Community effort aims to keep Notre Dame Retreat House open
CANANDAIGUA, NY — A committee has been formed in an effort to keep the Notre Dame Retreat House open to the public, according to a recent announcement.
Owned and operated by the Redemptorist Priests of the Baltimore Province, a religious group for Catholic men, the center is designed to offer experiences for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester. People of many religious backgrounds have had the opportunity to have time to pray and reflect in silence, usually on weekends, as well as receive spiritual guidance and Mass, since it opened in 1967, according to Father Jones, rector and director of the Retreat House.
In a conversation with the Daily Messenger earlier this year, Father Joseph Jones, who serves as the house's rector and director, said the reason for the closure came from maintenance and operating expenses in addition to a manpower shortage in the Catholic Church.
As a result of renewed local interest in saving the house, Jones expressed excitement over the committee.
“Due to the shortage of priests, it’s simply impossible for us to maintain the number of Redemptorist Fathers needed to run the place,” Jones, said. “We welcome this effort by the community to explore possible ways to keep both the doors open and the mission alive for future generations.”
The Redemptorist Priests of the Baltimore Province announced earlier this year that the property would have to close by Aug. 1, 2023, with two out of three Redemptorists to be transferred, which would include Jones.
More:Read on about the initial closure announcement here:
Led by local Canandaigua residents Paul Peterson and Gary Keating, the aim of the committee will be to consider new uses for the 50,000-square-foot complex and extensive walking trails on the 100-acre property. While Peterson said there was no public list of additional uses for the facility at this early stage, they were open to ideas, so long as it honored the "use of the facility for spiritual use."
Regarding the reaction from the community, Peterson has said he's seen "tremendous enthusiasm [from] people from all sorts of different perspectives. They don’t want to see the property sold. We’re very encouraged and hopeful. It’s been impressive."
The current timeline for the committee will be to deliver a proposal to the Extraordinary Provisional Council, a leadership committee of the Redemptorist Priests, by mid-November. Whatever decision is made would be announced in December.
This article originally appeared on MPNnow: Community effort aims to keep Notre Dame Retreat House open
