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Since 1898, the Jesuit Retreat Center has offered retreatants numerous acres of meadow, marsh, and woodland for prayer and reflection. Today, we are honored to continue the stewardship of both sacred art and natural spaces across these 57 acres through the Pilgrims of Hope restoration initiative — a focused effort to preserve beloved features of our grounds for generations to come.
In 2025, we restored the 1918 statue of St. Stanislaus, patron saint of Jesuit novices and the original namesake of our campus, St. Stanislaus Novitiate. Made possible by the generosity of our Giving Tuesday donors and Milano Monuments & Restoration’s matching gift, this project became a natural starting point for Pilgrims of Hope and a powerful way to highlight renewal on our campus.
Soon after that record-breaking Giving Tuesday campaign, the Ignatian ideal of Magis — “the greater” — left us asking: how else can we preserve the sacred beauty that permeates these grounds? Pope Francis’ proclamation of the Jubilee Year 2025 gave us an answer. In his words: “The forthcoming Jubilee can contribute greatly to restoring a climate of hope and trust as a prelude to the renewal and rebirth that we so urgently desire.”
It is with those words in our hearts that this restoration initiative was born. Pilgrims of Hope goes well beyond a single statue. With the support of our board and dedicated partners, we are:
Thanks to the generosity of a small group of donors, we have already raised more than $400,000 — exceeding our goal. We've already broken ground on several key projects for this initiative and look forward to major transformations throughout Spring and Fall. Together, we are renewing sacred spaces and opening new paths of encounter across our 57 acres. Each statue restored and each pathway laid is another step toward ensuring the next 125 years of spiritual impact at the Jesuit Retreat Center.
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