Manresa House is a retreat centre run by the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

in the

Dollymount Dollymount (), often known as "Dollyer" to Dubliners, is a coastal suburban area on the north coast of Dublin Bay, within Clontarf, on the northside of Dublin, Ireland, just east of Saint Anne's Park. Dollymount Strand The famous Wooden Bri ...

area of Clontarf in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, near

Saint Anne's Park Saint Anne's Park ( ga, Páirc Naomh Áine) is a public park situated between Raheny and Clontarf, suburbs on the northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is owned and managed by Dublin City Council. The park, the second largest municipal park in Dub ...

. In the 19th century it was home to Robert Warren and

Arthur Guinness Arthur Guinness ( 172523 January 1803) was an Irish brewer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. The inventor of Guinness beer, he founded the Guinness Brewery at St. James's Gate in 1759. Born in Celbridge, County Kildare around 1725, Guinness ...

, and it is a protected structure.History
from Manresa.ie, retrieved 22 June 2013

History

Origins

Manresa House is a stately home that has had a series of different owners. It was originally known as ''Granby Hill'', and then ''Baymount Castle'' and included 17 acres of land surrounding the house. Until 1783, it was a residence of the

Bishop of Down and Connor The Bishop of Down and Connor is an episcopal title which takes its name from the town of Downpatrick (located in County Down) and the village of Connor (located in County Antrim) in Northern Ireland. The title is still used by the Catholic Chur ...

, James Traill. In 1838, it was renovated by Robert Warren. Soon after, it became the property of the

Sisters of Loreto The Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose members are commonly known as the Loreto Sisters, is a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women dedicated to education founded in Saint-Omer by an Englishwoman, Mary Ward, in 1609. The congr ...

who used it as a school. In 1851, it was renovated by the sisters, because the building was damaged by a serious fire that year. In 1898, they sold it to

Arthur Guinness, 1st Baron Ardilaun Arthur Edward Guinness, 1st Baron Ardilaun, 2nd Baronet (1 November 1840 – 20 January 1915), known as Sir Arthur Guinness, Bt, between 1868 and 1880, was an Irish businessman, politician, and philanthropist, best known for giving St Stephen's G ...

and moved to

Balbriggan Balbriggan (; , IPA: �bˠalʲəˈbʲɾʲɪɟiːnʲ is a coastal town in Fingal, in the northern part of County Dublin, Ireland, approximately 34 km from Dublin City. The 2016 census population was 21,722 for Balbriggan and its environs. ...

Use as a Preparatory School

In around 1904 William Scott opened a school on the premises called Baymount Preparatory School, of which he was headmaster until 1936. The school was then acquired by

John Tudor Gwynn John Tudor ("Jack") Gwynn, CIE, ICS (13 November 1881 – 17 May 1956) was an Irish-born British civil servant in India and cricketer. Early life and cricket career The seventh son of the Very Rev John Gwynn D.D. and Lucy Josephine O’Brien ...

, who ran it until 1948. John T Gwynn was a descendant of John Gwynn and a member of the Gwynn family that included noted literary figures such as

Stephen Gwynn Stephen Lucius Gwynn (13 February 1864 – 11 June 1950) was an Irish journalist, biographer, author, poet and Protestant Nationalist politician. As a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party he represented Galway city as its Member of Parliament ...

and

Edward Gwynn Edward John Gwynn (Donegal 1 April 1868 – 10 February 1941 Dublin) was an Irish scholar of Old Irish and Celtic literature, Provost of Trinity College Dublin from 1927 to 1937 and President of the Royal Irish Academy from 1934 to 1937. Biogr ...

Establishment of Spirituality Centre

In 1948, the

Archbishop of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin is an archepiscopal title which takes its name after Dublin, Ireland. Since the Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: one in the Catholic Church and the other in the Church of Irelan ...

