Ignatian Spirituality Project

 

The Ignatian Spirituality Project invites people recovering from homelessness and addiction to encounter God’s love, hope and healing through spiritual companionship that transforms lives.

 

 

Retreatants and team members gather together for a group photo indoors.

ISP retreatants and team members at the November 2019 retreat.

Founded in 1998 in Chicago, IL by Fr. Bill Creed, SJ, and Ed Shurna (formerly Executive Director of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless), the Ignatian Spirituality Project (ISP) offers experiences of hope, healing, and belonging to men and women recovering from homelessness and addiction. By inviting our participants into a deeper encounter with the God of their understanding, ISP retreats and spiritual programs provide the encouragement and empowerment necessary to make real, transformative life changes. Today, ISP offers retreats, follow up and spiritual accompaniment programs across the United States, Canada, and Ireland.

In 2008 a committed group of parishioners from Holy Trinity Catholic Church came together to explore the possibility of beginning an ISP program in Washington, DC. The first women’s retreat was held in March of 2009, and the first men’s retreat took place a month later in April 2009. Both retreats were held at Loyola on the Potomac in Faulkner, Maryland.

What We Do

Today, Holy Trinity sponsors DC's women's team. For more information or to get involved with the men's team, contact John Mooney at dcmen@ispretreats.org.

The DC women's team gives its energies to:

    • Retreats: We offer up to four two-night retreats per year (during the work-week) for women in recovery from homelessness and addiction. Held at Loyola on the Potomac in Faulkner, Md.
    • Grounded in God: A monthly Thursday evening gathering (currently on Zoom) of team members and women in recovery from homelessness and addiction. Some have made our retreats, some are waiting to make them.
    • Praying with the Women of ISP in Advent: A December gathering at Holy Trinity which brings Trinity parishioners together with participants in the ISP Grounded in God gatherings. We enjoy a simple supper followed by prayer and sharing in the Ignatian and 12-step traditions.
    • Team formation: Monthly on a Wednesday evening via Zoom. This meeting is centered around shared reflections on readings from the 12-step or Ignatian traditions. We also conduct business at this meeting.
    • Forming relationships: with the women who participate in our retreats and Grounded in God; with the social service providers where these women currently live; and amongst ourselves as team members.

Join Us!

Team members include women who have come through ISP as participants, Holy Trinity parishioners, and women from other parishes and the community. Women from any faith tradition are welcome, recognizing the program's rootedness in Ignatian spirituality.

To submit a volunteer application, please visit the ISP website.

Parishioners at Holy Trinity also support ISP by knitting prayer shawls, writing cards to women on retreat, and through a Social Justice grant.

To learn more about the DC women's team, please contact Sabrina McCarthy at dcwomen@ispretreats.org.