After 18 months of thorough restoration, the Jesuit Spiritual Centre of Penboc'h reopened its doors on 15 June. Located in the Gulf of Morbihan (France), it welcomes young professionals, families, vulnerable people... and all the guests and retreatants in need of renewal for a summer "in transition, with Saint Ignatius".

Located near Vannes, Penboc'h is the Jesuit Spiritual Centre for Western France. In a green setting on the banks of the Gulf of Morbihan, it offers a place inviting to prayer and rejuvenation and welcomes each year about 4000 people for retreats and sessions based on the spirituality of St. Ignatius.

The Jesuits wished to breathe new life into this place with a complete renovation of the buildings in order to develop an apostolic project open to situations of fragility, poverty and disability, to problems linked to the world of work and to families. Anchored in Ignatian spirituality with the Spiritual Exercises, the proposals for sessions and retreats offer food for the interior life, help in discerning, making choices and deciding freely. At the end of the confinement, this is also a place to reflect on what the future should be. Re-reading will be at the heart of the spiritual accompaniment proposed to the retreatants this summer.

Summer in Penboc'h

The doors of Penboc'h open on "a summer in transition, with Saint Ignatius". Several sessions for families and young professionals will follow one another with times of sharing, relaxation and prayer. The guiding thread is the encyclical Laudato si'. The theme of ecological and spiritual conversion will be at the heart of these proposals.

Penboc'h will be the summer gathering place of the Ignatian Family with proposals made with the Magis network, the Christian Movement of Executives and Leaders (MCC), the Christian Life Community (CLC), Families & Co.

A project that respects heritage and the environment

The project was designed with respect for the heritage and the environment in this protected area, located in the heart of the Regional Natural Park of the Gulf of Morbihan. This construction site also fits in with a sustainable development logic: the site has been labelled "Zero Carbon" by a construction strategy favouring energy sobriety and the planting of 10,000 trees in Madagascar.

The new Penboc'h gives pride of place to contemporary art, notably the furniture and stained glass windows of the three oratories. On the façade of the Centre, a statue of Saint Ignatius holding his booklet of Spiritual Exercises is the work of sculptor Jean-Pierre Augier.

In terms of equipment, the Spiritual Centre has two lifts and four rooms adapted for people with reduced mobility. A large 85-seat conference room, six meeting rooms, three dining rooms, three oratories, a library and reading room facing the sea have been created. The wish was also to respect the simple and sober character of the Spiritual Centre.

Renovation supported by patrons and donors

The Society of Jesus has appealed to public generosity in partnership with the Heritage Foundation. More than 1,000 donors and patrons (notably the Heritage Foundation) supported the project. This fundraising campaign is one of the Fondation du patrimoine's top 3 national campaigns. 

To find out more

On the Spiritual Centre of Penboc'h: https://www.penboch.fr/

On the five Spiritual Centres in French-speaking Western Europe: https://www.jesuites.com/nos-centres-spirituels-jesuites-des-lieux-pour-se-ressourcer/

Jean-Brice Bigourdan, Director
Pictures © Michel Jamoneau