Setting Captives Free Retreat: Racism and God’s Liberating Grace

AN IGNATIAN RETREAT

Drawn from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, this retreat is designed to foster reconciliation and justice for those whose dignity has been violated by the sin of racism.

Participants will be invited to recognize and explore God’s unconditional love, God’s revelation of the retreatant’s complicity with systemic racism, humility and contrition for the retreatant’s known or unknown participation in social structures that support racism, and God’s ongoing transformation and liberation of the retreatant.

Retreatants are asked to commit 30 minutes of prayer each day for five weeks of the six-week retreat. Small groups (4-6 individuals) will meet weekly for 90 minutes on Zoom with two experienced co-facilitators. Each group is typically composed of individuals from a specific racial group, e.g., with those who identify as BIPOC in one group, those who identify as white in another group. However, due to current staffing issues, we will not be able to offer the retreat to BIPOC individuals at this time. We envision being able to do so the next time the retreat is offered.

During small group meetings , retreatants will engage in contemplative listening to one another, without comment or discussion, as they respond to four questions posed by the co-facilitators.

The retreat may evoke difficult and uncomfortable feelings and experiences.  Participants are encouraged to share what they feel safe sharing in their small group and/or privately with a confidant/spiritual director.

This Ignatian retreat is designed for individuals who have made the full Spiritual Exercises, Ignatian five-day retreats, and/or are familiar with Ignatian ways of praying.

A retreat facilitator will reach out to applicants to discuss the relationship between their experience of Ignatian ways of praying and the Setting Captives Free retreat.

Please note:  The Ignatian Spirituality & Prayer Ministry is offering a number of prayer opportunities this Lent to deepen your relationship with God. We invite you to prayerfully consider which spiritual practice the Holy Spirit is inviting you to engage in this Lent. Each requires committed engagement and we recommend focusing on one retreat or prayer opportunity fully.

Reflections from retreatants in 2024:

“The retreat was transformational, even for those of us who feel way past ‘beginning’. This work is the work of a lifetime. It is like peeling an onion with tears and ongoing transformation. I appreciated being able to pray my way into another level with accompaniment.”

“I have been in all White and mixed-race groups that have read together and prayed together, but the focus on the graces and the structure were wonderful to me.”

“This retreat was different from the other anti-racism activities because it centered on God, the central person in overcoming racism.”

Questions?  Contact Emily Dennis at edennis@trinity.org

REGISTER HERE

The registration deadline is Sunday, February 8, 2026.