Care for Land, Community, and Spirit
Ignatius Jesuit Centre brings together spirituality, ecological stewardship, and food systems in one shared landscape. Our work is grounded in the belief that care for the land, care for one another, and care for our inner lives are deeply connected.
Across 600 acres of forests, fields, waterways, and trails, this work takes shape through three interconnected areas: spiritual life, farming, and conservation. Each informs the others. Together, they form a living practice of care for our common home.
Spiritual Life
Spiritual life at Ignatius Jesuit Centre is rooted in the Ignatian tradition of finding God in all things. This includes time for reflection, guided programs, and opportunities to engage with spirituality through the land itself.
As IJC enters a new chapter, spiritual programming is becoming more integrated with the rhythms of the landscape and the life of the community. Through the development of the Centre for Integral Ecology, we are creating new ways for people to explore spirituality in connection with ecological learning, shared work, and everyday experience.
Whether through structured programs or quiet time on the trails, spiritual life at IJC invites people to deepen awareness, practice reflection, and consider their relationship with the world around them.
Spiritual Programming
Learn more about integral ecology and the spiritual programming happening at IJC
Ignatius Farm
Ignatius Farm is a working farm that brings together regenerative agriculture, training, and community access to land. For decades, the farm has been a place where people learn to grow food in ways that care for soil, water, and ecosystems.
Today, the farm supports a range of activities, including farmer training, community gardens, small-plot acreage rentals, and a community orchard. These programs provide opportunities for people to build skills, access land, and participate in local food systems that are rooted in ecological responsibility.
The farm is also a place of learning and connection, where people engage directly with the processes that sustain life and develop a deeper understanding of food, land, and shared responsibility.
Ignatius Farm
Ignatius Farm is a space for education, community, and nature connection.
Conservation
Conservation work at Ignatius Jesuit Centre focuses on the long-term health of the land and the ecosystems it supports. This includes forest restoration, habitat protection, invasive species management, and stewardship of waterways and trails.
Projects such as the Old-Growth Forest and the emerging Ignatius Corridor reflect a commitment to protecting land in perpetuity while actively restoring ecological function. This work is ongoing and participatory, involving staff, volunteers, and partners working together over time.
Conservation at IJC is not only about protecting what exists, but about rebuilding relationships between people and the natural world through care, attention, and shared effort.
Conservation at IJC
An actively ecological restoration site across wetlands, fields, and forest.
A Connected Approach
While these areas are described separately, they are not distinct in practice. Work on the farm informs conservation. Spiritual reflection shapes how the land is cared for. Learning happens through participation, observation, and shared experience.
Ignatius Jesuit Centre continues to evolve, but the foundation remains the same: a place where land, spirit, and daily life are held in relationship, and where people are invited to take part in that ongoing work.