Spiritual Exercises in Prison: A Journey of Preparation in Cagliari
The idea came from the prison chaplain, who is also the parish priest of the Sardinian community where the Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life are regularly offered in the city.
The dream? To bring the Exercises into places marked by hardship and suffering—like prison. “We started with a series of preparatory meetings to help introduce Ignatian prayer through Scripture,” explains Fr. Carlo Manunza. “Only a very small group accepted the invitation. They came from diverse backgrounds, all from a prison section not particularly open to outside initiatives.”
The Approach
Time here moves differently. Everything takes longer—delays, unexpected interruptions, overlapping programs. It’s just part of life in prison.
“The goal of our meetings wasn’t to pray together, but to offer guidance for personal prayer outside the sessions, in everyday life. That in itself was a major shift. It took months of patient effort, and consistency was a challenge. For some, it still is. But we started to glimpse—slowly, and often with hesitation—a discovery: that dialogue with God through Scripture is possible. It’s the heart of the Spiritual Exercises.”
What We’ve Learned
The prison’s routines and inner dynamics have begun to teach us something unexpected: to look at the journey of faith with new eyes. What once seemed clear and familiar often needs to be reimagined. Programs, expectations, rhythms, goals—even the way we speak—all had to be reconsidered.
We saw, over time, just how powerful direct witness can be. Not so much in words, but through gestures, silence, patience, eye contact, and the way we accept others. These helped bridge the gap between life inside and the outside world—a world often remembered, sometimes longed for. This work is shaping us, the guides, just as much. It’s leading us to different reference points than those we’re used to.
Rethinking the Path
We also learned the value of long-range thinking. On one hand, it’s about not turning Ignatian principles into something rigid or unreachable—ideals that risk becoming judgmental, divisive, or simply out of touch. On the other, we need the freedom to reshape those same principles when needed, without diluting them. We aim to preserve the full richness of the journey for those discovering it for the first time.
Personal Prayer
Closely tied to that long-term vision is another key point: the need for a gentle, gradual introduction to personal prayer—a kind different from the group worship that can be so comforting in this environment. Singing and shared rituals are bright moments in a hard daily life, but alongside them, we tried to make space for something quieter: the deep, interior experience of God that the Exercises encourage. These personal, daily moments—however brief—became opportunities for the Gospel to touch individual lives. And slowly, they sparked a spiritual awareness and a renewed sense that it’s possible to walk with the Lord again. Often, they’ve helped uncover a buried faith—one that can still shine, even in difficulty
A Priceless Gift and New Horizons
For us as guides, this was a chance to rediscover the priceless treasure that Ignatius called “our way of proceeding in the Lord.” It’s a way that constantly invites those called to live and share it to stretch beyond what they know—requiring flexibility, discernment, patience, and creativity. It asks us to listen deeply and build new paths for new people who are ready to explore. Once again, this way of proceeding showed its power to open new perspectives and new ways to draw near to Jesus, Savior of the world.
Just the Beginning
This is only the beginning. The real goal was to prepare for offering the full Exercises in Daily Life when possible. There’s always a risk that things could fade, but if the morning tells the day, then these early, grace-filled steps—our first breaking of the ground—leave us full of hope. We paused just before Easter, full of gratitude and trust that one day we’ll be able to take the next steps into the full Ignatian path.
Bringing Prayer into Ordinary Life
What struck us most was this: in days often dominated by bureaucracy and tension, we saw how powerful it can be to simply open up the idea that daily life—even in prison—can have a spiritual, prayerful dimension. It’s a gift that comes not through lofty church language, but through lived witness—one that speaks clearly without needing to preach.
