Adult Formation

Here is a list of Ignatian resources from our partners across the Ignatian community designed to accompany you on your spiritual journey through Lent.

• An Ignatian Guide to Lent from the Jesuit Conference
  
  
• 400 Minutes 4 Refugees from the Jesuit Refugee Service
  
  
• Ignatian Guide to Forgiveness: Lenten Read-Along from Loyola Press
  
  
• Growing in Friendship with God this Lent
  
  
• From Ashes to Glory, an Examen during Lent by Fr. Joe Tetlow, SJ
  
  
• JesuitPrayer.org

• Lent in a Life Group: The Young Adult Engagement Team invites all ages 18-39 to experience Lent in a Life Group—a faith–based small group that is centered in Christ and in community. Lenten Life Groups will meet via Zoom and dive into sacred scripture throughout Lent and reflect/pray on the Sunday Gospels. The groups will run weekly for 6 weeks beginning the week of February 21 and ending the week of March 28 (Holy Week). No preparation or faith experience needed, just show up. Register online. Questions? Email Laura Palafox at lpalafox@archchicago.org.
• Fratelli Tutti book club with UCYM: Join United Catholic Youth Ministries on Friday nights during Lent (February 19 and 26, March 5, 12, 19, and 26, and April 2 and 9) at 7 p.m. to read from Pope Francis' new Encyclical Fratelli Tutti. The encyclical focuses on contemporary social and economic problems, and proposes an ideal world of fraternity in which all countries can be part of a "larger human family". If you have any questions, contact Sam Carlson, Associate Director of Young Adult Life and Engagement at sam@ucym.org. Click here to sign up.

• Immigration Ministry Lenten Campaign: 40 Days of Prayer, Fasting, and Action for Immigration Reform: All are welcome to join in the 2021 Lenten Campaign for Immigration Reform in Polish, English, and Spanish. The campaign provides the opportunity to share one’s faith through prayer, fasting, and acts of mercy to raise awareness of the need for immigration reform. Participants sign up to commit to their choice of prayer, fasting, and acts of mercy for one or several days. See Parish Bulletin News for various materials to share with your communities. For more information, visit our Immigration Ministry page or contact Mauro Pineda at mpineda@archchicago.org or 312.534.8103. The campaign includes a Livestream Rosary every Wednesday in Lent at 7 p.m. starting Ash Wednesday, February 17 through Holy Week. Register at eepurl.com/hlVm7f.

• Prayer Partners: Participants are matched to a Kolbe House “re-entry” client (an individual who was recently released from jail or prison) and will commit to praying for them during Lent. Kolbe House will provide supplementary prayers and facts sheets throughout Lent to increase understanding of the barriers to re-entry and build capacity to respond to local needs. Participate as a parish, parish group, family, or individual. Incorporate any of the other activities to enhance your prayer partner experience. And consider inviting a member of Kolbe House Ministry to speak or preach at services to kick-off the partnership.  Sign up online.
• Care Packages for Women in Cook County Jail: We will collect care packages for women incarcerated at Cook County Jail, including toiletries and some clothing items. Host a parish-wide drive for items or consider this as a service opportunity for children or youth to assemble care packages.
• ODB Films’ "Restored: Stories of Encounter" Virtual Viewing & Discussion: On Sunday, March 14 at 4 p.m., all are invited to a one-hour showing and dialogue featuring a 20-minute documentary, "Restored: Stories of Encounter," by award-winning ODB Films. The film chronicles the journey that brought Kolbe House Associate Director Deacon Pablo Perez to his vocation in jail ministry. The discussion will be facilitated by Kolbe House Ignatian Volunteer Derrick Blakley. The film challenges viewers to consider the humanity of every human being and to acknowledge that God calls each of us to serve. Encourage individual attendance at the Kolbe House Zoom showing, consider a group viewing for parishioners, Confirmation, or RCIA class; or, invite Deacon Pablo to preach at services after the showing. Watch the trailer and register at https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUqcO6przkqHtJiWjN5zsUEHg_nRZowYDva.
• Stations of the Cross Walk around Cook County Jail: All are invited to an in-person Stations of the Cross prayer and walk around Cook County Jail at 24th and California on Sunday, March 28 (Palm Sunday) at 3 p.m. Event will be outdoors with masks and appropriate physical distancing. Encourage your parish to attend as a group activity, attend as a family, or individually. More details will be shared soon.
• Tuesday Night Prayer: Kolbe House will continue hosting a 15-minute group prayer for all those affected by incarceration every Tuesday at 8:45 p.m. via Zoom. Prayer partner participants will have an opportunity to mention their prayer partner by name.  Anyone can attend, no commitment necessary

