In the midst of busy schedules, responsibilities, and the many demands of daily life, there often remains a quiet stirring within us—a longing for something more. We may find ourselves wondering: How is God present to me in this season of my life? How is God loving me? What desires has God placed within my heart? What invitation is God extending to me now?
Loved Into Life: Discovering Holy Longing Within is a six-week Ignatian retreat that invites participants to pause, pray, and become more attentive to the God who continually seeks us, loves us, and draws us into fuller life. Rooted in the wisdom of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, this retreat offers a gentle rhythm of prayer and reflection that helps us recognize God's presence in the ordinary moments of our days and attend to the holy desires stirring within.
Using Love: A Guide for Prayer by Jacqueline Syrup Bergan and Sister Marie Schwan, CSJ as our companion text, participants will engage in daily personal prayer and weekly gatherings for shared reflection and spiritual conversation. The retreat begins with an introductory session and continues through six weeks of guided prayer. All sessions will be held online via Zoom. To foster meaningful participation and a sense of community, each retreat group is limited to twelve participants. Multiple group options are available to accommodate varying schedules. You may choose to participate with an online group or in person with groups being formed at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Dallas, Texas.
If you recognize within yourself a holy longing—however quiet, uncertain, or persistent—we invite you to honor it. Set aside this time to pray, listen, and notice the ways God is already present and at work in your life. Come as you are, and discover anew the Love that is calling you into deeper freedom, deeper friendship, and fuller life.
Small Groups:
The dates and times of the in person groups will be determined shortly.
The online groups will meet as follows:
Monday Mornings 10:30 am – 11:45 am
- October 5, 12, 19, 26, November 2, 9, and 16
Monday Evenings 7:00 pm – 8:15 pm
- October 5, 12, 19, 26, November 2, 9, and 16
Wednesday Evenings 7:00 pm – 8:15 pm
- October 7, 14, 21,28, November 4, 11, 18
Registration Deadline: Sunday, September 20, 2026.
Please ensure you purchase and receive your book prior to the first meeting. You may purchase via the following online booksellers:
We look forward to walking this journey of Love and Life with you!
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.
MK Simion
ISI Formation Team
MK began her Ignatian journey with the Toward Greater Freedom retreat at Jesuit Dallas in 2008. Soon after her initial experience she continued her journey by making the 19thAnnotation of the Spiritual Exercises. She served as the director of the TGF retreat for Jesuit parents and continues to serve as a companion for groups making the Spiritual Exercises in everyday life in various parishes and churches in the Dallas area as well as working one on one as a spiritual director. MK is married to Steve Simion and they are the parents of four grown children.