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The Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos, a community of prayer, offers the Spiritual
Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola to all. Through our sharing of the Exercises,
rooted in the Word of God and in the Catholic tradition, the Spirit frees minds
and hearts to mature in friendship with Christ, to find God in every aspect
of experience, and to live Gospel values.
In the sixteenth century, St. Ignatius Loyola founded the
Society of Jesus. He received confirmation of his new Religious
Order in 1540 and began a mission of service that included
catechetical instruction, teaching, writing, missionary travels
and, something close to his heart, retreat work. His men were
the Companions of Jesus, dedicated to carrying on Christ's
mission of service to the people of God: such service was
to be a leaven for society, enlightening its leaders, caring
for its poor, creating a call for justice and peace.
The Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos, fulfills its commission
to serve principally by offering Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises,
given in varied forms and built around the Sacred Scriptures.
It was Ignatius Loyola's conviction that prayer - the "putting
on of the mind of Christ" - would inevitably lead to
a desire to serve the world; Jesuits, and their lay colleagues,
are to be contemplatives in action.
With these Spiritual Exercises, then, and with the additional
tools of preaching, spiritual conversation, and the exploration
of the richness of the Catholic tradition, the Jesuit Directors
and their colleagues strive to provide an environment of peaceful
reflection where men and women, through the experience of
prayer, can discover and deepen their relationship with God.
We are committed to offering multi-faceted programs of weekend
retreats for men and women of all faiths; the ministry of
spiritual direction; the full month-long Spiritual Exercises
and several shorter variations of that program for both groups
and individuals; sacramental healing services; programmatic
services for the local Church; and the daily Eucharist.
To extend the hospitality of the Retreat Center, we make
our facilities available during weekdays to schools, service
and other non- profit groups for their retreats and conferences.
In all of our ministries, we keep in mind the words of Christ,
"I have come that you may have Life, and have it abundantly."
To share that Life of Christ with one another, and with all
who come to our door, is the fulfillment of our mission to
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