Ignatian Spirituality

A 34-week series with Pat Latshaw

Ignatian Spirituality

Tuesdays at 5:30 PM | September 10, 2024 - April 29, 2025

Ignatian spirituality is a spirituality for everyday life. It insists that God is present in our world and active in our lives. It is a pathway to deeper prayer, good decisions guided by keen discernment and an active life of service to others.

This 34-week program is for those who wish to make a commitment to personal transformation by encountering God and deepening their experience with the divine. It will involve a daily and weekly commitment to spiritual practices with help and support from spiritual director, Pat Latshaw.

The book, The Ignatian Adventure by Kevin O’Brien will be used for discussion and to guide the group’s approach to spiritual growth with techniques that have been in use for almost 500 years.

The cost is $875 for 34 sessions. Scholarships are available.

Click here to register. Registration deadline: September 1, 2024

Have questions about scholarships and/or Ignatian Spirituality? Click here to email Pat Latshaw.

Click here to register

More About Ignatian Spirituality

Ignatian spirituality is a way of following Jesus Christ based on the teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits. As a result of his own conversion experience, Ignatius felt inspired to know and love Jesus in a deeply personal and intimate way. He felt that the divine can be found in all things, action oriented, focused on self-awareness, inner-directed, adapting and experiential.

The central concept of Ignatius's Spiritual Exercise is to help one "conquer oneself and to regulate one's life in such a way that no decision is made under the influence of any inordinate attachment." The Exercises are intended to give the person undertaking them a greater degree of freedom from his or her own likes and dislikes, so that their choices are based solely on what they discern God's will is for them.

About Pat Latshaw

Pat served as a principal in the Hempfield School District until her retirement in 2006. She holds a M.Ed from Penn State, an EdD in Educational Leadership from Temple University, and a MA in Holistic Spirituality and Spiritual Direction from Chestnut Hill College.

She has served as a spiritual director since 2003 and as a guest director at the Jesuit Center of Spirituality since 2005. She has a private practice at home where she listens as others share their everyday experiences. Her intent is to guide people to see the Divine in all things and to do everything for the greater honor and glory of God.

She lives in East Hempfield with her husband Ward. They have two adult children who live out of state. She enjoys reading, walking and playing duplicate bridge. She has been a member of Saint James since 2019.

Group Spiritual Direction

With Pat Latshaw

Group spiritual direction this spring

Thursdays at 5:30 PM | Beginning April 25th

Group spiritual direction is a way of listening and reflecting with a community of fellow seekers on our encounters with God in everyday life. Over time, group direction has a transformational effect on who we are and how we understand God's calling in our lives.

Group spiritual direction is defined by relationship, so it requires a different way of relating with each other. Members must desire an honest relationship with God, participate in the group through prayerful listening and response, and be willing to share their spiritual journey with others while being open to God's leading in their own.

The cost is $125 for six sessions. Scholarships are available.

Click here to register.

Registration deadline: Sunday, April 21

Have questions about group spiritual direction? Click here to email Pat Latshaw.

Gifts of spiritual direction

Spiritual direction can have many benefits. These may include enabling you to:

  • Identify and trust your own experiences of God.
  • Integrate spirituality into your daily life.
  • Discern and make difficult choices.
  • Share your hopes, struggles and losses in the context of strengthening your faith.
  • Develop a sensitivity for justice and empathy for others
  • Live the essence of your religious affiliation with integrity

What does a spiritual director do?

A spiritual director is one who sits with and listens to your story and experience with the expressed purpose of discerning, with the help of the Holy Spirit, where God might be moving and speaking in your life. Spiritual direction can be a beneficial process for you if you desire to deepen your awareness of God in your life – in the profound experiences, mundane activities, suffering, transitions, and disillusioned aspects of life and faith. Your spiritual direction session may include some exploration of different spiritual practices that may help you increase your intimacy with God.

Spiritual direction is:

  • An ancient practice in Christianity dating back to the Desert Mothers and Fathers.
  • A spiritual process in which you are invited to notice, savor, and deepen your ability to listen to God’s direction for your life.
  • A personal relationship characterized by a foundation of mutual trust, respect, warmth, genuine care, honesty, and openness
  • A contemplative, confidential relationship grounded in God-centered, mutual listening to the unique spiritual unfolding in all aspects of your life.

Spiritual direction is not:

  • Psychotherapy
  • Counseling
  • Theological teaching

The Urban Well is a registered trademark of Saint James Episcopal Church.
Executive Director, Kate Brossman