Have you completed the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius and wish to deepen that experience?
The Magis Program
Greater Understanding, Love and Service
The Magis program offered by the Bridges Foundation provides diverse, experienced lecturers who share their insights and wisdom for people who wish to continue their spiritual journey. Seven sessions (offered monthly beginning in September) are designed to deepen your experience of the Spiritual Exercises.
Participants have the opportunity to explore the dynamics of the Spiritual Exercises and share their insights with others in a small group. You may participate in the Magis Program every year if you wish in order to take advantage of new perspectives from presenters that will be offered each year.
Here’s a video describing the Magis program:
The objectives of the program are four-fold:
1. Deepening the prayerful experiences of participants in the Ignatian Way.
2. Facilitating a sense of connection and community through a monthly gathering and small group sharing.
3. Enhancing the learning and understanding of the spiritual and psychological movements of the Spiritual Exercises.
4. Discerning, learning, and practicing to be prayer companions (for those called to be companions). Click here to read more about that program
The 2025 Magis Program will be offered at:
DeSmet Jesuit High School
233 N New Ballas Rd, St. Louis, MO 63141
If you have any questions, please contact: Magis Program Coordinator: Vicki Harpring at 314-609-9304, or vharpring@yahoo.com
Suggested text for all participants: DRAW ME into YOUR FRIENDSHIP by David Fleming, S.J.
Program Requirements: Completion of the Spiritual Exercises, including the 18th, 19th, or 20th Annotation
Cost: Contribute whatever amount you can afford. The cost to the Bridges Foundation per participant is approximately $350. One person’s contribution helps another and no one is turned away for financial reasons. We ask you to prayerfully consider what you can afford to pay. A payment schedule can be arranged. Everyone must pay the $35 non-refundable application fee, which is 10 percent of the total cost of the program and will be put toward your “Promise to Pay” amount.
For a PDF version of the Magis brochure, click here: Magis Brochure – 2025-2026
Dates and Topics:
Saturday, September 20, 2025
Speaker: Danielle Harrison
Ignatius’ Life and the Exercises
Images of God
Saturday, October 18, 2025
Speaker: Paul Coutinho
Root Sin and Root Grace
Social and Systemic Sin
Saturday, November 15, 2025
Speaker: Fr. Paul Hoesing
The Examen
Incarnation – Contemplating Jesus’ Life
Saturday, January 17, 2026
Speaker: Virginia Herbers
Riches, Honor, and Pride
Three Phases of Humility
Saturday, February 21, 2026
Speaker: Jeff Harrison, SJ
Discernment of Spirits Week 1
Discernment of Spirits Week 2
Saturday, March 21, 2026
Speaker: Hsin-hsin Huang, PhD
The Passion of Jesus
The Graces of Lent
Saturday, April 18, 2026
Speaker: Jessica Kerber, aci
Living the Paschal Mystery
Contemplating Divine Love
Descriptions of Small Groups:
All small groups have a minimum of 5 and maximum of 12.
Cannonball Moments and the Creative Process
This group will focus on personal, creative exploration of participants’ own stories of faith through the lens of the life of St. Ignatius Loyola and the Spiritual Exercises. Participants will be expected to create and share written reflections or other forms of art drawn from their experiences of prayer and journaling. Each session will also include times for reflection and journaling. Required text: “Cannonball Moments: Telling Your Story, Deepening Your Faith” by Eric Clayton.
Facilitated by Steve Givens.
Spiritual Threads: Weaving Ideas from Psalms, Proverbs, Jesus, and Ignatius
Ignatius studied Jesus. Jesus studied Psalms and Proverbs. We will reflect on readings from these sources, and discuss how these spiritual threads connect to Ignatian Spirituality and can enrich our lives today. One month before each session you will receive a set of Biblical selections, an overview of key elements from Ignatian Spirituality, and optional reflection questions. This is a discussion-oriented group.
Required text: “The Ignatian Adventure: Experiencing the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius in Daily Life” by Fr. Kevin O’Brien, SJ.
Facilitated by Dan Coughlin.
Exploring Connections: The Spiritual Exercises and the 12-Step Approach
Newly offered and relevant to our times. Through this study, participants will enhance their knowledge and get in touch with attitudes, actions, and habits that deter or block their relationships with God, self, other people, and institutions. It will also help prayer companions understand experiences of retreatants and others who have been through 12-Step Programs and 12-Step Spirituality. Required text: “A 12-Step Approach to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius” by Jim Harbaugh, SJ.
Co-facilitated by Rick and Laura Lageson.
Women as Integral Formators of St. Ignatius
Women played a pivotal role in the life and spirituality of St. Ignatius. The text opens the riches of the Spiritual Exercises to women – and to men who love and care about women. At each gathering, the group will discuss, reflect, and share insights gained from one of the book’s 7 chapters. Required text:
“Why Do You Trouble This Woman? Women and the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola” by
Anne Arombe, SSS.
Facilitated by Mary White.
Dynamics of the Spiritual Exercises
The main focus of this group is an in-depth study of the psychological/spiritual dynamics and graces of the Exercises. Participants will review their own experience of the Exercises and gain increased self-awareness and understanding of how the movements in each Week of the Exercises take place in their
personal spiritual journey, leading to a deeper relationship with God. Requirement for all who wish to enter the Prayer Companion Training Program. Potential Prayer Companions are accepted before others, but this group is open to all. Required text: “Draw Me into Your Friendship” by David Fleming, SJ. Facilitated by David Harpring, Linda Leib, and David Dickey.
Peer Supervision/Consultation & Resources for Prayer Companions
The purpose of this informational and experiential group is to assist prayer companions in their spiritual growth and enhance their skills in accompaniment. It focuses on a prayer companion’s interior movements/counter movements when interacting with a retreatant. It attends to the retreatant’s and prayer companion’s interior reactions to God’s presence, such as desires, consolation, resistance, and denial. Consultation issues will also be addressed and prayer companions will share resources and
insights. Requirement of second-year Prayer Companions. Open to all Prayer Companions.
Maximum 8 participants. Co-facilitated by Marian Love and Carol Brescia.
Magis Speaker Forum
This is an open, facilitated discussion group focused on unpacking, asking questions and sharing insights from the presentations given during the large group session. The day’s featured presenters will be invited to join in the conversation.
Facilitated in person by Jill Carnaghi.
Facilitated online 3rd Wednesdays 7-8:30 p.m. CST by Hsin-hsin Huang, PhD (Speakers will not be present online.)
The Call to Discernment
We will go through the book with attention to discernment. Please bring in a story each month of how the particular topic in the Spiritual Exercises has worked in your lives. Required text: “The Call to Discernment in Troubled Times: New Perspectives on the Transformative Wisdom of Ignatius of Loyola”
by Dean Brackley, SJ. Facilitated online 3rd Thursdays, 7-8:00 p.m. CST by Sharon Tan, PhD
Note: You may register for an additional online
small group at no additional cost. Separate registration required.