Dear Friend of Mount Manresa,

We have had a difficult year at Mount Manresa, culminating with a fire on August 5. Near midnight an arsonist struck Shealy Hall. According to the fire officials, a 25-year-old resident of Staten Island found a way into the dormitory building in the hopes of something to steal. The man is believed to have been frustrated by the absence of salable items, and set two fires. One fire burned out, but the second gutted room 68. I am happy to report that no on was injured, but the heat of the fire badly damaged rooms 66 through 71. Smoke poured through Shealy Hall, coating walls with layers of soot. The fire fighters pulled out the windows on the upper floor and broke through all locked doors.

Fire Marshals William Cormican and Thomas Kane did a magnificent job of finding the man involved and received his confession. The whole staff breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the business of reconstruction. Insurance will cover much of our loss, but not in a timely fashion. We have been struggling with a deficit and now with the loss of income during the months we closed Shealy Hall.

St. Ignatius used the image of the Two Standards to express the battle between good and evil. Whenever the Standard of Christ is raised, it will be opposed. We at Mount Manresa have had the sense of being assailed. But the good has rallied to us. We have enjoyed the outpouring of concern from our friends and neighbors.

I find myself filled with the hope of Advent, that something new is coming to birth. I hope you share my hopefulness and are moved to assist our ministry. Thank you for continuing to aid Mount Manresa.

Peace,

Rev. Edward J. Quinnan, S.J.

Gift Certificates
Mount Manresa can provide gift certificates for weekend retreats for $185. Please contact us to have us send a gift certificate in your name.

Dedications and Memorials
We offer dedication and memorial stones, benches, and trees (especially planted or adopted) from $300. Please contact us about a dedication or memorial.

Annuities and Planned Giving
Through the New York Jesuits we offer a range of services for those who would like to set up Charitable Gift Annuities and other forms of Planned Giving. Please contact us for further information.

Mountmanresa@si.rr.com