Intercessory Prayer

Marian Servants® of the Blessed Trinity engage in the spiritual works of mercy by interceding in prayer for others daily. We especially pray for ongoing conversion and purity of heart. We also ask God to bless and protect the pope, all cardinals, bishops, and priests as well as the religious around the world. As a community we pray for requested particular intentions at our weekly meetings.

Spiritual Direction

A primary charism of the Marian Servants® is helping others deepen their relationship with Christ through Spiritual Direction. Trained by the Cenacle of Our Lady Divine Providence School of Spiritual Direction in Clearwater, FL., and certified by Franciscan University of Steubenville, our directors follow a prayer model inspired by St. Ignatius of Loyola. Ignatian prayer uses the imagination and the true desires of one’s heart to hear God’s voice in daily living. The director acts as a compassionate listener, while the Holy Spirit is the active spiritual director. A directee is encouraged to pray with scripture and spend time with the Lord daily (Refer to “Ignatian Prayer” below).

Am I a candidate for Spiritual direction?

Spiritual Direction is recommended for people who are actively seeking God’s will in everyday life. In spiritual direction, there is a one-on-one conversation about one’s experience of private prayer and the spiritual consequences of that experience to living a full, mature Christian life.

The true director is the Holy Spirit who helps the trained spiritual director to “hear” what the directee is truly saying about his/her faith life. The spiritual director does not ‘direct’ as in giving advice or solving problems but rather helps the directee to open up to God’s graces, allowing the Lord to work in the directee to bring about a deeper relationship with Him.

The directee is asked to pray with scripture daily and spend this time prayerfully with God, listening to and responding to movements of his/her heart.

To request a spiritual director, please Email  marianservantsbt@gmail.com

 Ignatian Prayer

What is it?

Ignatian prayer provides a vehicle to help a person come to healing, freedom and purpose in Christ. Through meditation on the Scriptures and the practice of imaginative contemplation, one is drawn into deeper personal awareness and understanding of God’s love and mercy, resulting in an intimacy and desire to grow in virtue and serve God’s people.

The directee is offered a scripture (or scriptures) and a related grace to reflect upon. Feelings and emotions will surface as the words and images touch the mind and heart. The directee is encouraged to have an inner dialogue with the Lord as memories and personal connections arise.

The prayer time concludes with an expression of gratitude to the Lord for his goodness and grace. A short time of review of the prayer and writing in one’s journal is recommended.  The lessons the Lord is uncovering helps the person to understand what he/she has to change and work on. This can be shared with their spiritual director or at the sacrament of Reconciliation.

 The Discerning Life using First Week Rules of Discernment (14 rules)

 As a person continues spending time with Jesus in scripture and in prayer, the encounter of God’s   loving action in their heart/mind changes the way they see daily life. One has many false images of self and false images of God that have to be healed. Jesus came to set the captives “free from” their burdens and discouraging lies of the enemy to be “free for” a more intimate relationship with God, and open to His healing love that makes us whole.

Ignatius, as a soldier, discerned these rules while recuperating from three painful leg surgeries due to a cannonball. There was no anesthesia and the months of recovery and reflection led to his spiritual conversion. He had noticed that daydreaming of worldly glory of knighthood led him to feeling dry and dissatisfied, while reflections on the great saints filled him with lasting peace and joy. Seeing the truth, the vanity of his former life, he devoted his life to God.

These rules, from his own experience, taught him to discern the movements of the good spirit. The good spirit is infinite, eternal, and omnipotent so there is great HOPE. The enemy is a fallen creature and limited in how he can tempt us and bring us into desolation. So the main focus in the discerning life is SPIRITUAL CONSOLATION:  God is pouring infinite love into our hearts so that we have “freedom from” the enemy and “freedom for” God.

The three steps to use the rules in our daily life for a greater intimacy with God are:

BE AWARE – the gateway of all discernment, this awareness of the inner spiritual experiences
with the happy/heavy movements of our hearts/thoughts as they affect our faith, hope, love.

UNDERSTAND – reflect if these stirrings are of God, or the enemy

TAKE ACTION  –  ACCEPT what is of God   or    REJECT/REMOVE from our life if NOT of God

Ignatius’ rules give us hope against the enemy’s tactics of temptation and many rules against desolation that hinder our walk with God.

Ignatian Prayer Programs

Abide in Me

This is a group program using Ignatian Prayer and the Eight Themes from Fr John Wickham, S.J. Through meditation on scripture, a person delves and uncovers their false images of God and self. It may come as a surprise and has to be healed.  How could there be an intimate trust and love of our heavenly Father if one believes God as a clockmaker or a harsh taskmaster? How could we grow in obedience of faith in our Savior, Jesus, when He allows suffering in our lives? If we truly trust in God, His Word, His promises, then and only then would we fully obey Him despite the difficulties.

19^th Annotation of the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises

Spiritual Directors may offer this Ignatian retreat (8 months of weekly meetings) to directees amid their everyday lives with daily prayer practices, readings, and meditations.  It is not to be taken lightly but is a great grace for furthering your intimacy with God and perceiving your own mission as a disciple of Christ.

Healing School of Prayer

The Marian Servants offer a 1-week healing prayer training seminar through their affiliate community in St. Augustine, FL, The Marian Servants® of the Blessed Sacrament. Please refer to their website for more information.