Program description:
This ten month formation program prepares spiritual directors to guide others through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius with care, humility, and depth. The program attends closely to the structure, movements, and intentions of the Exercises while forming directors in the interior dispositions necessary for faithful accompaniment. In keeping with ISI’s commitment to freedom for mission, participants are invited into ongoing personal and spiritual formation throughout the program.
Who is this program for?
Companions in the Way is designed for spiritual directors who have personally made the full Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius—either in the 19th Annotation (one-to-one directed in daily life) or the 30-day retreat—and who sense a call to guide others through the Exercises. It is intended for those already formed and experienced in spiritual companioning who desire to deepen their readiness for this particular retreat ministry.
Participants will be prepared to engage in sustained prayer, theological reflection, spiritual conversation, and mentoring. Those who come will be rooted in a faithful practice of personal prayer, be receiving regular spiritual direction themselves, and embody the human, spiritual, and ecclesial maturity needed to walk with others in an extended retreat journey.
The Spiritual Exercises are a gift entrusted to the Church—the People of God—for the sake of the life and mission of the whole Body of Christ. Hence, we recognize the ministry of accompaniment serves a sacred trust. At ISI, we live appreciatively aware that the Spiritual Exercises are not a technique to be mastered nor a curriculum to be delivered. They dispose a person toward a deepening relationship with the living God and open space for a graced encounter that unfolds uniquely in each retreatant.
This is a ministry that asks for interior freedom, deep listening, reverence for the work of the Spirit, and a humble fidelity to the grace unfolding in each retreatant. ISI's formation invites directors into that depth, preparing them to accompany with quiet confidence, compassion, and love.
Program Schedule
The ISI Companions in the Way cohort will gather twice monthly for two-hour sessions designed to support prayerful formation, theological reflection, and the practice of accompanying others in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.
Sessions will be held on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (United States Central Time), beginning in August and continuing through June.
In addition to the live gatherings, participants should expect assigned reading, prayer, reflection, and other formative exercises between sessions as part of the ongoing rhythm of the program.
Specific session dates will be announced once the full schedule is finalized.
Admission Process
Admission begins with prayerful discernment. We invite each prospective participant to carefully review the Discernment for Readiness page, which offers important reflection points to help you consider whether this formation is the right next step for you at this time. We also ask that you read the Participant Covenant, which outlines the commitments, expectations, and spirit of the program.
If, after prayer and reflection, you sense the invitation to move forward, the next step is to complete and submit the application form by selecting the link below.
Applications will be accepted through August 15, 2026, and admission is offered on a rolling basis as applications are received and reviewed. Because space in the program is limited, we encourage interested applicants to apply early, as enrollment may close once the cohort is filled.
Apply Here
Program Cost
The total cost for the ISI Companions in the Way formation program is $1,300.
Participants may choose from the following payment options:
- Payment in Full: $1,300 paid at the beginning of the program
- Semester Payment: $650 due in August and $650 due in January
- Monthly Payment Plan: Payments spread out in monthly installments across the program year
We want this formation to be accessible to those who feel called to this ministry. Limited financial assistance may be available for those with demonstrated need. We encourage anyone for whom cost may be a barrier to reach out for a confidential conversation about possible support.
Apply Here
Presenter(s):
Anthony Borrow, S.J.
Anthony is a Jesuit priest of the Central and Southern Province of the Society of Jesus. He completed his theological studies at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University. Since Anthony's ordination in 2010, he served as campus minister, school counselor and theology teacher at Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory in Houston, Texas. He also served as the Associate Pastor at Immaculate Conception Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is the author of Toward Greater Freedom, an adaptation of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. Anthony has a Master of Arts in Counseling and Family Therapy from St. Louis University and has worked with gang members in Honduras and those incarcerated in prisons, jails, and detention centers. Anthony enjoys playing racquetball, cooking and promoting the use of open source software. He currently serves as IT Director for Jesuit Refugee Service at the Roman Curia of the Society of Jesus.
Billy Huete, S.J.