John Charles McQuaid John Charles McQuaid, C.S.Sp. (28 July 1895 – 7 April 1973), was the Catholic Primate of Ireland and Archbishop of Dublin between December 1940 and January 1972. He was known for the unusual amount of influence he had over successive governme ...

asked the Jesuits to establish a spirituality centre in the

area, so they bought Baymount Castle. They renamed it Manresa House after

Manresa Manresa () is the capital of the Comarca of Bages, located in the geographical centre of Catalonia, Spain, and crossed by the river Cardener. It is an industrial area with textile, metallurgical, and glass industries. The houses of Manresa are ...

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, where St Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits had many spiritual experiences that contributed to formulation of his

Spiritual Exercises The ''Spiritual Exercises'' ( la, Exercitia spiritualia), composed 1522–1524, are a set of Christian meditations, contemplations, and prayers written by Ignatius of Loyola, a 16th-century Spanish priest, theologian, and founder of the Society ...

.Manresa Spirituality Centre
from Jesuit.ie, retrieved 22 June 2013

The Retreat Centre

The first retreat was held there in 1949. In 1966, a new separate house to was built to accommodate more retreatants and was opened in 1967. In 1969, the Irish Jesuits moved their

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

from

Emo Court Emo Court, located near the village of Emo in County Laois, Ireland, is a large neo-classical mansion. Architectural features of the building include sash-style windows, pavilions, a balustrade, a hipped roof, and large dome. It was designe ...

County Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...

to a building within the grounds of Manresa House. In 1977, part of the property, near the novitiate, was sold to developers to build a housing estate. In 1991, the novitiate moved to another part of Dublin. In 2006, a new building was built on the site of the old novitiate for the

Tertianship Tertianship is the final period of formation for members of the Society of Jesus. Upon invitation of the Provincial, it usually begins three to five years after completion of graduate studies. It is a time when the candidate for final vows steps ba ...

of the Jesuits in Europe.

Interior

The centre offers a variety of directed retreats, seminars, and various day and evening events, as well as the 30-day retreat, from the

. In the oval meditation room are a set of windows designed by

Evie Hone Eva Sydney Hone RHA (22 April 1894 – 13 March 1955), usually known as Evie, was an Irish painter and stained glass artist.Nicola Gordon Bowe (May 2009)Hone, Eva Sydney (1894–1955) ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', online editi ...

. They were installed in the 1990s.Evie Hone window in the Jesuit Manresa House in Dublin
from

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of ...

retrieved 22 June 2013 The windows were originally in the former Jesuit school

St Stanislaus College St Stanislaus College (often called Tullabeg College) was a Jesuit boys boarding school, novitiate and philosophy school, in Tullabeg, Rahan, County Offaly. St Carthage founded a monastery of 800 monks there in 595 before founding his monaster ...

, Tullabeg, Co. Offaly. File:Manresa House Chapel nativity window, Dublin.jpg, Window depicting the Nativity File:Manresa House Chapel pentecost window, Dublin.jpg, Window depicting Pentecost

Courses

Manresa House, runs a two year ''Diploma in Spirituality (Spiritual Direction)'' accredited by

St Patrick's College, Maynooth St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth ( ga, Coláiste Naoimh Phádraig, Maigh Nuad), is the "National Seminary for Ireland" (a Roman Catholic college), and a pontifical university, located in the town of Maynooth, from Dublin, Ireland. ...

, and has been offered in centres in Galway and Larne. Training in supervision for spiritual directors is also offered.

People associated with Manresa House

Joseph Dargan, Laurence Murphy, Paddy Carberry were among those who served as masters of novices in Manresa. The rôle of Rector has been occupied variously by Dónal Mulcahy, Kieran Hanley(1989-1993), Paul Andrews, Joe Dargan and Mike Drennan. The current rector is Willie Reynolds SJ.

References

External links

Manresa, Jesuit Centre of Spirituality site
{{Jesuits in Ireland Country houses in Ireland Buildings and structures in Dublin (city) Ignatian spirituality Spiritual retreats