The Listening Heart is a two-year formation program offered by the Ignatian Spirituality Institute for those who feel called and desire to enter the ministry of spiritual companioning. This program offered online with required residency retreats once a year invites participants into a sustained process of learning, prayer, reflection, and personal growth.
More than the development of skills, this is a formation of the heart. Participants are invited to deepen their own relationship with God, grow in freedom and interior awareness, and become more attentive to the sacred pilgrimmage of another person's relationship with God.
Formation of the Heart
Spiritual accompaniment begins with listening: listening to another person with care and reverence, listening for the movements of the Spirit, and learning to trust the work God is already doing in each person's life.
The art and skill of spiritual accompaniment develop over time. Though knowledge and technique are important, Ignatius recognized "it is not much knowledge that satisfies the soul." Accompanying others calls for a growing capacity to listen deeply, recognize the movements of the Spirit, honor the freedom of the person accompanied, and trust that God is at work in ways we may not fully understand.
Through study of the Ignatian tradition, personal prayer, shared reflection, and engagement with the experience of others, participants will deepen understanding of spiritual accompaniment and its foundations. Formation invites us not only to learn about Ignatian spirituality, but also to allow its wisdom to shape our own interior lives, relationships, and practice of accompanying others.
The Listening Heart is an invitation to a sustained process of learning and conversion, in which knowledge, experience, and reflection become integrated over time.
Rooted in the Ignatian Tradition
The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius provide a foundational source of wisdom for formation. Yet the Ignatian tradition reaches beyond the Exercises themselves. Through the letters of Ignatius, his Autobiography, the Spiritual Diary, and the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus, we encounter a spirituality shaped by experience, prayer, discernment, relationship, and a deep attentiveness to God's presence and activity in the world.
The Listening Heart draws from this rich tradition, exploring how Ignatian wisdom informs the practice of spiritual accompaniment today. We learn from the lives, writings, and insights of those who have embodied and continue to embody the Ignatian charism, discovering how this living tradition continues to speak to the realities of our lives and ministries.Together, we will consider how these sources shape the way we listen, discern, accompany, and respond to the movements of the Spirit in ourselves and in those we accompany.
Throughout the two years of formation, participants will explore foundations of Ignatian spirituality and the practice of spiritual accompaniment in the Ignatian tradition. Through readings, presentations, shared reflection, case studies, and conversation, our journey will deepen understanding of the Ignatian way of proceeding and consider how Ignatian wisdom informs the ministry of accompanying others.
Personal prayer and reflection remain central to the process. Participants are encouraged to bring an openness to ongoing formation, recognizing that the capacity to accompany another grows from a willingness to be accompanied and formed ourselves.
A Learning Community
At the heart of The Listening Heart is a community of learners committed to growing together.
Meeting online twice each month, participants engage in shared study, conversation, prayer, and reflection. The cohort offers a place to bring questions, explore the gifts, challenges, and complexities of spiritual accompaniment, learn from one another's experience, and deepen a common understanding of the Ignatian tradition.
The learning community is an essential part of the formation. We grow not only through what we read and study, but through the experience of listening to one another, receiving different perspectives, and discovering how our own understanding is enriched through conversation.
An annual in-person residency retreat in Dallas, Texas, will provide additional time for prayer, reflection, community, and integration of the formation experience.
Our way of proceeding
Two years of formation | September–June
- September–May: Online gatherings twice each month for two hours, combining presentation, reading, prayer, conversation, and reflection.
- June: An in-person residency retreat in Dallas, Texas, for shared prayer, deeper reflection, community building, and integration of learning.
Between gatherings, participants will engage in assigned readings, presentations, and personal reflection to prepare for our time together.
The two-year journey allows space for learning to take root, questions to deepen, and the practice of spiritual accompaniment to mature over time.
Who Should Apply?
The Listening Heart is intended for those who feel called by the Lord and have the desire to journey with others through spiritual companioning in the Ignatian tradition. Applicants should bring a willingness to engage in personal reflection, participate actively in a learning community, and remain open to the ongoing work of formation in their own lives.
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. Applications will open on November 15, 2026 and will close on June 30, 2027.
Application Requirements
Applicants must:
- Have personally made the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius through either the 19th Annotation (the Exercises made in daily life one to one with a director) or the 20th Annotation (the thirty day Spiritual Exercises made in a retreat setting one to one with a director).
- Be willing to participate fully in the two-year formation process, including online gatherings, assigned readings, personal reflection, and a required June residency retreat in Dallas, Texas.
- Bring an openness to learning, self-reflection, and growth in the ministry of spiritual accompaniment.
- Be receiving spiritual direction currently.
Costs:
Tuition for Two Year Program $3900
- Includes room and board for two required residency retreats
- Online access to materials and presentations
- May be paid annually, by semester, or monthly ($300 non-refundable deposit on acceptance to the program and applied to total cost of tuition)
- Participants will be responsible for personal travel expense to the residency retreat.
Program Schedule and Dates
- A listing of The Listening Heart 2027-2029 session schedule and dates can be found here
The Ignatian Spirituality Institute welcomes those who feel drawn to this journey and who desire to cultivate a listening heart for the sake of others. Contact the Ignatian Spirituality Institute via our contact form or call 940-268-8788 for additional information.
Presenter(s):
Rev. Dr. James Hanvey, SJ
Rev. Dr. James Hanvey, SJ, serves as Secretary for the Service of Faith to the General Curia of the Society of Jesus and Consultor to Fr. Gen. Arturo Sosa, SJ.
Father Hanvey entered the Society of Jesus in 1975 and was ordained in 1983. His D.Phil (Oxon) was on the subject of constructing a contemporary metaphysics of the doctrine of the Trinity in Hegel, Barth and Rahner. After a period as Headmaster of the Jesuit St Aloysius’ College, Glasgow, he taught systematic theology at Heythrop College, University of London, where he was also Head of the Department of Christian Doctrine and Founding Director of the Heythrop Institute for Religion, Ethics and Public Life. He has been a theological consultant to the Bishops of England and Wales and has held the Veale Chair in Ignatian Spirituality at Milltown Park, Dublin. After serving at the University of San Francisco as the Lo Schiavo Professor of Catholic Social Thought, he was appointed Master of Campion Hall in 2013. He served as senior Research Fellow of the Hall in theology and a member of the Faculty of Theology and Religion, Oxford University. Most recently, Fr. Hanvey was appointed by Pope Francis to the Commission on Spirituality for the Synod on Synodality, charged with the task of developing a vision of the spirituality of synodality and organizing a network on synodality and discernment.
Fr. Hanvey serves as Secretary for the Service of Faith. In his current role, he advises Fr. General Sosa, SJ and the General Council on the main issues that the Society must address in the Service of the Faith. The Secretariat collaborates with the other Curia Secretariats to animate the service of faith in all apostolic sectors, while also being responsible for coordinating and supporting the work of Jesuits and co-workers in the sector of Pastoral Ministry and Spirituality, with particular attention to the ministry of the Spiritual Exercises. Fr. Hanvey's ministry and writings are luminous and fertile—and his presentations will set the tone of the 2025 Ignatian Spirituality Conference.
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 served as Socius of the Central and Southern Province of the Society of Jesus 2020 to 2025. He now serves in retreat ministry at Grand Coteau Retreats and as community superior in Grand Coteau, Louisiana. He enjoys movies, reading, and music.
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
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.