Demontreville Jesuit Retreat House

A nonprofit organization

0% complete

$9,999,999 Goal

"LEGACY OF FAITH, BUILDING OUR FUTURE" CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

Each year more than 3,000 men from all walks of life make weekend retreats at the Demontreville Jesuit Retreat House in Lake Elmo, Minnesota.  Guided by the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, these retreats help the men to know, love, and serve God and their neighbor. In 2023, Demontreville will celebrate its 75th year. Fr. Donald Keegan, S.J. opened the retreat house in 1948. He was followed as Director by Fr. Ed Sthokal, S.J. (1922-2020) who served at Demontreville for fifty- seven years. They created a strong legacy by offering a beautiful place where men can spend a weekend of quiet reflection and prayer, spiritual renewal, and discerning the Lord’s call to love and serve. In preparation for this milestone anniversary and in honor of Fr. Sthokal’s years of service to Demontreville, the Retreat house is setting forth a bold vision to enhance our buildings and strengthen Demontreville’s future.

Vision

Demontreville’s leadership has been working with an architect in creating a plan to improve the buildings in which men stay on the weekends. As an exercise of good stewardship, the plan will preserve the best aspects of the retreat experience for those who come to Demontreville. The project will have two phases and construction will only take place Monday through Thursday morning when retreatants are not present. Below are the various initiatives we hope to fund through a capital campaign:

PHASE 1: Build a New House

Estimated Cost: $3 million

Renovations and updates to the existing six houses will require a loss of 10 bedrooms total. To compensate for the loss, our plan includes building a new house across from the main entrance (next to Campion). The new house will be approximately 9,000 square feet total. The new house will be on one level (no stairs) with 10 bedrooms, each with a private full bathroom. Building the new house will maintain Demontreville’s capacity of 72 men per retreat.

PHASE 2: Renovate Existing Housing (approximately 3 years)

Estimated Cost: $5 million

The six Colonial style houses (built in the 1920’s) have served us well. After decades of wear and tear, the time has come to give them some attention. Our plan will increase the number of bathrooms, showers, and upgrade the mechanicals and furnishings. The updating will make the houses more comfortable and accessible for older guests, and more appealing to a younger generation of retreatants. It is important to address needs of today and tomorrow’s retreatants to remain a vibrant place well into the future. Building enhancement projects include:

• Addition of bathrooms in each building

• Add air conditioning to Manresa, Loyola, and Regis (the other houses have A/C)

• Upgrade mechanicals (plumbing and electrical) and furnishings (beds, chairs, desks, lighting)

The renovations will be done in a way that respects and preserves the distinct historical character of each building. The layout of the rooms will be respected while restoring the charm of the original architectural design.

ADDITIONAL NEEDS:

Estimated Cost: $2 million

The campaign will also help cover costs of architectural designs, fundraising, a 10% contingency for unforeseen construction expenses and improvements in Keegan Hall (main retreat house building). These improvements include the Jesuit residence section, sound-proofing the conference rooms, restoration/cleaning of artwork, repair/replacement of wood paneling on some walls, and other items that need attention.


MISSION STATEMENT:  DEMONTREVILLE JESUIT RETREAT HOUSE

Demontreville Jesuit Retreat House was founded in 1948 by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).  The retreat house offers the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola in a three-day conference style retreat format to men.  These retreats are designed to draw a person closer to God by developing one’s spiritual life through self-knowledge.  The retreats at Demontreville are not meant to be isolated events;  what is gained during the three days is meant to be put into practice throughout the year.   Jesus’ admonition in John 13:17, “Once you know all these things, blest will you be if you put them into practice”, is taken very seriously.  The “cumulative effect” is stressed at Demontreville, i.e. with each retreat one learns more about God and oneself, and one’s life changes for the better.  

Organization Data

Summary

Organization name

Demontreville Jesuit Retreat House

Tax id (EIN)

41-0705789

Categories

Faith

Address

8243 Demontreville Trail N
Lake Elmo, MN 55042