Living the Discerning Life

Brothers and Sisters,
Do you want to be able to better understand the choices in your life that God wants you to make? Do want to learn how to listen for the difference between God’s voice, your own ideas, and your spiritual enemy’s voice? In an unusual way the Holy Spirit has brought to my attention Fr. Timothy Gallagher’s teachings on the Rules of St. Ignatius for understanding when God is speaking to you and what he wants you to do. We will be using Fr. Gallagher 10 week Series he did on EWTN and his books for the Retreat  which will begin Monday, February 9, 2015 and end on Monday, April 20 ^th. We will not meet on the Monday of Holy Week.  We will meet from 7:15 pm to 9:15pm in the Catholic Center. Fr. Gallagher’s DVDs are about 45 minutes long. Deacon Walt and I discerned that we are to do this Retreat before doing the third Retreat in Fr. Gaitley’s series. You do not need to have attended any of the prior retreats. Here is some info about Fr. Gallagher from his website:
 
Father Timothy Gallagher, O.M.V., dedicates his energies to retreats, spiritual direction, and spiritual formation according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1979, and obtained his doctorate from the Gregorian University in 1983. He has taught at St. John’s Seminary and Our Lady of Grace Seminary in Boston, assisted in formation work for twelve years, and served two terms as Provincial Rector of the community. He has dedicated many years to an extensive ministry of retreats, spiritual direction, and teaching about the spiritual life. Fr. Gallagher has authored six books (Crossroad) on the spiritual teaching of St. Ignatius of Loyola.  He has also taught the content of his books on EWTN and CatholicTV.  His latest project is a definitive, popular biography of Ven. Pio Bruno Lanteri.  Entitled “Begin Again,” the work is now available for purchase.  For further information about his books and CDs, or to schedule a seminar with Fr. Gallagher, please visit our  store , or his web site at  www.frtimothygallagher.org .
 
 
St. Ignatius of Loyola is renowned for his Spiritual Exercises and Rules of Discernment that have been used for over 450 years to help those on a spiritual journey understand the difference between the influences of the Holy Spirit that move us toward God and the influences of the ego or spirit of darkness that move us away from God. Fr. Gallagher’s 10 week series examines the Ignatian Rules of Discernment that are more relevant today than ever before. “’Living the Discerning Life’ is one of EWTN Home Video’s most requested titles.”
 
In addition to the DVDs we will be reading Fr. Gallagher’s book  The Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living . Fr. Gallagher uses practical examples from the life of St. Ignatius, St. Augustine and others to illustrate how to apply the Rules to one’s own life. We will also use a companion workbook:   A Reader’s Guide to The Discernment of Spirits. “This Reader’s Guide arose from repeated requests for a tool to facilitate group and individual study of  The Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide to Everyday Living. For each chapter of  The Discernment of Spirits, the  Guide offers a synthesis, questions that highlight important points, case studies for the application of this teaching to daily life, and reflection questions for personal assimilation of the chapter’s content. Used in combination with  The Discernment of Spirits, this  Reader’s Guide assists groups in varied settings – parishes, formal classes, spiritual centers, and other gatherings of dedicated people – and individuals in personal study, “to begin applying the Rules to daily life.” “Acclaimed interpreter of Saint Ignatius, author Father Gallagher provides clear explanations of the centuries-old Jesuit method of discerning God’s will in one’s life—and avoiding evil. A practical guide and journaling tool, it includes ample space on every page for notes, reflections, and journaling, all to help readers track their progress toward a closer, more loving union with God.”

The Format of the Retreat will be to watch the DVD and then to have small group discussion using the Reader’s Guide.

We need to order the books by January 19 ^th to keep costs down. Please let me know if you want to attend this retreat by replying to this email by January18th so we will know how many books to order. The Registration Fee will be $30 and includes both the books. Please send or bring checks payable to Our Lady of the Rosary to Our Lady of the Rosary, 17 Farragut Road, Greenhills, OH 45218.  Write “Ignatian Retreat” in the check memo.
 
Here is the information you should give me in  your email reply to me:
Name and Address -  if it has changed or you are registering someone else besides yourself.
 
Home Phone and Cell Phone numbers.
Check # of the Check you sent or brought to OLR.
 
We recommend you get both books but if you want to do something different tell me what you want to do. Include any questions that you have in your reply. If for some reason you do not want to get the Reader’s Guide, the Registration Fee will be $25.
Please spread the word about the retreat to others. If you need Flyers or Posters for your Parish or groups you are part of please let me know.
 
In Christ and Our Lady,
Bob Burns
 
513-542-2661
rebburns@zoomtown.com