Before All Souls Day recedes too far, read this powerful piece by Michelle Francl-Donnay about  facing the reality of one's death.  She refers to the last days of the Jesuit Alfred Delp, killed by the Nazis: Delp's final writings, smuggled...

James Hasse, SJ, is an artist who has ministered in African-American parishes for more than 40 years. He says, "When I do my art I am surrounded by beautiful faces and souls. Friends, neighbors, and parishioners are both my...

This week's Ignatian song is the lovely ballad "Heavenly Day," written by the eclectic folk-county-rock artist Patty Griffin. I ran across it about the time I was reading an article on the Daily Examen. The Examen is a review...

Consolation and desolation are key ideas in Ignatian discernment, and they are not easy to understand.  Abbot Joseph has a good post about the nuances. Even for those who are serious about the spiritual life, it is good to make...

Ignatian spirituality calls us to join Christ's work in the world--now, today. It looks eagerly for the coming of the Kingdom.  A song that captures this mood of expectant faith is "People Get Ready" by Curtis Mayfield.  Mayfield...

If someone you know is looking for direction in life, point them to "How to Discern the Elements of Your Personal Vocation" by Peter Ryan, SJ. It's an excellent essay that sets forth "points to bear in mind," the...

I'm the kind of person who shuts out advertising. I often hit the mute button when commercials come on TV, and I never click on on-line ads. So I was surprised to find this video so enlightening....

Yesterday the US House of Representatives passed a resolution honoring the six Jesuit priests and two women murdered in El Salvador in 1989. The dead are Jesuit Fathers Ignacio Ellacuria, Ignacio Martin-Baro, Segundo Montes, Amando Lopez, Juan Ramon...

In his autobiography, St. Ignatius Loyola wrote of himself in the third person as "the pilgrim." As David Fleming, SJ, writes in What Is Ignatian Spirituality?, "Ignatius looked at his entire life as a pilgrimage. His journey seemed for...

The daily Examen is the most familiar and widely-practiced form of Ignatian prayer. Millions of people pray it every day. Philip Shano, SJ, takes it a step further. In a recent article in Review for Religious, he discusses his...