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100th Anniversary Celebration Kick Off

God blessed us with a beautiful day to kick off our year-long celebration of Manresa’s 100th Anniversary. More than 200 people attended the Outdoor Mass on Sunday, Sept. 28. Fr. Fran Daly, SJ, past executive director, and Sr. Linda Sevcik, SM, current executive director, welcomed everyone before the Mass started. Fr. Steve Hurd, SJ served as celebrant, Fr. Peter Fennessy, SJ offered the homily, while other Jesuits helped to distribute communion. The Gesu Parish Choir led the singing. Guests received an engraved memorial stone as a reminder that we are “living stones” made alive by God through faith in Christ (I Pet. 2:4-7, Eph. 2:19-22). After the Mass, Ovations Dining Services served a tasty array of refreshments. Students from Brother Rice and Marian High Schools helped with set up and greeting guests, as did members of Manresa’s staff and board. We are grateful to all those who took part in preparing this special event, to those who were able to be with us and for our online community’s good wishes. To God be the glory! (Photos by Paul Seibold)

Jesuits at Mass
Fr. Peter Fennessy, SJ and Fr. Steve Hurd, SJ
Fr. Peter Fennessy, SJ and Fr. Steve Hurd, SJ
Fr. Peter Fennessy, SJ and Fr. Steve Hurd, SJ
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buffet line
buffet line
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Manresa celebrates 100th Anniversary

Outdoor Mass on Manresa Grounds September 28 to Launch Observances

Bloomfield Hills, MI – September 1, 2025 – Manresa Jesuit Retreat House held its first retreat on the weekend of September 23-26, 1926. This year on September 28, Manresa begins a year-long celebration called “Sacred Encounters: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow” to mark 100 years of helping men and women grow spiritually through prayer, reflection, guidance and teaching according to the Ignatian tradition.

The festivities begin with an Outdoor Mass at 2:00 PM on Sunday, September 28, 2025. They continue with a banquet on May 7, 2026, with Detroit Archbishop Edward Weisenburger as keynote speaker, and an Outdoor Mass and Picnic on September 20, 2026. Retreatants and guests are invited to each special event to honor our past, celebrate our present and look ahead to our future.

“For a century, Manresa has been a sanctuary for countless individuals who have found spiritual renewal and deeper connection with God,” said Sr. Linda Sevcik, SM, Executive Director of Manresa since 2021. “The spirituality of Saint Ignatius continues to guide Manresa’s mission, and our house and grounds offer a quiet and safe space where thousands of people each year come to encounter the Sacred and experience the transformative power of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.”

From its beginning as a retreat center for men, Manresa has grown into a spirituality center offering retreats and programs for men, women and youth.

Building on the legacy of the past 100 years and looking forward to the next 100 years of serving those who seek to deepen their faith, Manresa Jesuit Retreat House stands as a sign of God’s presence in our midst.

About Manresa: Manresa Jesuit Retreat House is a Catholic retreat center that helps men and women grow spiritually through prayer, reflection, guidance and teaching according to the tradition of St. Ignatius of Loyola. This is accomplished through group retreats, individually directed retreats, the Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life, days of prayer and recollection, and various programs including Scripture study and formation in Ignatian spirituality. For more information about Manresa’s 100th Anniversary celebration, visit manresa-sj.org/100Years.

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Manresa Jesuit Retreat House

1390 Quarton Road, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48304-3554

www.manresa-sj.org