WEEK OF ACCOMPANIED PRAYER

Sunday (29 May ) to Pentecost Sunday (5 June 2022)

An Ignatian Retreat for busy people

Do you find it difficult to pray?  Do you find you can never get time for prayer?  Do you feel that you really do not know what prayer is?  Would you like to feel more aware of God's presence in your life?  Would you like to discover more about different ways of praying?

We ( Brother Rene, S.J. Fr Gerard Mitchell, S.J., Mary O’Duffin and  Father John Twist, S.J.,) would like to extend a warm invitation to you to participate in a Week of Accompanied Prayer in St Aloysius beginning Sunday 29 May and ending Sunday 5 June.

Who is it for?

Praying is for everybody, not just for those who can get away from it all.  A week of Accompanied Prayer is an ideal opportunity for people who would like to go away on Retreat but simply cannot because of the demands and pressures of work or family or home.

What is required?

A Week of Accompanied Prayer is a marvellous opportunity and time to come closer to God.  You do not need any previous experience to participate in this week.  All that is required is a real desire to take part.

What is a Week of Accompanied Prayer?

A Week of Accompanied Prayer takes place in the midst of daily life.  It is a time for finding space for God in a busy life and helps us to grow in prayer and awareness of God.  It is a little like having a retreat but, bearing in mind that the participants are continuing their normal daily life, it has a unique richness of its own, the prayer being more closely in touch with what is happening day by day.  Such a DAILY LIFE RETREAT is in the spiritual tradition of St. Ignatius Loyola,who wrote his own experience of discovering 'God in all things' in his well-known work, 'The Spiritual Exercises'.

What is the programme?

During the course of the week participants will be expected to give time to personal prayer each day.  At the heart of the retreat is a daily half-hour for prayer, first and foremost.

Then there is the 1:1 confidential meeting each day (Monday – Friday) for up to half an hour with your prayer-guide at a time which suits you and fits your commitments.

Introductory and closing meetings begin and end the retreat and all should attend those two meetings.

 What is the role of the Prayer Companion

 The role of the Prayer Companion is to be a companion and guide to you during the week and to help you come closer to God.  The guide is there to listen to you and to encourage you to recognise the action of the Holy Spirit in your prayer.  You will be asked by the guide to speak about what went on when you were praying.  You can say as little or as much as you like to your guide knowing that whatever you say is held in confidence.  Having listened closely your guide will then provide you with a text from the scriptures for your next time of prayer and perhaps suggest different ways of praying as you move along through the week.  Prayer does not come easily.  Sometimes it can seem extremely difficult, even impossible.  The guides know this too.  It is quite likely that what the participant is to share is that the prayer period was a failure.  It can also be that the participant experiences God in a very deep way.

Opening meeting

Sunday 29 May  6.30-7.30pm at Ogilvie Centre, St Aloysius Church, 25 Rose Street.    The Week of Prayer itself will begin on Sunday 29 May   at 6.30  p.m. in the Ogilvie Centre  with a gathering of all the participants and Prayer Companions to talk about prayer and to link participants with their guide. It is important to be at this so that you know what to do in the following week.

Closing Meeting

Sunday 5 June (Pentecost Sunday): 6.30-7.30pm; all participants are asked to attend. We’ll be able to celebrate the graces received during the retreat.

How do I sign up?
If you decide that you want to participate, download a form here and hand it in to the Parish Office or to one of the priests, or send your details by email - to reach us by Friday 27 May.