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Manresa Jesuit Retreat House
 

THE PEOPLE OF MANRESA
Associates, Support Staff, Board

Jesuit Community

Fr. Walt Farrell, SJ, is a native of Cleveland, who entered the Jesuits in 1934. He did his graduate studies in psychology and philosophy at Loyola, Chicago and the Gregorian University in Rome. He has taught philosophy and theology at University of Detroit Mercy and the Chicago Province Major Seminary, was Provincial Superior of the Detroit Province, National Assistant for Jesuit Formation, a Founder of the Romero Center for Spirituality and Justice, and Consultant to the Detroit Provincial in the areas of Ignatian Values in Ministry. Walt joined our staff after completing his service as Treasurer of the Detroit Province. E-mail
Fr. Leo Cachat, SJFr. Leo Cachat, SJ, was assigned to the Jesuit Province of Patna, India and began teaching in Nepal in 1961. He was ordained in 1966 and became principal of a K-12 school in Katmandu. He later studied with Fr. Anthony de Mello, SJ, and Bede Griffiths, OSB. In 1978 he founded Godavari Ashram (Center for Spiritual Development), and directed retreats there and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. In 1985 he set up a Jesuit formation house in Nepal and later became the regional superior. After several years in Myanmar, he returned to the USA and established the office of chaplain to the faculty and staff at University of Detroit High School. He has been at Manresa since 2007. E-mail
Fr. Henry Chamberlain, SJ, comes to us from years of spiritual direction at the Jesuit Spiritual Center at Milford. He has a double assignment: to work with us on our normal spiritual and retreat work, and also, using Manresa as a base, to act an an internal reviewer of the finances in all the houses of the Chicago-Detroit Province. He is especially qualified for the later since for many years he reviewed the finances for the entire Society of Jesus, at least the books that were kept in English or French, a task that kept him traveling around the world. E-mail

Fr. Peter Fennessy, SJFr. Peter Fennessy, SJ, comes from Boston, and is now a member of the Chicago-Detroit Jesuit Province. After missionary work in Jamaica, theological studies at Oxford University, and 26 years at John Carroll University in Cleveland as campus minister, vice president, and rector of the Jesuit community, he served for six years as superior of the Jesuits here at Manresa. He gives individually directed and preached retreats at Manresa and elsewhere, is Coordinator of Individually Directed Retreats, and among other duties manages our website and our book store. Since studying Theology and Art and Buddhist Aesthetics during a 2000-2001 sabbatical at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, he has used the fine arts to illustrate his preached retreats. In coordination with the Detroit Institute of Art's upcoming exhibition, Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus, Fr. Fennessy will offer illustrated retreats on the same theme. E-mail

Fr. Rey Garcia, SJ, originally from the Philippines, a one-time member of the New Orleans Jesuit Province, and a world traveler, joins the Manresa staff from the northern climes of Mackinaw Island. Fr. Rey is here after many years as a pastor of the island's parish and gladly lends a hand when he can in the weekend retreats. Be sure to give Fr. Rey a hearty welcome when you see him. E-mail
Fr. Gregory Hyde, SJ, Director of Manresa Jesuit Retreat House, a native of Detroit, entered the Society of Jesus in 1990. He has degrees in German, Communications and Theology from Wayne State, Indiana University Bloomington, Michigan State Lansing, and Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California. Between 1975 and 1994 he taught extensively in Taiwan, Beijing, Malaysia and Nepal. He had been doing Retreat and Pastoral Ministry in Detroit from 2003 and worked with us at Manresa from the summer of 2004 to the beginning of 2005. Since then he has worked at our retreat house in Hong Kong. After finishing a three year commitment there, he became available to be elected by our Board in June 2008 as Director of Manresa Jesuit Retreat House. E-mail
Br. Michael O'Grady, SJ, The vision of former Fr. General Pedro Arrupe, SJ, and the words of the 32nd General Congregation caught the attention of Br. Michael O'Grady, SJ and attracted him to the Jesuit Volunteer Corps as a 31-year-old, after years of work as a businessman. He spent a year working as a community organizer in Des Moines, IA, and in that time decided to enter the Jesuits in 1995. After theology studies in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Mike was minister of the Jesuit community in Cincinnati, and ran a community outreach program at St. Xavier there, was assistant director of Saints Peter and Paul warming center in Detroit, and now helps out on retreats at Manresa. Mike is an expert landscape and gardener as well and puts in many hours beautifying the grounds of Manresa.

Fr. Bernie Owens, SJFr. Bernard Owens, SJ, was ordained in 1972, earned his doctorate in Christian Spirituality at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA in 1983, taught at the University of Detroit Mercy from 1981 to 1994. Coming to Manresa in 1994, he has been Director of the two-year Internship in Ignatian Spirituality, has led an annual seminar in Christian Spiritual Classics, and guided retreatants through the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola. E-mail