Ignatius Jesuit Centre, Federal architecture building in Guelph, Canada
The Ignatius Jesuit Centre is a Federal architecture building complex situated on a large property in Guelph. The facility contains multiple structures housing meeting spaces, retreat areas, gardens, and an active organic farm.
The Jesuits bought a farmhouse and 240 hectares in north Guelph in 1913 and opened the St. Stanislaus Novitiate there. On 7 June 1918 military officers surrounded it seeking men evading conscription, a scandal called the Guelph Raid because Justice Minister Charles Doherty's son was studying there. The original building burned in 1954; extensions built from 1958 to 1960 housed Ignatius College, opened by Bishop Joseph Francis Ryan in 1959.
Loyola House, a Jesuit retreat and training centre, moved to the grounds from Oakville, Ontario, in 1964 and still runs retreats there. Since 2000 the centre has added ecological projects, including beekeeping and organic farming, on its land in north Guelph. The former juniorate building now houses offices of the Nature Conservancy of Canada, known as Orchard Park West.
The site lies in north Guelph, with the Orchard Park offices and Loyola House retreat centre on the same grounds. The buildings stand west of the original 1913 farmhouse site, which burned in 1954. Check with the centre before visiting, since the offices and retreat house keep their own hours and some areas are reserved for guests.
The 1913 founders bought an old farmhouse with 240 hectares of land in north Guelph. Since 2000 the centre has run ecological projects on the grounds, including beekeeping and organic farming. The former juniorate building now houses offices of the Nature Conservancy of Canada, known as Orchard Park West.
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