Encountering Christ
When it comes to prayer, one size does not fit all. Do you yearn for a deeper experience of prayer? Do you want to discover what your prayer means for a life of faith, hope, and love?
God is the first actor in prayer. On our part, prayer can be silent or vocal, sung or spoken, whispered or shouted, formal and informal. We can kneel, stand, sit, dance, run, walk and more to express ourselves. In prayer, we can and do express the gamut of emotions as we feel, imagine, desire, remember, understand, ponder, evaluate, ask, and decide. And we listen, listen, listen. Most of all we can and do meet Christ in prayer.
The Ignatian Spirituality Institute offers this series at The Episcopal Church of Epiphany in Richardson, Texas. Our sessions together will explore ways of praying and fundamental principles of prayer. Each session includes some input regarding prayer and praying, as well as opportunity to experience different ways of praying and what it means to you.
We will come together for four consecutive weekly sessions on the following Wednesdays: September 17, 24, October 1,8. Each session is 75 minutes and begins at 6:30 pm.
Program Offering: $50
Presenter(s):
Carol Atwell Ackels
Carol is Director of the Ignatian Spirituality Institute. A spiritual director in the Ignatian tradition she serves as retreat director of the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius in various formats. She offers weekend retreats, the Exercises in Everyday Life, and one-to-one directed retreats at Jesuit retreat houses across the United States. Carol regularly gives programs and days of reflection to parish and Church groups. She launched and continues to give workshops to shape persons, Jesuits and lay, who are moving into retreat ministry and spiritual companioning in the Ignatian tradition. Appointed by the Provincial, Carol served six years on the bi-province Commission on Ministry--the group that discerns long-range planning for apostolic work of the Jesuits and their colleagues. Carol co-authored with Joe Tetlow, S.J. the twelve week Ignatian retreat Finding Christ in the World, and worked with Anthony Borrow, S.J. developing the Toward Greater Freedom retreat for parents at Jesuit College Prep of Dallas. Carol holds a J.D. from SMU Dedman School of Law, Dallas and a Master of Art in Theology and Leadership from Gonzaga University, Spokane. She and her husband reside in Dallas and are the parents of five adult children.
Sheila DeSantis
ISI Founding Board and former Board Chair, ISI Formation Team
Sheila is an Ignatian spiritual and retreat director. She helps others make the Spiritual Exercises in Everyday life, as well as serving as companion for the Toward Greater Freedom retreat at Jesuit College Prep in Dallas, and Finding Christ in the World retreat in various parishes and churches. She has continued serving the retreats for many years while also helping form and train new Companions. Sheila is also the Chair of the ISI Board of Directors. Sheila was in the first group to make both the Toward Greater Freedom retreat and the Finding Christ in the World Retreats. She participates in days of reflection and retreats at Montserrat Jesuit Retreat House including both personal and couples retreats, and numerous ISI workshops. Sheila made the Spiritual Exercises in Everyday life and completed the ISI Spiritual Companioning program in 2015. Sheila is an architect, and enjoys traveling, viewing art, and painting. She and her husband live in Dallas and have two adult children.