General News

Check out this month’s issue of the IJC “Voice” here online or as a PDF document here. Included in this issue a thank you to our generous donors, remembering Sr. Margaret Kane CSJ, Loyola House’s upcoming virtual retreats and training workshop, updates at Ignatius Farm and the Old-Growth Forest project, opportunities at the Centre, a story on Wood Duck nest boxes, and a reflection on Lent by Greg Kennedy, SJ.

The vision for the Ignatius Old-Growth Forest project ‘lands’ is to be a gift to the whole community; for the people that walk and learn from the land and the animals that call this sanctuary home. No other time has this been more evident than during the pandemic with the need for fresh air, exercise, and quite simply, feeding the soul… read more here online or in PDF format here. This issue includes “Wholistic Restoration – a two-eyed approach healing the ‘land’”, an ecological restoration program that we are developing. We also remember “Spring Awakes 2010-2018”, entwining performance arts with…

A new year has dawned! Read this month’s issue of the IJC “Voice” here online or as a PDF document here. Included in this issue is a thank you from the Chair and Vice-President of the IJC Board of Directors, as well as a number of exciting retreats and programs with the Loyola House team. See what is happening on the Farm and in the Old-Growth Forest project lands. And just soak in the poetry…enjoy!

Fresh from the fields – The summer season has drawn to a close, and fall activities are taking place on the Farm. Read about it here in this month’s Farm News!

October 9, 2020 – What do you do with a 48-room retreat house during a pandemic?  For more than 50 years Loyola House has provided a welcoming space for others.  Since March we’ve been working on how we can reopen our retreat house. The pandemic has prevented us from opening our doors to onsite live-in retreats and programs especially since many of our retreatants and clients come from around the globe. After a lengthy discernment Loyola House will continue to remain closed until the late fall of 2021. We will continue to offer some of our retreats on-line – www.loyolahouse.com for more information.  As…

Everything seems a bit dream like these days; it’s so hard to believe we closed Loyola House and St Brigid’s Villa way back on March 13 – imagining we would be welcoming you all back here in no time! Sadly, as you know, that hasn’t happened. Each month we pray we can reopen but in this pandemic climate, with more unknowns than not, we have decided that we will likely keep Loyola House and St Brigid’s Villa closed until 2021. Even writing these words seems absolutely inconceivable! But we want to reopen fully and safely.  So please stay tuned –…

We continue to update this page and share our news with you. Our retreats for August have regretfully all been cancelled. The Ignatius Farm is full speed ahead – staff are all working, community gardens are open and our CSA shares continue to sell! Lots of new protocols in place to keep everyone safe. The Ignatius budget has taken quite a hit with the reduction of all activity at Loyola House; as always we remain hopeful, as we look to ways to reinvent, adapt and re-imagine what our retreats and programs could look like. We welcome your thoughts! Be well,…

As these strange times continue, we adjust to this new normal as so many are calling it. We will continue to update this page and share our news with you. We made the decision to cancel all of our retreats and programs in the months of April, May, June and July. It’s our hope that we are able to welcome everyone in August. The Old-Growth Forest programs are cancelled until the fall. The Ignatius Farm is up and running, seeds are planted and the signs of life are springing up around us! May you traverse these weeks ahead, finding some…

These are extraordinary times in our world right now. After much discussion we have made the difficult decision to temporarily close Loyola Retreat House, Ignatius Farm, and St Brigid’s Villa to the public. The Ignatius Old-Growth Forest programs are cancelled for now. We don’t know what the next several weeks will reveal and we are grateful for your support and patience during this time. A full refund will be provided to those who have paid for a retreat occurring up to the end of April. Alternatively we would be happy to apply the payment to a retreat sometime over the…

What an incredible year of growth and support…read about it here online or as a PDF document here! Learn about our programs, the Ontario Trillium Foundation recognition event, the trail & infrastructure improvements that were made, the development of the new teaching garden, restoration training, and collecting seeds…we’ve been busy!