Manresa Link – 19th Annotation Accompaniment

Books and resources for accompaniment

Translations:

George E Ganss sj (1992)

Perhaps the definitive modern translation. He has avoided masculine gendered language and used modern idiom whilst remaining faithful to the original text and intention.

Michael Ivens sj (2004)

A scholarly translation from the UK’s leading scholar of the Exercises with a similar intent to Ganss. His ‘Understanding the Spiritual Exercises’ is a thoughtful commentary on the exercises.

David L Fleming (1996) ‘Draw me into your friendship’

This offers a parallel contemporary paraphrase alongside the literal translation of Elder Mullan SJ. This offers a good way of getting a contemporary understanding of the text that can make the text more palatable for person not familiar with doing the leap from Ignatius’ 16th Century mind to the 21st century.

19th Annotation adaptations and resources

The Ignatian Adventure, Kevin O’Brien SJ (2011)

This is an adaptation that allows the reader to engage with the exercises, with or without an accompanier (though he does suggest at one point, not going further without one!). This provides the exercises spread over 32 weeks with 4 weeks of preparatory prayer prior to the P&F.

Orientations 2, John Veltri sj

Veltri provides not only exercises for spreading the exercises over 30 weeks, but in depth guidance for the accompanier. There’s plenty on the role as well as points for the accompanier in preparing to listen to each week’s experience and in offering the next week’s material.

Choosing Christ in the World, Joseph A Tetlow (1999)

Another well developed resource for the guide and exercitant with plenty of additional resources.

Newer developments

Spiritual Exercises Reclaimed, The: Uncovering Liberating Possibilities for Women, Katherine Dyckman, Mary Garvin, Elizabeth Liebert

This explores the experience of the exercises from a woman’s perspective recognising some of the particular aspects of experience that feminist theology has revealed. Plenty of helpful thinking in applying the exercises (even when accompanying men!)

The New Spiritual Exercises: In the spirit of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Louis M Savary

Insights drawn from Teilhard de Chardin and applied to the Spiritual Exercises. There is a focus on the graces and blessings God gives for creating a positive difference in our world. This is a very much more explicitly ecological and world transformative take that provides much food for thought and ideas for applying the exercises.

On Accompaniment

The Practice of Spiritual Direction, Barry & Connolly

This is a classic, and really gets to the heart of the role of the Ignatian accompanier.

Spiritual Direction and the Encounter with God, Barry

Going further into the nature of the role as an enabler of encounters with God.

On Accompanying the Exercises

David Fleming sj – Like the Lightning

I’ve drawn a lot from this book for describing the dynamics of the Exercises.

 William Barry – Letting God Come Close

A great read describing the process key elements of the Exercises. Wise and helpful.

George Aschenbrenner – Stretched for Greater Glory

Subtitled ‘What to expect from the Spiritual Exercises’ this is actually very good for the accompanier. It has a good commentary on the annotations.