Retreat Directors' Course

The month-long Retreat Directors' Course began on the 12^th of April and concluded on the 13^th of May at Dhyanashrama, Mount St Joseph. A Heterogeneous group of 40 Religious (Priests, Scholastics and Sisters) and a lay person participated in this course. The group was a fine blend of men and women religious, both young and seniors.
The course focused on the Ignatian Spirituality. Various topics like the dynamics of the Spiritual Exercises, the Discernment of the Spirit etc were dealt with. Fr. Freddie D'Silva explained lucidly the dynamics of the Spiritual Exercises. Fr. Terence Farias gave the nuances of Ignatian discernment highlighting the importance of discernment in one's own life. Some inputs were also given in Counselling, Spiritual Direction and Retreat Direction. Soon after the theory classes, the practical classes enhanced the skills (i.e., in Counselling, Spiritual Direction & Retreat Direction) of the participants. These skills were drilled into us by Frs. William Sequeira, Hilario Fernandes, Dion Vaz, Joseph Rodrigues, Francis Menezes and Sr. Theresa.
The course included an 8-day Ignatian Retreat wherein the participants had to guide each other. Most of the participants said that the course was well planned, balanced both in theory and practical classes and aimed at "learning-by-doing". This was also a time to renew one's own spiritual life and to get enriched with the Ignatian Spirituality. All are participants are looking forward to direct retreats and put into practice what they have learnt in the past one month. Yes, it was surely a time of renewal and a wonderful experience to all the participants.