Praying with Saint Ignatius: A Semester of Spiritual Growth

During the 2025 spring semester, Strake Jesuit offered students an experience with the Spiritual Exercises. The Spiritual Exercises are at the heart of Ignatian spirituality and, thus, they implicitly animate everything that our community does. One group of 17 students has been directed in the Exercises through our “Praying with Saint Ignatius” Senior Elective. The other group, made up of 14 students, had an extracurricular experience of the First Week in daily life. Through these experiences, students have come to a deeper understanding of their identity, God’s love, and where God is calling them. While these are common outcomes of an experience with the Exercises, there is also something deeply personal about what the Lord has in store for each Exercitant. Read on to see some of the ways God has worked through the Exercises this semester in the lives of our students. - Mr. Conor LoPiccolo, Praying with Saint Ignatius teacher

Going into my senior year at Strake Jesuit I was presented with a really harsh reality regarding my faith: for the past three years of my life keeping my faith strong had come mostly from the fact that I was constantly surrounded by people who helped me build my faith—my family at home set a good example of what good Catholicism looked like in a household, and at school I had a plethora of good examples and teachers of my faith found in my fellow students and teachers. In less than a year, all of this would be gone once I left for college. Replaced would be my family and school with a new community and a different culture that would surely challenge my faith. This is what inspired me to participate in the 18th Annotation of the Spiritual Exercises.

Beyond being a healthy way to be with God, the retreat gave me much more. Initially, one of the most daunting aspects of the retreat was that I would have to do daily 30-minute prayers. The only exposure I had to long prayer periods beforehand was adorations in the chapel. Eventually, though, 30 minutes became too short for certain prayer periods. My most explicit memory from the retreat was my prayers for the graces of shame and confusion. Previously, I’d never looked at these feelings as ones that God would want to give us, let alone graces. This prayer heightened my understanding of God's desire to love in ways that were once foreign to me. Many times through the retreat, I found myself recognizing the Lord’s love for me in the most mundane of things: In the people he placed in my life, in the interactions I had, and His taking on of my daily sin. I gained an appreciation for my pain and suffering, knowing He has already taken on the bulk of the burden for me. The retreat guided me through a diversity of emotions and introspections, none of which I take for granted. I’m thankful that this experience in prayer has helped build a stronger foundation for my faith, which I plan to bring with me in my college life and beyond.

Going into the second semester of senior year, I really thought that all aspects of my life would start to slow down and that I’d be coasting for the rest of the year. I chose the class, “Praying with Saint Ignatius,” because, yes, I needed a boost in my prayer life—but also because it seemed easy and laid-back. I very quickly realized that this was one of the most challenging classes I have ever taken—and I mean that in the best way possible.

There have been very few moments in my life when I’ve taken the time to truly dive deep and meditate on what God has made me to be. That’s exactly what the Ignatian Exercises are all about: to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save our souls (St. Ignatius’ First Principle and Foundation). The Spiritual Exercises are periods of prayer that guide us in fulfilling that First Principle and Foundation.

During the first week of the Exercises, it was mentally and spiritually difficult. These prayer periods made me dive deep into the root of sin—and even worse, my own sin. They forced me to be extremely honest with myself, not shying away from my identity as a beloved sinner. By working through the darkness of that first week, I learned so much about myself—why I do the things I do—and for that, I am truly grateful. It was necessary preparation to fully see the glory and goodness of our Lord in the weeks that followed.

Without spoiling anything from the class, I can say that I became much closer to Jesus and Mary—spending time with both of them, seeing how they lived, and praying for their intercession. Mr. LoPiccolo’s spiritual direction, along with the camaraderie of my classmates, has been a true guide for me in my faith life. I can confidently say that this class has not only made me a better person to those around me but has also brought me closer to our Lord, Jesus Christ. I highly recommend that any incoming seniors not only take this class but also be fully immersed in it.