Loyola House or its full name Loyola House Retreat and Training Centre is a Jesuit spirituality centre in
Guelph, Ontario
Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Welli ...
. It moved to Guelph in 1964 and was the centre of a renewal in
Ignatian spirituality Ignatian spirituality, also known as Jesuit spirituality, is a Catholic spirituality founded on the experiences of the 16th-century Spanish saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order. The main idea of this form of spirituality comes from ...
in the 1970s. It is within the grounds of the
Ignatius Jesuit Centre
Ignatius Jesuit Centre (formerly the St. Stanislaus Novitiate and Ignatius College) is a set of buildings in Guelph, Ontario. It features the Orchard Park Office Centre and the Loyola House Jesuit Retreat and Training Centre. It was founded in 191 ...
situated on
Woolwich Street to the west of
Riverside Park. In the 1960s and 1970s it was the centre of a significant shift in
Ignatian spirituality Ignatian spirituality, also known as Jesuit spirituality, is a Catholic spirituality founded on the experiences of the 16th-century Spanish saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order. The main idea of this form of spirituality comes from ...
.
["English, John J. C." in ''Dictionary of Jesuit Biography: Ministry to English Canada, Volume II: 1988–2006'' (Toronto: Canadian Institute of Jesuit Studies, 2007), p. 91.][Spiritual Director Father John Veltri died]
from ''Wellington Adviser'', Volume 41, Issue 45, retrieved 25 November 2014
History
Originally, the centre was situated in
Oakville. In 1962, the decision was made by the
Society of Jesus
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
to sell the site and move the centre to Guelph. The old site in Oakville became the
Glen Abbey Golf Course
Glen Abbey Golf Club is a privately-owned golf course in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. It is one of Canada's most famous golf courses and is home to the Golf Canada and the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. It has hosted 30 Canadian Open Championships, ...
. From 1962 construction began on the spirituality centre in Guelph, helped by financial assistance from Bishop Joseph Ryan of Hamilton. In 1964, it was opened and was called the Guelph Centre of Spirituality. At first, it only hosted weekend retreats for parishioners from churches within the
Diocese of Hamilton.
[
From the late 1960s to the 1970s it became the centre of a change in how retreats in Ignatian spirituality were conducted and changed its name to Loyola House. Two Jesuit priests, John English, S.J. and John Veltri, S.J. altered the experience for those on retreat. They came from ]St Beuno's College St Beuno's Jesuit Spirituality Centre, known locally as St Beuno's College, is a spirituality and retreat centre in Tremeirchion, Denbighshire, Wales. It was built in 1847 by the Jesuits, as a theology college. During the 1870s the Victorian poet Ge ...
in Wales with new ideas about Ignatian spirituality. Before this time, retreats were preached; at certain times in the day, those on retreat would all be told what to pray. Veltri and English changed this by providing points for prayer through daily interviews with the retreatants, giving personal one-to-one spiritual direction. Veltri was at Loyola House from 1967,[ and English was the novice master at the St. Stanislaus Novitiate next door in 1965, moving over to Loyola House in 1978.][
In 2020, it became a shelter for homeless people during the ]COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Overview
It continues to offers retreats in Ignatian spirituality Ignatian spirituality, also known as Jesuit spirituality, is a Catholic spirituality founded on the experiences of the 16th-century Spanish saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order. The main idea of this form of spirituality comes from ...
within a 240-acre setting close to the Guelph Lake
Guelph Lake is a man-made reservoir on the Speed River, in the Township of Guelph/Eramosa. It is located upriver and slightly northeast of the city of Guelph, Ontario. The reservoir was created in 1974, with the construction of the Guelph Lake da ...
Conservation Area.About
from LoyolaHouse.com retrieved 18 March 2014
Exterior and grounds
Wing of the Loyola House Retreat and Training Centre.JPG, A wing of the centre
Loyola House chapel and statue, Guelph.JPG, Chapel and statue of Saint Ignatius
Labyrinth in the Loyola House Retreat and Training Centre.JPG, Labyrinth within the grounds
See also
* Ignatian spirituality Ignatian spirituality, also known as Jesuit spirituality, is a Catholic spirituality founded on the experiences of the 16th-century Spanish saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order. The main idea of this form of spirituality comes from ...
* Ignatius Jesuit Centre
Ignatius Jesuit Centre (formerly the St. Stanislaus Novitiate and Ignatius College) is a set of buildings in Guelph, Ontario. It features the Orchard Park Office Centre and the Loyola House Jesuit Retreat and Training Centre. It was founded in 191 ...
* List of Jesuit sites
This list includes past and present buildings, facilities and institutions associated with the Society of Jesus. In each country, sites are listed in chronological order of start of Jesuit association.
Nearly all these sites have bee ...
References
External links
Loyola House Retreats & Ignatian Training
Ignatius Jesuit Centre site
{{Jesuits in Canada
Society of Jesus
Buildings and structures in Guelph
Spiritual retreats
Ignatian spirituality