Manrèse Jesuit Spiritual Center
Discover the Manrèse Jesuit Spiritual Center, a green oasis less than an hour from Paris! The community welcomes retreatants throughout the year for spiritual retreats.
Retreats organized by the community
Discover Manrèse, a Jesuit spiritual center close to Paris, in a natural setting
The Manrèse Center is a Jesuit spiritual center located in Clamart, southwest of Paris. It has existed since 1877.
It takes its name from Manresa, a small town in Catalonia near the abbey of Montserrat, where Ignatius of Loyola, stopping during a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, withdrew to a cave for some time. There he had an intense and decisive spiritual experience. It was in this place that Saint Ignatius began taking notes for what would become the booklet of the Spiritual Exercises.
When the property was purchased in 1876, there was already a small building, "le Chalet", which today is the residence of the Jesuit Community. The community devotes itself primarily to running the spiritual center and guiding retreats. The main building, "la villa", was built immediately and the first retreatants were welcomed in 1877.
The improvements and renovations that have taken place since allow more people to be welcomed while taking care to preserve the surrounding nature. Indeed, the community is committed to anchoring itself in an integral ecology approach.
.jpeg)
The history of the Manrèse Center includes two particularly well-known retreatants:
- Saint Charles de Foucauld, who came here on retreat to confirm his choice to enter religious life. He wrote in his correspondence: "This retreat at Clamart did me tremendous good."
- Saint Joseph Roncalli, the future Pope John XXIII, who came for a retreat in 1947. He noted in his journal: "Good doctrine, presented in an interesting but completely modern form: structure, expression, images. (...) I found myself content and encouraged."
In the middle of a large park, bordering the forest of Meudon, the Manrèse Center offers near Paris a haven of peace and silence, conducive to renewal and prayer.
The Jesuit community of the Manrèse Center
A Jesuit community lives at the Center and participates in running it. The Jesuits (the Society of Jesus) are a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola in 1540. The Jesuits are present on all continents and open to all apostolates, with a strong missionary, intellectual and spiritual tradition.
The Jesuit community living at the Manrèse Center wishes to serve anyone seeking meaning in their life, seeking God, or desiring to grow in their human and spiritual life. The Jesuits are indeed carried by the spiritual tradition inherited from Saint Ignatius of Loyola and his famous Spiritual Exercises.
The offerings provided by Manrèse are inspired by the spiritual experience of Saint Ignatius. Indeed, Ignatian spirituality seeks to reconcile prayer and action, combining listening to the Word of God, discerning His will, and deciding to commit generously to His service. It is carried by the desire to be contemplatives in action, a typically Ignatian expression!
.jpeg)
What to expect during your stay
The Manrèse Center, a place of welcome with many possibilities
Manrèse has built a program of offerings based on Ignatian spirituality. The community is careful to take into account everyone's different expectations.
Individuals or groups can be welcomed who wish to experience a personal retreat or a recollection. Outside groups can come for a day or a few days, either with their own guide or by requesting the help of a Manrèse guide, who will respond according to availability. Individuals can benefit from spiritual guidance, receive the sacrament of reconciliation, or experience a moment of contemplation.
Sessions or session-retreats are also offered that emphasize times of instruction and sharing around a particular issue or question (discernment, decision-making, building a couple relationship, raising children, divorce, remarriage, etc.).
Silent retreats are also offered. These retreats are times when people pray with the Word of God in an atmosphere of silence and solitude. They can be a pause, a stopover of one or two days, but can also last up to thirty days! Most are individually guided.
It is also possible to come and step away from the world, even if just for 2 days, to recharge by simply participating in the liturgical rhythm of the house: this is the "48-hour desert" option.
Renewal times for couples
Manrèse organizes weekends for couples preparing for Christian marriage or those who are questioning their commitment to marriage (Is he the one? Is she the one?), led by a priest or religious sister and a married couple.
Weekends are also organized for married couples who wish to take time to reflect on their life as a couple or as parents, to live it better, to advance on a path of faith, or to navigate important life stages. These weekends take place with the help of a priest or sister and an accompanying couple. Some of these offerings can take place during the week. A gift idea for your own parents?
A haven of peace at the edge of the forest of Meudon
In the middle of a large park, bordering the forest of Meudon, the Manrèse Center offers near Paris a haven of peace and silence, conducive to renewal and prayer.
- Accommodation: about fifty single or double rooms overlooking the forest or with a panoramic view of Paris!
- Prayer spaces: two chapels and two oratories.
- Common areas: meeting rooms, parlors for individual conversations, as well as a library, a music room and an artistic expression room!
- Meals: They are served in two refectories, in silence or not. Menus are prepared on-site with respect for nutritional balance, but also with care to limit environmental impact. Dinners are vegetarian. Menu adaptations for medical reasons can be requested. If you want to take a long walk, packed lunches can be provided!
Geography and activities
A spiritual retreat on the edge of Paris!
Staying at Manrèse offers the luxury of city meets countryside: located on the edge of the great forest of Meudon with direct access to the forest, it offers opportunities for walks in nature. There is also a beautiful municipal swimming pool 10 minutes away through the forest for sports enthusiasts. The Spiritual Center is also located less than five minutes' walk from the central pedestrian area of Clamart, if you need to run an errand.
Practical information
Discover more locations
