The Ignatian Spirituality Center, a place for community members to receive support and direction in their faith, is now open in the Iversen Center for Faith at the University of St. Thomas. The center offers experiences and tools for people of all faiths seeking to strengthen and deepen their relationship with God and their neighbors.
The center, founded in 2022, was originally based at Saint Thomas More, a Jesuit parish in St. Paul. When the vice president for Mission at St. Thomas, Father Chris Collins ’93 SJ, learned that a staff expansion at the parish required the center to seek another space, he offered that they house at the university.
“The Ignatian Spirituality Center aligns with Iversen Center for Faith’s celebration of diverse faith expressions,” Collins said.
The Ignatian Spirituality Center and its programs are run by Jesuit religious leaders and laypeople. They are professionally trained in spiritual direction and are willing to provide support for St. Thomas community members in addition to its ongoing support for the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The Jesuit order, officially called the Society of Jesus, started in 1540 by St. Ignatius of Loyola. It is a Catholic order that spreads the message of the gospel to all those who seek direction and stability.
Collins, who is also a Jesuit, described the goal of Ignatian spirituality as “helping others and seeking God in all things. It invites us to follow our deepest desires in discerning God’s callings for our lives and to lead Christ-inspired lives of service.”
The expanded Jesuit presence on university’s St. Paul campus will allow students to learn more about and practice finding God amongst the stresses and monotony of daily life.
“This Ignatian spirituality broadly appeals to finding and practicing habits of reflection and gratitude, and paying attention to what your own desires are,” Collins said. “Ignatian spirituality is a wonderful tool for students who struggle to find routines or methods of prayer that best suit them.”
The Ignatian Spirituality Center offers retreats (some lasting a day, some longer), spiritual direction, small group discussions, and other offerings. Specific retreats are offered during the Advent and Lenten season. These retreats strive to help people savor these important seasons in the Church’s calendar.
An open house for the Ignatian Spirituality Center takes place on Oct. 10 from 4-6 p.m. at the Iversen Center for Faith, located on the west side of the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas on the university’s St. Paul campus. Remarks by Collins, St. Thomas President Rob Vischer, and Ignatian Spirituality Center leaders will begin at 4:30 p.m.
