The Spiritual Exercises were developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola in the 1520s as a way for people to deepen their relationship with God through meditation and prayer. Though initially met with suspicion by Church officials who thought they were linked to the Protestant Reformation, the Exercises gained popularity and approval. They have been a cornerstone of the Jesuit order for 400 years and are still used today in retreats of flexible length, adapted from St. Ignatius' original vision of a 30-day format.

1. The Spiritual ExercisesSt. Ignatius of Loyola

2. Cover of the Spiritual Exercises

3. BackroundThe Spiritual Exercises have been the cornerstone of the Jesuits for the last 400 years.The Exercises started even before the Society of Jesus was even founded…..

4. Beginnings of the Spiritual ExercisesSt. Ignatius started the Spiritual Exercises before he was even a priest in 1522.Ignatius had a vision which gave him a great understanding of Christian Mysteries.He started talking to people in the town of Manresa about what he learned. Not everyone understood him, so he started taking notes St. Ignatius came up with a way for people to get closer to God.

5. The Spiritual Exercises Get More AttentionFrom 1522- 1540 Ignatius kept making his exercises better. Church Officials started getting suspicious of these Spiritual Exercises, they thought Ignatius was part of the Protestant Reformation.The Church put him in jail, but later they couldn’t find any fault in his teachings.

6. Ignatius Gives His First Spiritual ExercisesIgnatius gives his first exercise to men at the University of Paris.The men liked the exercises so much that they called them selves “friends of the Lord.”In 1548 the Exercises became so popular that he translated them into Latin.He then sent them to Rome for approval.The Exercises were approved, and we still use them today.

7. Spiritual Exercises TodaySt. Ignatius originally wanted the Exercises to be 30 days long.He then realized that was unrealistic, so today retreats can be 3 days, a week, or any amount of time that is convient for the retreat goer.