A native of New Orleans, Fr. Billy was the first-born of six sons. After graduating from Jesuit High School of New Orleans in 1970, he entered the Society of Jesus at Grand Coteau. He received his undergraduate degree from Spring Hill College, double-majoring in philosophy and English. He then taught English and geometry at Strake Jesuit in Houston for three years as a scholastic. He studied theology in Rome at the Gregorian University for three years, was ordained a priest in 1982, and followed up with one more year of theology studies in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After receiving his degree from Fordham University in Educational Administration, he was appointed principal of Strake Jesuit, a post he held for six years. From 1991 until 2008 he worked at the Jesuit Novitiate in Grand Coteau, first as the assistant to the Novice Director, and then as Director of Novices for thirteen years. Fr. Billy has served on the boards of Strake Jesuit, Jesuit College Prep of Dallas, and Cristo Rey Jesuit College Prep of Houston. Former rector of the Jesuit Community at Jesuit College Prep, Fr. Billy now serves as Socius of the Central and Southern Province of the Society of Jesus. He enjoys movies, reading, and music.
Christopher Staab, SJ
Fr. Christopher Staab, SJ is a Jesuit priest and a member of the Midwest Province. He obtained both his Doctorate and Licentiate in Sacred Theology and a Master’s in Ignatian Spirituality at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas in Madrid. He taught at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and in 2024 he has become Professor of the Practice in Ignatian Spirituality at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University. As a new professor, Fr. Staab seeks to create a dialogue and reflection in which students and teacher alike enter more deeply into an experiential, critical, and reflective practice of the faith that is informed by the Ignatian sources.
Susan Stabile
Susan is an experienced spiritual director and retreat leader trained in the Ignatian tradition. She offers retreats and other programs of spiritual formation in parishes, retreat houses and other venues around the country and is the author of numerous publications. Susan is an adjunct instructor of Theology at St. Catherine University and teaches in the Sacred Ground program for training spiritual directors. She previously held the position of Director of the University of St. Thomas Office for Spirituality and currently serves as a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. Prior to moving to Minneapolis in 2007, Susan was a member of the adjunct ministerial staff of St. Ignatius Retreat House in New York.
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.
Cyndy Mathews
Spiritual Exercises Retreat Coordinator and ISI Formation Team
Cyndy has worked with ISI since its inception in 2013. Prior to that, she served for many years in parish ministry and leadership, including spiritual companioning. Cyndy completed the spiritual director formation program at Our Lady of Divine Providence School of Spirituality in Clearwater, FL. She meets with individuals in ongoing spiritual direction and serves as a guide for the 19 th Annotation of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. Cyndy has experience in facilitating faith-sharing groups as well as ISI courses on prayer and Ignatian spirituality. She regularly attends retreats and workshops and participated in the Foundations program led by Fr. Joe Tetlow, SJ. Cyndy also serves as a spiritual director for one-to-one directed retreats at Montserrat Jesuit Retreat House, and has offered days of reflection there as well. She and her husband, Jack, are parents of wonderful adult sons, an amazing daughter-in-law, and take great delight in having entered the joyous season of grandparenting.
MK Simion
Spiritual Companioning Coordinator and 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.
Debbie Wallace
Debbie Wallace is a spiritual director in the Ignatian tradition. She enjoys facilitating retreats and days of reflection rooted in the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola. Debbie received her formation from the Ignatian Spirituality Institute, recently joining their Board of Directors. With a spiritual direction certification from Truett Seminary, and a lecturer and supervisor in this program, she holds a BA in Social Work from Baylor University and a Masters in Religious Education from SWBTS. She has served in campus ministry, church planting, spiritual formation, and all manner of past volunteer activities with her children’s classical Christian school. Debbie currently serves as formation leader and spiritual director at Christ Church Waco and serves on the Advisory Board of Brazos Fellows. Debbie has served as spiritual companion for numerous ISI retreats including Toward Greater Freedom, Choosing Christ in the World, and Finding Christ in the World. She and her husband, Jeff, reside in Waco and have 4 grown children.