• Pastoral Center Alpha with Friends and Colleagues: All are welcome to join in the 4th Alpha for pastoral center staff and parish leaders! Alpha uses short videos and small group sharing to invite conversations and questions about faith and Christianity. Register now to be a part of this deeply meaningful and unique opportunity to form your faith with friends and colleagues. You are welcome to as many of the eleven sessions as you can attend (Wednesdays from 4:30-5:45 beginning February 24), spanning Lent and Easter, but once you have experienced the first few, there is no way you will not want to be a part of them all!
• Faith Hub opportunities to learn, grow and serve. The Faith Hub is a ministry innovation lab of the Archdiocese connected with St. Clement Parish. Here, we are developing and exploring ways of bringing the vision of Renew My Church to life in such a way to offer all parishes – clergy and laity alike – an opportunity to learn the themes of renewal as they begin to commit themselves to bring those same themes to life in their own communities.
•  ???????Pray Together Chicago online: all are welcome to come together at 4:30 p.m. every Mon – Fri for 15 minutes to reflect on scripture, enjoy the company of others in a community of prayer, and offer intercessions for the day.

• CRS Rice Bowl 2021: This Lent, put your faith in action with CRS Rice Bowl, Catholic Relief Services’ Lenten Program to pray, fast, learn and give. See Parish Bulletin News for a letter from Cardinal Cupich to share at the start of Lent, as well as a flyer. For more information, including how you can get involved, parish resources, and information about CRS Rice Bowl grantees, see the CRS Rice Bowl page.

• Our Living the Sunday Word reflection sessions for Lent begin on February 18. During this online gathering, we take a look at the Sunday readings before the weekend so we are more fully disposed to celebrate them when we are at liturgy. See details, cost, and registration.

• Weekly Lenten Reflections: Journey through Lent with our transitional deacons who will be ordained in a few short months. Sign up to receive their weekly Lenten reflections. You will receive the first reflection directly to your inbox on Ash Wednesday, February 17, and every Sunday of Lent leading up to Holy Week and Easter Sunday on April 4. This will also include four-part audio Lenten reflections from Father John Kartje.
• 33-day Consecration to St. Joseph: It's the Year of St. Joseph and his feast day falls in the middle of Lent. So join the Mundelein Seminary community in a 33-day consecration to Saint Joseph. Register online and join a private Facebook group for participants.
• Spanish language Lenten Retreat: Are you looking to spend some time reflecting and praying both alone and in small groups during this Lenten Season? The Instituto de Liderazgo Pastoral at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein is offering an overnight Spanish language Lenten retreat beginning Saturday, March 13 through Sunday, March 14 facilitated by Fr. Guillermo Campuzano, C.M. See the flyer in Parish Bulletin News.
• Institute for Pastoral Leadership: Lenten Book Discussion: C.S. Lewis classic, The Great Divorce. The book is available on Amazon, other book retailers, and your local library. “C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce is a classic Christian allegorical tale about a bus ride from hell to heaven. An extraordinary meditation upon good and evil, grace and judgment, Lewis’s revolutionary idea in The Great Divorce is that the gates of Hell are locked from the inside. Using his extraordinary descriptive powers, Lewis’ The Great Divorce will change the way we think about good and evil.“ Mrs. Michelle Shafer will lead this discussion.  The dates for this book discussion are:
  • February 23, 7-8 p.m.
  • March 2, 9 & 16 7-8 p.m.
  • Register online (it is $30 plus the cost of the book).

• Scripture-based Lenten retreat: After the success of their Advent retreat, Loyola University's IPS Scripture School is offering a very special Lenten retreat, "Take Up Your Cross, And Follow Me!" This five-week online retreat series will be offered in both English and Spanish from February 16 – March 18. In this retreat, guests will "encounter both the challenge and call of the Cross." For more information check out the English flyer and Spanish flyer.

• USCCB Daily Reading & Reflection video offers an easy way to prayerfully engage with Scripture