Mount Alverno Retreat Centre closing in September

September 1, 2017 · 0 Comments

By Bill Rea
The Mount Alverno Retreat Centre on Heart Lake Road is going to be closing its doors next month.
Brother David Connolly, director of the facility located just south of Highway 9, said it will be closing Sept. 28, for mainly financial reasons.
“Can’t afford to maintain it,” he remarked.
It has been mainly serving young people in the school system, and Br. Connolly said they need about 8,000 youth passing through per year to cover the expense. He added this has been the only retreat in Canada that has been self-sustaining.
In its day, the facility has provided retreats for students from Grades 8 to 12, offering hands-on studies in things like topography, leaf identification, etc.
“All the types of stuff you can’t do in the cities,” he observed, adding it took a great deal of work on the part of the staff to deal with these groups. “The Friar team was exhausted at the end of the week.”
There were years they had as many as 11,000 young people use the facility, but the numbers have declined. Over the last couple of years, they have only averaged about 6,000.
The property consists of about 100 acres. Br. Connolly said there is one big pond on the site, as well as three hermitages. He also said they have planted some 50,000 trees over the years.
One of the headwaters of the Credit River system starts on the property.
The retreat has been operating since 1962, and the decisions to close it has been reached with reluctance.
“We’re sad to see the place go,” Br. Connolly said. “It’s a beautiful property.”
It has been owned by the Capuchin Franciscan of Central Canada, although Connolly said the property has been sold, and the new owners are interested in setting up a rehab centre for people with drug and alcohol problems. He added some major renovations are in the works, including 57 private rooms.
The facility has seen its share of bad times over the years, including a bad fire in the chapel in 2008.
It’s also been the scene of weddings, with parties booking the facility for weekends, and the receptions taking place on the patio. Br. Connolly recalled one occasion when a cow from a neighbouring farm crashed a wedding reception.
Br. Connolly recalled going to the centre as a student. He has since been on the staff three times. He’s currently been there about 16 years.
“It’s a very nice property; peaceful property,” he said.