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New Ignatian Prayer app opens spiritual retreats for all

The Cloisters Ignatian Prayer App seeks to help deepen relationships with Christ

GRETNA, NE, Nov. 9, 2023 – While most individuals cannot set aside weekends every year for retreats, they can, however, set aside time for a daily Ignatian retreat with the new Cloisters Ignatian Prayer app, a convenient way to deepen their relationship with Christ and experience the radical healing power of God through prayer. 

“Spending time with the Lord is one of our greatest opportunities as modern people of faith. It’s also one of our biggest challenges,” said Father Michael Rossmann, SJ. “Cloisters Ignatian Prayer helps to bridge that gap. Providing an Ignatian retreat that anyone can access at any time will give thousands of people the opportunity to meet the Lord in a profound and intimate way. I pray these lessons inspire you to know, love and serve God more every day.”

Extending the Ignatian retreat experience online through immersive and powerful multimedia was the vision of entrepreneur and philanthropist Joe Ricketts, whose own transformative experience of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius led him to build a retreat center outside of Omaha, Nebraska.

“After seeing the incredible impact The Cloisters on the Platte has had on people’s lives, I wanted to find a way for even more people to experience an Ignatian retreat,” said Ricketts. “ The Cloisters Ignatian Prayer makes retreats possible for people wherever they are and on their own schedules. In this stressful and noisy world, we need to help people find ways to deepen their relationships with God.”

The Cloisters Ignatian Prayer app follows the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, a centuries-proven method of meditation and prayer that can offer guidance in making life decisions. The Spiritual Exercises invites users to reflect upon their relationship with God through the life of Jesus. During each of the four stages of contemplation, they are guided in using the five senses to imagine themselves in scenes from scripture and to engage in a conversation with God, Our Lady, or the saints.

Watch the Cloisters Ignatian Prayer app trailer: https://youtu.be/dqopsOdypwE?si=rw9J07MNKeTL3sIk

“The app is simple, accessible and prayerful,” said Fr. Joe Laramie, SJ, National Director, Pope’s Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer). “Maybe you’re looking to deepen your own retreat experience after a visit to the Cloisters or another Jesuit retreat center, or maybe you’re curious about St. Ignatius and how he can help you. I encourage people to try this app and carve out a few short minutes each day for Ignatian prayer. Be renewed and refreshed in prayer today.”

St. Ignatius encouraged retreats in daily life. That’s why the Cloisters Ignatian Prayer app was created: to help people make time for prayer and reflection — whenever it’s convenient. With guidance from noted spiritual leaders, the app’s video lessons and exercises give users the tools they need to build their own practice. There are four weeks of the retreat: God’s Love & Mercy, Life of Jesus, The Passion, and Resurrection & God’s Love. 

The first lesson is free and thereafter, to access the rest of the retreat, users can choose to pay either $60 a year or $8 a month. All proceeds from the app support The Cloisters on the Platte Foundation in running the nonprofit Ignatian retreat center in Nebraska. 

The app is available on IOS and Android, and it can also be found online at https://cloistersignatianprayer.org/

For more information, or to schedule an interview with Fr. Joe Laramie, SJ, or Fr. Michael Rossmann, SJ, please contact Kevin Wandra (404-788-1276 or KWandra@CarmelCommunications.com) of Carmel Communications.   

ABOUT THE CLOISTERS IGNATIAN PRAYER 

The Cloisters Ignatian Prayer reimagines the centuries-proven method of meditation and prayer developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola with a flexible online experience designed for people everywhere. All proceeds from the Cloisters Ignatian Prayer support the Cloisters on the Platte Foundation, a non-profit foundation that operates The Cloisters on the Platte in Gretna, NE, USA.

For more information, or to schedule an interview with Fr. Joe Laramie, SJ, or Fr. Michael Rossmann, SJ, please contact Kevin Wandra (404-788-1276 or KWandra@CarmelCommunications.com) of Carmel Communications.      

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Contact:
Kevin
Carmel Communications
4047881276
kwandra@carmelcommunications.com

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Religion News Association.