Waiting in Wonder: Lectio and Visio Divina for Advent
Join us in the Belfast Jesuit Centre for a gentle, contemplative journey through Advent. Over four Tuesday evenings, we’ll gather to reflect on the Gospel reading for the coming Sunday, accompanied by a carefully chosen poem and a piece of visual art.
Each session invites us into the ancient practices of Lectio Divina and Visio Divina—ways of praying with scripture and image that open us to sacred stillness, quiet listening, and shared conversation.
Session Dates:
- Nov 25 – “Stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming.”
- Dec 1 – “Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight.”
- Dec 9 – “A greater than John the Baptist has never been seen.”
- Dec 16 – “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him Emmanuel.”
Time: Tuesdays, 7:00–9:00pm
Location: Belfast Jesuit Centre, 193–195 Donegall Street
Refreshments: Tea and coffee provided
Donation: Small donation suggested
Hearts on Fire: A Programme for Young People
Aged 18-35? Join us for a six-week journey into Ignatian Spirituality—a practical, down-to-earth approach to prayer, discernment, and finding God in all things. Whether you’re curious about faith, seeking deeper meaning, or just need space to breathe, this course offers tools to navigate life with purpose and clarity.
No experience needed. Just bring your questions, your story, and an open heart.
📅 Starts 9th October 🕒 7pm 📍 UU Chaplaincy Lounge (BA-02-003)
A Year of Ignatian Prayer: 2025-26
After the success of our programme: A Year of Ignatian Prayer, 2024-2025 the Belfast Jesuit Centre is delighted to be able to run the programme again from October 2025 to June 2026. The aim of the programme is to give participants an immersive Ignatian experience of prayer and reflective living, so that whether you are already familiar with Ignatian spirituality, or are coming to it for the first time, you can deepen your relationship with God, find clarity in your life’s purpose, and cultivate a more mindful, spiritually-enriched way of living.
Topics covered will include:
- Introduction to St Ignatius: a man for our times
- Images of God
- Approaches to prayer – praying with scripture – imaginative contemplation – praying the Examen – journalling
- Finding God in all things – paying attention to feelings
- Consolation – Desolation – Discernment
- Communal Discernment and Synodality
- God calls me
- What next?
This list is intended to give a broad flavour of the programme but it is by no means exhaustive.
The emphasis throughout the programme will be on the practice, experience, application and integration of Ignatian spirituality into everyday life, rather than theoretical learning.
The programme will draw on a wide range of Ignatian resources, and sessions will have a mixture of input from the BJC team, experience and practice of prayer, small group sharing, and experience of guided prayer, as well as optional movie screenings each month.
Fourteen Mondays (approximately 2 a month) from 7.00pm – 9.30pm
Four Saturdays from 10.00am to 4.00pm between September 2025 and June 2026.
See flyer for dates.
A donation of between £180-£250 is suggested to defray costs and a number of bursaries are available for those unable to pay the suggested donation.