For the past 25 plus years St Michael Jesuit Church in Buffalo has offered the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola in Daily Life.

"The Spiritual Exercises in daily life is a retreat for anyone at any stage of their spiritual journey. I have learned to appreciate all that God has done for me and how to be led by the Holy Spirit in my daily activities keeping the Lord close each and every day," said former retreatant Gloria Roetzer.

Starting in mid-September and concluding in early May this form of retreat is designed for people from every walk of life, who would not be able to go on a 30-day directed retreat. "The Ignatian Retreat in Daily Life was a gift from God. As I kept asking for the grace to develop a closer relationship with God, my request was answered. As I devoted time to the required daily prayer and reflection I learned much about myself as well as how much God loves me and wants me to be close to him," said former retreatant Bonnie Hall.

Given over eight months, the program invites retreatants to a deeper relationship with Jesus. "It has given me a deeper understanding of God's love for me," said former retreatant Shannon Spencer, "and helped me to set time with the Lord to grow in my faith."

Different types of daily prayer and a weekly faith-sharing meeting are offered, "The Spiritual Exercises in everyday life were a great experience overall. I really enjoyed the group sharing and was often surprised to find that other members of the group shared similar struggles with some of the material," said former retreatant Francis Norman.

Applications for this year's retreat beginning on Sept. 20 are now being accepted.

For further information, or to register, visit www.spirexignatius.org or contact Joseph Ritzert at 716-627-5530 or Gini Shultz at 716-837-6020.