living the mission
Discover what’s happening at LIS and
how we’re living out our mission
The team attends Mass together at Sacred Heart Chapel.
A New Program Year Begins | September 2026
September was a busy and exciting month at LIS as our two flagship programs – the Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life (SEDL) and the Ignatian Spiritual Formation Program (ISFP) – welcomed a new cohort of participants!
This year, we have 40 individuals total participating in the Spiritual Exercises retreat in English and Spanish. Over the next nine months, these retreatants will be invited to deepen their relationship with God, grow in self-awareness, and recognize God’s loving presence in their everyday lives. Please join us in praying for our retreatants as they begin this transformative journey.
Also, 21 participants joined us online for the first course of ISFP, Introduction to Ignatian Spirituality. This month, we’re continuing our formation program with the next course, Human Spiritual Development. Through ISFP, participants are not only deepening their own spiritual lives but are also being formed to accompany and serve others.
Together, these programs reflect one of the ways LIS lives out its mission: creating opportunities for people to encounter God, grow in self-awareness, and become more prepared to serve their communities. As we begin a new program year, we are grateful to walk alongside people at every stage of their spiritual journey and to make the gifts of Ignatian spirituality accessible to all.
Help bring the transformative power of Ignatian spirituality to more people.
Your generosity makes our work possible and helps us meet people where they are, invite them into a deeper relationship with God, and send them forth to make a difference.
Discover how you can be part of the mission. Click here for more.
With Holy Family Catholic School in Orange, CA.
Celebrating Catholic Education & Formation | August 2026
Bringing Ignatian Wisdom to Local Schools
As Catholic schools prepare to welcome a new school year, Loyola Institute for Spirituality (LIS) is grateful for the opportunity to accompany the educators who form the next generation.
In early August, LIS Executive Director Lori Stanley led retreats for the faculty and staff of Blessed Sacrament Catholic School in Westminster and Holy Family Catholic School in Orange. Drawing on 25 years in faith formation and over 10 years as a Catholic school teacher, Lori invited participants to reflect on their belovedness as children of God, discover how they might live out the magis in their school communities, and consider what it means to serve from a place of deeper awareness of God’s presence.
Participants shared that beginning the school year rooted in Ignatian spirituality will help them more intentionally form their students while also deepening their own disposition to serve their school communities. Accompanying educators so they can grow in their own faith and, in turn, inspire and form the young people entrusted to their care is at the heart of what LIS does.
If you’re interested in bringing an Ignatian retreat to your school, parish, or organization, reach out to Keira Ferrell at ferrell@loyolainstitute.org for more information.
St. Ignatius Chapel at Ignatius House
A Trip to Atlanta | August 2026
Providing Spiritual Companionship for Spanish-Speakers
Elena Cardeña-Lopez, Program Manager, recently traveled to Ignatius House, a Jesuit Retreat Center in Sandy Springs, GA, to serve as a spiritual companion for Spanish-speaking retreatants. She accompanied five retreatants, meeting with each person for an hour each day to reflect on where God was leading them in prayer.
With a shortage of bilingual and bicultural spiritual companions, Elena is called upon to work with the Spanish-speaking community. Elena’s experience highlights one of LIS’s core goals: making Ignatian spirituality more accessible to Spanish-speakers and providing formation opportunities that enable them to become spiritual leaders and companions for others. The greatest grace she received from this retreat was the blessing of listening to others' sacred stories.
Learn more about the Ignatian Spiritual Formation Program (ISFP) and it's Spanish counterpart, Programa de Formación Espiritual Ignaciana (PFEI), which provide formation in Ignatian spirituality and prepare participants to become a spiritual companion and learn the tenets of Ignatian leadership. For questions, contact Elena Cardeña-Lopez at cardena@loyolainstitute.org.
The winning team!
Finding Community in the Spirit of St. Ignatius | July 2026
Celebrating the Feast of St. Ignatius Through Fun and Fellowship
On July 31st, LIS celebrated the Feast Day of St. Ignatius of Loyola with our first-ever trivia night!
A full house joined us for an evening of prayer, St. Ignatius-themed trivia, good food, and even better company. As we celebrated the founder of the Society of Jesus and the spiritual tradition that continues to shape our mission, we gave thanks for the gift of Ignatian spirituality and the many ways it helps us encounter God in the midst of everyday life. We grounded our time together in prayer and reflection by opening the evening with the Suscipe and closing with a guided Examen led by Lori Stanley.
A core part of LIS’s mission is our belief that all belong to the body of Christ and are beloved children of God. Because of this, we seek to bring people together, cultivate friendships, and create spaces where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. We enjoyed this trivia night because it fostered community – it gave people the opportunity to meet one another, form new friendships, and connect with others who share an interest in Ignatian spirituality.
We’re already looking forward to gathering again! Look out for our next in-person event in January, when we’ll come together to celebrate the New Year.
Mass at Sacred Heart Chapel.
Fr. Allan and staff.
50 Years of Priesthood, A Commitment to Ignatian Spirituality | July 2026
Celebrating Our Founder, Fr. Allan Figueroa Deck, S.J.
For 50 years, Fr. Allan Figueroa Deck, S.J., has served the Church as a Jesuit priest, bringing a particular gift for spiritual ministry and a deep commitment to making Ignatian spirituality accessible to all. On July 18th, LIS celebrated Fr. Allan’s 50th anniversary of priesthood with a Mass and gathering of friends, colleagues, and loved ones to honor his years of ministry and the many lives he has influenced.
“There is still an aura of exclusivity attached to the world of spirituality.”
Fr. Allan wrote these words in an America article in 2005, eight years after the founding of LIS and while he was still serving as director. For Fr. Allan, this was not simply an observation – it was a problem to be addressed.
When the Jesuit retreat house in Azusa, CA, closed in 1994, Allan saw an opportunity to respond to the spiritual needs of those around him, and start a new type of retreat house. His vision was to create a place where “LIS goes out to the people instead of waiting for the people to come to it,” making the gifts of Ignatian spirituality more accessible, especially for working adults and young families. He also recognized that few Ignatian retreats in Southern California were being offered in Spanish and responded by offering LIS programs in both English and Spanish.
Nearly three decades after LIS was founded, Fr. Allan’s vision continues to shape who we are and how we serve. Today, the majority of our programs are offered virtually, and we provide formation to schools and parishes by going to them rather than asking them to come to us. We also remain committed to being a spiritual resource for Spanish-speakers. Our flagship programs, los Ejercicios Espirituales en la Vida Diaria (EEVD), St. Ignatius’ 19th Annotation, and el Programa de Formacion Espiritual Ignaciana (PFEI), our spiritual formation program, are offered in Spanish.
As we celebrate Fr. Allan’s 50 years of priesthood, we give thanks for a life of ministry marked by creativity, adaptability, and a deep desire to make the riches of Ignatian spirituality accessible to all. His vision remains at the heart of LIS today and continues to live on through the people and communities we serve.