This fall, the College of the Holy Cross will open the doors to the Thomas P. Joyce ’59 Contemplative Center, located on a 52-acre site atop a hill overlooking the Wachusett Reservoir in the town of West Boylston, Mass. The building, one of the major initiatives funded by the “Become More” campaign, represents the College’s continued commitment to its mission of educating the whole person: mind, body, and spirit.
A small ground-breaking and blessing ceremony was held at the site of the new center in the spring of 2015 and construction is expected to be completed in mid-September. The Joyce Center is a 20-minute drive from the Holy Cross campus.
Holy Cross has a vigorous retreat program for students, including overnight and weekend retreats, and a five-day silent adaptation of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola that is offered four times annually. During the 2015-16 academic year, more than 500 students participated in a retreat. Currently, all programs take place at rented facilities, often hours away from campus. With the new Joyce Center, the College is expanding opportunities for students while also providing new opportunities for faculty, staff, and alumni.
"The Center will provide a home for our vibrant student retreat program, in addition to offering us the opportunity to share the riches of a retreat experience with faculty, staff, and alumni. Once you become a part of the Holy Cross community, you are a member for life, so it makes sense that we would want to offer opportunities that foster a lifetime of spiritual growth for our alumni," says Marybeth Kearns-Barrett, director of the chaplains’ office. "The Joyce Contemplative Center will enable us to invite our alumni to participate in one of the distinguishing features of the Holy Cross experience - a retreat rooted in the Ignatian spiritual tradition."
The new center is a 33,800-square foot complex designed specifically for the College’s well-established retreat programs. The building includes a chapel, meeting rooms, and dining room, as well as living quarters with bedrooms and bathrooms for 60 individuals.
Joyce was a member of the Holy Cross board of trustees, a dedicated civic leader, former chairman of Joyce Beverages in Chicago, and father of six Holy Cross graduates. The Joyce family made this gift in memory of their father. The contemplative center is one of the major initiatives funded by the "Become More" campaign.
Related information:
- Alumni retreat schedule
- Thomas P. Joyce ’59 Contemplative Center information
- April 16, 2015: Holy Cross Announces Plans to Construct Contemplative Center
Related coverage:
- Catholic Free Press, Aug. 5: HC retreat center to open this fall
- MassLive.com, Aug. 3: Holy Cross' $22M Contemplative Center set to open in West Boylston this fall
- Telegram & Gazette, Aug. 1: Holy Cross retreat center in West Boylston nears completion
To view progress of the Joyce Center construction, visit the "Become More" website.
