From Sunday November 20, 2011 to Sunday February 12, 2012 the Detroit Institute of Arts presented a very successful exhibition featuring eight paintings created by Rembrandt and his students to portray the visage of Jesus. More than 116,000 people visited the exhibition, which was organized by the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Musée du Louvre, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. More than 50 related paintings, prints and drawings examined the religious, historic and artistic significance of the core eight works. Rembrandt was the first to use a Jewish model for his image of Jesus. Setting aside stereotypes then in use he presented an original and personal image, bringing to the work his skill in portraying the internal character and feeling of his subject from external facial features, body language and gesture. Four outings from Manresa brought about 400 people to the DIA for a meal, presentations by Carole Sugrue and Fr. Fennessy, and admission to the exhibit.

Inspired by this exhibition and having been invited by the DIA to coordinate our programs with it, Manresa offered weekend retreats with this same theme during the course of the exhibition. Manresa's retreats are silent three-day periods of prayer and reflection, normally running from Friday evening until Sunday noon, mainly for Catholics and other Christians. A variety of devotional opportunities are available during this time, but the retreat is structured around seven presentations by the retreat director to provide material for personal prayer. Fr. Peter Fennessy, SJ has been giving retreats at Manresa and making these presentations with the use of fine art since 2001. For these special retreats, the art is that of Rembrandt and theme theme is Finding the Face of Jesus.

Manresa retreats are based on The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, who encourages his retreatants to pray with their imaginations as well as their intellects, and to paint for themselves an inner, personal portrait of Jesus, seeking a deeper interior knowledge of the Savior. Ignatius asks us to pray constantly for the grace to know Jesus more intimately, so as to love him more ardently and follow him more faithfully. The theme then, Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus, is particularly well-suited for exploration in an Ignatian retreat.

Even though the exhibition has run its course, our "Rembrandt retreat" has been so well accepted that we will continue to offer it on the following dates:

March 2 - 4, 2012 (Women)
March 30 - April 1, 2012 (Men)
April 13 - 15, 2012 (Men)
April 27 - 29, 2012 (Men)

You may register for these retreats on line, or may find our more about Manresa retreats here or by calling Manresa at 248.644.4933.