Reflections on Manresa Retreat Center
A Century of Retreat & Renewal
By Dave Nona and Jacob Bacall
For many in the Chaldean community, Manresa Retreat Center is more than just a peaceful property tucked away in Bloomfield Hills—it is a spiritual refuge, a place of renewal, and, for some, a sacred tradition passed from one generation to the next.
Manresa, a Jesuit retreat house set on 39 acres of wooded grounds, fields, a flowing river and sacred monuments, is celebrating 100 years of active ministry this year. For a century, it has offered opportunities for spiritual retreats, study and sacred encounters rooted in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
St. Ignatius (1491–1556), founder of the Jesuit order, was once a proud and ambitious soldier from a noble Spanish family. After suffering a severe injury in battle, he endured a long and painful recovery. During that time, the only books available to him were about the lives of the saints. As he read them, he noticed something profound: unlike the chivalric romances he once enjoyed, these spiritual writings filled him with peace rather than restlessness.
That realization became the foundation of his method of “discernment of spirits,” or learning to make decisions prayerfully by recognizing whether a choice brings lasting peace or inner turmoil.
Following his conversion, Ignatius spent months in solitude in a cave near the town of Manresa, Spain. There, amid intense doubt and spiritual struggle—what mystics later called the “Dark Night of the Soul”—he developed and wrote the Spiritual Exercises, a guide that continues to transform lives centuries later.
Today, that same spiritual framework guides retreats at Manresa in Bloomfield Hills.
A Sacred Pause from the Noise
Manresa offers weekend conference retreats for men, women and couples, as well as longer individually directed retreats. The weekend retreat begins Friday evening and concludes Sunday at noon. Participants observe silence throughout the weekend, creating space to listen not only to the retreat director’s reflections, but to the quiet stirrings of God within their own hearts.
The conferences follow the themes of the Spiritual Exercises. Retreatants reflect on personal sin and God’s mercy, recognizing that each of us is a beloved sinner. They meditate on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and what it means to live authentically as Christians. They reflect on Christ’s passion and death, and how suffering, illness and failure can hold deeper meaning. Finally, they contemplate the Resurrection and the hope of eternal life.
Between conferences, there is ample time for private prayer, reading and meditation, whether in the chapel, in quiet indoor spaces or while walking the peaceful outdoor trails.
The retreat includes daily Mass, communal recitation of the Rosary and outdoor Stations of the Cross. On Saturday evening, retreatants participate in a deeply moving healing service: the Sacrament of Anointing, once reserved primarily for the gravely ill but now available to all seeking spiritual strength and healing. The evening concludes with an all-night vigil of Eucharistic Adoration.
In short, a retreat at Manresa offers something increasingly rare: silence, prayer, reconciliation, healing and peace—a chance to step away from the demands of daily life and grow closer to God through Jesus Christ.
What Manresa Means to the Chaldean Community
Over the years, many Chaldean men and women have attended retreats at Manresa. For some, it has become an annual spiritual anchor, a time to reset, reflect and return home renewed in faith.
In particular, three retreats held each January, March and September have drawn a strong presence of Chaldean men. These gatherings have quietly strengthened friendships, deepened faith and reinforced a shared spiritual identity within the broader Catholic community.
For Chaldean Catholics, whose faith has endured persecution, displacement and cultural upheaval, places like Manresa offer continuity—a reminder that the same Church that sustained their ancestors in Iraq continues to nourish them here in Michigan.
The upcoming March retreat will take place March 13–15. Those interested may register by calling Manresa at 248-644-4933 or visiting www.manresa-sj.org. There is a $50 registration fee; the remainder of the retreat cost is based solely on personal donation.
Beyond retreats, Manresa offers study programs and public events. Daily Mass is celebrated at 8 a.m. on weekdays and is a simple but powerful way to begin the day. The center also hosts an Ignatian Internship program that trains laypeople in spiritual direction.
A Spiritual Oasis
A Chaldean retreatant describes the experience this way:
“The experience of a retreat at Manresa is like that of a tired traveler finding an oasis in the dry desert that offers him rest and quenches his thirst. In the same manner, Manresa can provide a spiritual oasis for many of us, busy, tired and overwhelmed men and women, in the wilderness of the culture we live in. In this oasis, we find spiritual renewal, nourishment and growth in our relationship with God.”
For many Chaldean faithful, Manresa is exactly that—an oasis. A place to be still. A place to listen. A place to come home to God.