This Ignatian Journey Cohort will be offered beginning this Fall 2026 in the mountains near Pagosa Springs, CO. This group will be specifically for Spiritual Directors and spiritual formation leaders (formal or informal) who are committed to taking a 32-week journey in community through The Ignatian Journey: A Contemporary Approach to the Spiritual Exercises. Each week of material will lead through the themes of the Exercises as they are presented in The Ignatian Adventure: Experiencing the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius in Daily Life by Kevin O’Brien, SJ. Taking into account different learning styles and spiritual pathways, The Ignatian Journey offers additional weekly content including prayers and poems, reading, teaching, videos, and art that has been specifically curated to enhance the experience of the Exercises. The weekly content will be available online as well as in a 6-volume hard copy that will be included in the cost of the cohort.
In the Introduction to The Ignatian Adventure, Kevin O'Brien says,
“The purpose of the Exercises is very practical: to grow in union with God, who frees us to make good decisions about our lives and to ‘help souls.’ Ignatius invites us into an intimate encounter with God, revealed in Jesus Christ, so that we can learn to think and act more like Christ. The Exercises help us grow in interior freedom from sin and disordered loves so that we can respond more generously to God’s call in our life (SE 2, 21). The Exercises demand much of us, engaging our intellect and emotions, our memory and will. Making the Exercises can be both exhilarating and exhausting; it’s no wonder that Ignatius compared making the Spiritual Exercises to doing physical exercise, such as ‘taking a walk, traveling on foot, and running.’ (SE 1)”
sample of Weekly Content
Retreats
The 9-month cohort experience will consist of 4 retreats, meeting on the following dates:
September 17-19
December 10-12
March 4-6
June 10-12
Location
A place of rest and retreat in cozy private homes, peacefully nestled in the natural and tranquil beauty of the San Juan Mountains surrounding Pagosa Springs, CO.
Each retreat begins on Thursday at 5:00pm and ends on Saturday at 12:00pm.
Retreat Guides
The retreats will be led by Cheri Hudspith and Leslie Dawson. You are welcome to explore their bios on our Directory of Spiritual Directors.
Required Books (included in cost)
The Ignatian Adventure: Experiencing the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius in Daily Life by Kevin O'Brien, SJ
Seeking God: Finding Another Kind of Life with St. Ignatius and Dallas Willard by Trevor Hudson
Between Retreats
Retreatants will be invited to participate in a one-hour whole-group Zoom call between each retreat.
Whole Group Zoom Sessions:
September 28, 2026
January 25, 2027
April 5, 2027
Small groups will meet via Zoom for one hour every other week in a listening-group format to companion with one another throughout the time.
Cost
The cost for the Cohort is in three parts:
Program Cost: $1800 which includes the required books, online access to the Ignatian Journey course, and a 6-volume hard copy of the weekly content (a $400 value). A $400 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your space. The remaining balance of $1400 is due October 1, or choose 4 equal payments of $350, due August 1, November 1, February 1, and May 1.
Housing Cost: Housing Cost will be minimal, between $25.00 and $100.00 per person per retreat to cover cleaning fees and snow removal if needed. The number of participants will determine the amount per person.
Meal Cost: Each small group will provide and prepare meals for ONE retreat, which includes one lunch and one dinner on Friday.
According to Gerald M. Fagin in Putting on the Heart of Christ, Ignatius wrote about what he hoped people would derive from these experiences.
“He hopes people will grow in knowledge, but not just head knowledge. He was more interested in felt knowledge or interior knowledge - the intimate understanding of a truth. It is the difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus, between knowing in our heads that God loves us and experiencing that love in our hearts. This kind of knowledge touches the heart and motivates us to act in an entirely new way. Ignatius is looking for an intimate interior felt knowledge. ‘For what fills and satisfies the soul consists, not in knowing much, but in our understanding the realities profoundly and in savoring them interiorly.’ (Sp. Ex. 2)”
We are in prayer for you already as you consider joining us for this exciting, unpredictable, challenging, and perhaps life-changing adventure.
We can easily accommodate 6-12 people. We anticipate this cohort will fill fairly quickly. If you are interested, please let us know so we can address anything that would help you discern if this time and place are a good fit for you.
