian contemplation, imaginative prayer, and the senses to engage in conversation with God. The focus will be on understanding our interior life using the Internal Family Systems method (IFS) as a means to intimate prayer with God/Jesus/Spirit. We all have parts of us that are sad, joyful, anxious, discouraged, happy, funny and many more. Having such parts are a natural aspect of adult life and sharing such interior movements in a familiar way with God/Jesus/Spirit is what Ignatian prayer helps us to do.
Description
This retreat includes several presentations, daily mass, 6 meals, the opportunity for one-on-one spiritual direction with a trained spiritual director, and many other opportunities to explore our 80 acres and almost 60k square feet of interior space. All activities are optional, but we do ask everyone to respect the quiet of the retreat house for everyone to have the opportunity to read, sleep and reflect in the quiet.
Bellarmine has two libraries, a resource center, two chapels, and many other common areas. Outdoor spaces include a various walking trails, various prayer gardens, a gazebo, stations of the cross, as well as a few patios and outdoor chairs and benches. Each retreatant has their own bedroom.
You can learn more about what to expect by visiting this page.
Retreat Experience Gallery
Bellarmine Main Entrance
Sacred Heart Chapel
Mary McKeon Library
St. Joseph Gazebo
Mother Teresa Garden
Eastern Africa Collection
Fireplace Lounge
Dining Room
Winter on the Grounds
Resource Center
Sacred Heart Statue at Sunset
Susie's Memorial Garden
Madonna Library
Lower Level Lounge
Retreat Leader
Fr. Jeff Putthoff, SJ
Fr. Jeff Putthoff, SJ is a Jesuit priest for over 25 years and been a Jesuit for 38 years.. He is deeply interested in creating communities of healing, empowering young people, brain health, and finding God in all things. He has worked as a high school teacher, associate pastor, executive director and high school president, and educational consultant using his unique experience in organizational dynamics, leadership, brain health, and Ignatian spirituality, applying it to youth education and organizational life. Father Jeff currently helps to raise scholarship funds for over 100 schools throughout the United States.
He is a retreat leader and a director of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola deeply desiring to help others connect to God. He has directed over 80 directed retreats and 180 preached retreats nationally.
He is a gifted, national speaker on trauma-informed care, organizational dynamics, youth formation, Ignatian spirituality, Internal Family Systems (IFS) and leadership.