Why Ignatian Spirituality Speaks to Children

Joe Paprocki Ignatian Spirituality

group of young children

I’m very excited to see the newest revision of Finding God becoming a reality! I was hired by Loyola Press back in 2002 to contribute to the creation of this wonderful faith formation program that is steeped in Ignatian spirituality—something that is near and dear to my heart as someone with 12 years of Jesuit education. Ignatian spirituality resonates with so many people, mainly because St. Ignatius developed his Spiritual Exercises for lay people, while he himself was a lay person. Ignatian spirituality is everyday spirituality!

In particular, Ignatian spirituality speaks to the minds and hearts of children. In a beautiful blog post on IgnatianSpirituality.com, author Fiona Basile provides six reasons why Ignatian spirituality appeals to children:

  1. Children can appreciate that God can be found in all things.
  2. Children find comfort in knowing God is always with us.
  3. Children embrace imaginative prayer.
  4. Children want to talk to trusted friends.
  5. Children like that God has a special mission for each one of us.
  6. Children can practice gratitude.

Finding God is imbued with these six characteristics of Ignatian spirituality that appeal to children. I encourage you to take a closer look at Finding God 2021 and to contact your Loyola Press educational consultant for more information.

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About Joe Paprocki 2742 Articles
Joe Paprocki, DMin, is National Consultant for Faith Formation at Loyola Press, where, in addition to his traveling/speaking responsibilities, he works on the development team for faith formation curriculum resources including Finding God: Our Response to God’s Gifts and God’s Gift: Reconciliation and Eucharist. Joe has more than 35 years of experience in ministry and has presented keynotes, presentations, and workshops in more than 100 dioceses in North America. Joe is a frequent presenter at national conferences including the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, the Mid-Atlantic Congress, and the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership. He is the author of numerous books, including the best seller The Catechist’s Toolbox, A Church on the Move, Under the Influence of Jesus, and Called to Be Catholic—a bilingual, foundational supplemental program that helps young people know their faith and grow in their relationship with God. Joe is also the series editor for the Effective Catechetical Leader and blogs about his experiences in faith formation at www.catechistsjourney.com.

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