Led by Gemma Simmonds, C.J. via Zoom

Lockdown has stripped many of us of the identifying markers by which we define our lives: normal patterns of work and relationships, both private and professional, patterns of interaction with wider society, patterns of travel for both work and leisure.  Many of us have had to re-negotiate our sense of meaning and purpose and are searching for tools to help us.  The teaching of Ignatius of Loyola on consolation and desolation can be a useful means of navigating these new pathways and finding the hidden opportunities within the pandemic crisis.

Starts at 10am and ends at 4pm. 

Cost: £30

To book or for more information, please e-mail admin@christian-retreat.org.

Gemma is a sister of the Congregation of Jesus, founded by Mary Ward (1585-1609). She is a senior lecturer in pastoral theology based at the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology in Cambridge where she is director of the Religious Life Institute. She lectured in Christian Spirituality at Heythrop College, University of London from 2005 until its closure in 2018, specialising in Spiritual Direction in the Ignatian tradition. An international speaker and lecturer working in the fields of Christian spirituality and ecclesiology, she has been a missionary in Brazil and a chaplain in the Universities of Cambridge and London as well as a chaplaincy volunteer in Holloway Prison for 26 years. She is a regular broadcaster on religious matters on the BBC. Her book, The Way of Ignatius, was published by SPCK for Lent 2019 and was serialised as the Lenten retreat on Pray As You Go https://pray-as-you-go.org Her most recent book, Treasuring God’s Word is published by Pauline Books and Media.