The greater Chicagoland area is blessed with a rich array of resources to support
ongoing faith formation and practice of the adult faithful. These resources include
programs through the Chicago Province of the Jesuits, local parishes, and nearby
universities. Feel free to let us know of other good programming that you have experienced.
Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House:
As the Jesuit retreat house in the Chicago area, Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House
specializes in silent weekend retreats for men and women adapted from the Spiritual
Exercises of Saint Ignatius. In addition to the weekend retreats, a wide variety
of other retreat experiences are held at Bellarmine, including 12 step program retreats,
eight day Retreats, as well as private and directed retreats. For a complete schedule
of programming at Bellarmine, please visit the Bellarmine website.
Charis Ministries:
This is an outreach program of the Jesuits in the Chicago area for adults in their
twenties and thirties. Charis provides excellent opportunities for retreats, days
of prayer, service outings, and evening programs throughout the city.
The Siena Center: Located
at Dominican University in River Forest, the Siena Center provides speakers and
other programs that bring faith and scholarship to the critical issues of church
and society. The center is dedicated to examining and furthering the role of the
Christian in today’s world.
Loyola University Chapel Series:
Established in 2003, the Chapel Lecture Series is part of Loyola University promotion
and articulation of the mission values of the university. The series features lectures
throughout the academic year by distinguished speakers addressing some of the pressing
issues within the church today. Lectures take place on Monday evenings at 7:00 p.m.
in Madonna della Strada Chapel on Loyola's Lakeshore Campus. The Chapel Lecture
Series is presented free of charge and is open to the public.
The Lumen Christi Institute at
the University of Chicago: Founded in 1997 by Catholic Scholars at the University
of Chicago, The Lumen Christi Institute brings together thoughtful Catholics and
others interested in the Catholic tradition and makes available to them the wisdom
of the Catholic spiritual, intellectual, and cultural traditions. The Lumen Christi
Institute continues to work toward leavening American higher education with future
leaders better educated and formed in Catholic faith and thought.
Boston College’s Church in the
21st Century: The Church in the 21st Century Center at Boston College seeks
to be a catalyst and resource for the renewal of the Catholic Church in the United
States by engaging critical issues facing the Catholic community. Drawing from both
the Boston College community and others, its activities currently are focused on
four challenges: handing on and sharing the Catholic faith, especially with younger
Catholics; fostering relationships built on mutual trust and support among lay men
and women, vowed religious, deacons, priests, and bishops; developing an approach
to sexuality mindful of human experience and reflective of Catholic tradition; and
advancing contemporary reflection on the Catholic intellectual tradition. C21 offers
publications and online courses to this end.
Word on Fire Catholic Ministries:
This is a nonprofit global media organization of the Archdiocese of Chicago that
seeks to evangelize through excellent preaching and reflection on scripture. Word
on Fire particularly features the work of Fr. Robert Barron.
Loyola Press:
The largest Jesuit publishing company in the United States, based here in Chicago,
Loyola Press offers excellent online and print resources from a particular Ignatian
lens, including a daily, 3-minute, online retreat.
Pray As You Go: A work
of the British Jesuits, Pray-As-You Go is a downloadable online resource for reflection
on the readings for that day.
Creighton University: Creighton University is a pioneer
in making Ignatian Spirituality accessible online. This website offer excellent
reflection on the daily readings, and even includes a portal to make the Spiritual
Exercises in the 19th Annotative form.
Ignatian Volunteer Corps: IVC is a ministry opportunity for retired persons that
operates not only in Chicago but also in Baltimore, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland,
Detroit, L.A., Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York City, Philadelphia, San Diego, St.
Louis and Washington D.C.-Northern Virginia. The organization is currently seeking
volunteers (age 50+) to work with the poor in the Chicago area two days a week.
Share your talents and life experiences with those less fortunate, then reflect
upon your experiences in the Ignatian tradition.