Members of the College of the Holy Cross community gathered on Sept. 10 at the newly constructed Thomas P. Joyce ’59 Contemplative Center in West Boylston, Mass. for a ribbon-cutting and blessing ceremony. The Joyce Center, located 20 minutes from campus, will provide a home for the College’s many retreat programs. Built on a 52-acre site that overlooks the Wachusett Reservoir, the project is one of the first initiatives to be funded by the “Become More” campaign.
Since the founding of Holy Cross, retreats and programs devoted to spiritual discernment have been a central aspect of the College’s history, and continue to be today: more than 500 students participated in a retreat during the 2015-16 academic year alone.
The new 33,800-square foot complex — featuring a chapel, meeting rooms, dining room, and living quarters with bedrooms and bathrooms for 60 individuals — will allow for expanded and additional retreat programming for students, alumni, faculty, and staff.
The Sept. 10 events included blessings of the various rooms in the complex, which are named after saints, including Ignatius Loyola, Peter Farber, and Francis Xavier.
In his remarks at the ceremony, just before cutting the purple ribbon stretched before the doors to the Joyce Center, Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., president of the College, said, “The Joyce Center is an important statement about who we are. As a Jesuit and Catholic institution, this striking facility embodies our commitment to becoming contemplatives in action, engaging in prayerful discernment, and developing an openness to God’s transformative and healing love for us. So formed, we can engage the needs of our world with greater compassion and justice. I’m pleased that this is the first capital project of our campaign to be completed as it is so central to our institutional mission."
The Joyce Center is named after Thomas P. Joyce ’59, a member of the Holy Cross board of trustees and father of six Holy Cross graduates. The Joyce family made this gift in memory of their father.
Additional information:
Media coverage:
- Sept. 25, Telegram & Gazette: Contemplative center near completion
