From Live and Lead, my monthly newsletter to my readers
Dear friends,
Do you have a date that you celebrate every year because of its importance? August 15th is one of those days for me. This is the date of Ignatian Ministries’ public birth. August 15, 2023.
My team and I set that date months in advance of our launch. We wanted a day that honored Mother Mary. We chose one of her feast days with great intention as Mary was and is one of our intercessors. We marked this date long before others even knew it would hold meaning. I knew God was unfolding something long before any of us had words to share it with others. We all did.
Words felt lacking as I watched the Mystery of God unfold in our lives that eventually led to Ignatian Ministries’ birth. Long before Covid-19, I knew we were standing on holy ground. The invitation to virtual accompaniment began before Zoom was a household word. God began showing me the longings of people wanting to go deeper and needing a new way of being accompanied in 2017.
The first “yes” I gave in response to God’s nudging was offering an Online Busy Person’s Retreat in May 2017. I opened the retreat, and it filled within an hour. I tried a few more Online Busy Person’s retreats, inviting other spiritual directors to join me. Each time, the retreats filled. As I listened on Zoom, I saw voices and faces from across the country who longed for accompaniment into deeper waters of faith. God affirmed that sacred space could be held for another person with a Wi-fi connection and a computer. One yes at a time—I kept stepping forward as God clarified the step and checked the fruits.
The next “yes” to virtual accompaniment happened in fall 2019. After two years of listening online in spiritual direction and Online Busy Person’s Retreats, I offered a 6 week online retreat in October 2019 called Overwhelmed No More: 6 Ways to Discover God’s Vision for Your Life. Again, I was stunned by the response. I don’t know why— Jesus was so clearly making the way ahead of me.
When Covid-19 hit in March 2020, I had nearly three years of intentional online accompaniment behind me. I knew the sacred space that could be held. God had affirmed and confirmed many times that this was a powerful way to walk with others. During quarantine, God showed me it was time to step forward and lead in a whole new way—one “yes” at a time.
My team and I met frequently for prayer and discernment, asking God to show us how to accompany people who were all at home. One step, one “yes” at a time, we offered one online retreat after another. Prayer groups began. Retreats continued.
Looking back on this, I understand God was inviting me to lead in Mystery. All I could do was pray, beg for clarity. When God clarified the yes, I took the next step. I had no idea where it was leading me, my team, or the community gathering from around the world. Remembering this now, I still stand in awe of God.
One “yes” after the other eventually led my team and me to a season of intentional discernment to gain clarity on what God was asking. Through that intentional discernment process in 2021-2022, we listened to our people. God helped us understand that this ministry had a vision and mission bigger than any one of us. We began the work of creating the nonprofit ministry that God was asking us to bring to life.
And on August 15, 2023, Ignatian Ministries was born!
Two years later, I still stand in awe of what God is doing through this ministry. Being in the virtual room with people from around the world leaves me speechless many days. I wonder in reverence at God’s Mysterious work in our lives. There is so much hope in the gatherings of deep-water people. Daily, I witness people taking their “yes” to God seriously—courageously going deeper in their faith and boldly sharing their gifts as God asks with the world.
Our world needs hope. I see the concrete witnesses of hope every day in the people I meet through Ignatian Ministries. If you need hope, I encourage you to enter our virtual doors at Ignatian Ministries. You will see and feel God’s powerful presence in the lives of those gathered. It is the very people gathering at Ignatian Ministries that kept giving me the courage to lead in Mystery. I could not have lived my next “yes” without the support of a community.
What about you? Are you in a season of Mystery where God is simply inviting you to your next “yes” even if you do not know where it will lead? Or maybe there is a season of Mystery in the past that God is inviting you to remember and savor today? Whatever it is, know that our team at Ignatian Ministries is here to accompany you and help you have the courage to say “yes” to what God is asking of you. See below for our upcoming offerings!
Please pray in gratitude with me today for Ignatian Ministries. Pray with me for all the people who enter our doors. Pray with me for all who help support this virtual home of accompaniment- our team, board, board committees, donors, and volunteers.
Know I am praying for you to have the courage for your next “yes” to God!
Peace,
Becky
P.S. Below are ways you can support Ignatian Ministries mission and honor our two-year anniversary!
- Register for our live virtual series—Going Past the Shallows: Fundamentals of Ignatian Prayer!
- Attend our upcoming live virtual retreat—Anchored in Hope with Liz Aceves and Melinda Laird!
- Join our self paced online retreat—Come to Me and Rest: Reigniting the Fire of God’s Love Within!
- Help us live and lead in the deep by donating to Ignatian Ministries!
Becky Eldredge
August 14, 2025