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We extend our deep appreciation for a recent bequest from Severino (Sev) Peloso to our Sacred Ground capital campaign. His bequest will contribute to our funds to upgrade the heating/cooling and sanitation systems of Loyola House. Sev's entrepreneurial spirit led him on a journey that included serving as President of Textiles Industries in Guelph, contributing to conservation of a heritage building, and volunteering to mentor businesses in Sri Lanka, the Caribbean and Iqaluit.
We are so pleased that Sev was able to attend our 2015 Milestone Celebration for the Ignatius Old-Growth Forest project which included a tree planting with a memorial plaque for his parents, "Angelina and Gerunsio Peloso -- Pioneers who taught by living within the bounty of nature." The generosity of the Peloso family has been a tremendous gift to the Centre's planning for a new century of community service!
Thank you to everyone who gave a Lent donation!
We want to assure all our Sacred Ground donors that we are progressing in our retrofit plans. Testing was conducted in April to gather the soil and groundwater information for sizing the new septic system.
To arrange a bequest or for more information, phone the Development office at 519 824 1250 ext. 257 or
send an email to [email protected].
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LOYOLA HOUSE RETREATS & PROGRAMS 
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UPCOMING RETREATS -
Each retreat date is linked to our website for more information
Interested in digging deeper? Consider doing the Full Spiritual Exercises Experience this Fall. Read about it here.
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UPCOMING EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
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AT THE CENTRE -
Volunteers Needed
IJC is looking for enthusiastic and engaged volunteers to help in many different departments. We are specifically interested in volunteers for Housekeeping, the Kitchen, the Front Desk, and Maintenance. We welcome applications for these positions and more! If you are interested, fill out a volunteer registration form at ignatiusguelph.ca/get-involved/volunteering or email Andrea at [email protected] for more information.
AT IGNATIUS FARM -
CSA shares are still available!
Visit the farm store to place your order and enjoy fresh, organic vegetables this season.
The Ignatius Farm is inviting the public to attend
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Learning to read the greenhouse thermometer at the Basic Botany workshop
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segments of the Intern Education Program!
This month, join Farm Educators Amy Bumbacco & Tash Reesor for:
Pest Management Workshop
Do you have garden critters chewing up your lettuce and biting into your juicy tomatoes? Join the Ignatius Farm internship team for an introductory workshop on pest management! Learn about key prevention, monitoring, and control techniques while taking a close look at major pests at Ignatius in the spring. We'll head into the fields to identify insects and practice record-keeping strategies.When/where: Ignatius Farm workshop,
May 30, 9-11:30am.
Workshops are $25 for CSA and Community Garden Members, or $30 for non-members. Contact Amy at [email protected] to register.
Save the date for Spring Field Day!
On May 19, the community garden plots will
open up to gardeners to start planting. Seedlings, seeds, and amendments will be for sale and Meeting Place Organic Farm is providing a delicious BBQ! Farm Manager, Heather Lekx,
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Spring Field Day 2017
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will offer thorough orientations to the gardens and you can even join in on a sprouting workshop! Read more here.
Volunteers Needed!
We're looking for 20 volunteers
to lend a hand on May 15th and/or 16th (the 17th is a rain date, if needed) to help set-up the garden plots for Spring Field Day! These are always super fun days and a great way to get to know the farm, learn about irrigation, and get to know the farm community. If you're interested in helping out, please email Amy at [email protected] or call 519-824-1250 ext. 244.
OLD-GROWTH FOREST EVENTS -
Buckthorn Bash - Sat May 12 @ 9:30am-12:30pm
Cross Creek Blvd. entrance
(see map here)
Join us for the morning and help us restore the bio-diversity of the Old-Growth Forest project lands.
Read more here!
Spring Awakes! Sun May 27 @ 1:30-4:30pm
Ignatius Jesuit Centre - Rain or shine
SKSS Productions presents a fundraiser for the Ignatius Old-Growth Forest project. This is a performance arts hike adventure with song, music, poetry, prayer, and dance.
Advance tickets only. Purchase tickets at Janus Books (Royal Plaza, 10 Paisley, Guelph) and Loyola House office (Ignatius Jesuit Centre). Adults $25, children free (must be able to hike with a group). Cash only, handling charges apply. Ticket holders: the adventure begins by meeting at the Orchard Park parking lot at Ignatius Jesuit Centre at 1:15pm. Potluck picnic reception to follow.
suesmith.ca |
shannonkingsburg.com |
oldgrowthforest.ca | 519-824-1250 ext 224.
Evening Hike - Wed June 13 @ 6:45-8:30pm
Ignatius Jesuit Centre - Farm Workshop
Hiking from the cultural past to the ecological future. Staff from Raresites Land Trust and Ignatius Old-Growth Forest project will lead an evening hike at the Centre.
Read more here!
EARTH EVENTS -
Land Blessing - save the date! Sun June 3 beginning at 10 am.
Look for more information in May's IJC Voice! Beginning this year, this annual event will take place on the first Sunday of June.
Attending Divinity through Sacred Gardening
A workshop with Steven Martyn of The Sacred Gardener
Sat June 16 @ 10am-5pm at the Ignatius Jesuit Centre.
This workshop gives the participant an opening into an ancient way of gardening and working with the Earth. Steven holds up Indigenous gardening as sacred gardening, which has a very different set of agendas and methodologies than the Western forms of gardening that came to North America via Europe. Different even than Biodynamic or Permaculture, this more ancient way of gardening points us toward a whole new way of looking at, being with, and co-creatively participating in the natural world. Sponsored by the Ignatius Jesuit Centre.
WALKING PILGRIMAGE
Looking for a different summer experience? Consider this year's Walking Pilgrimage from Guelph to Midland - August 4-11. The Walking Pilgrimage is about nourishing your spirituality, enjoying the great outdoors, getting great exercise (20-30 km per day), and having fun & enjoying good company.
Read about it here...registrations are being accepted!
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THE STORY BEHIND SPRING AWAKES!
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Shannon Kingsburg & Sue Smith
photographed at Monica Tap: Teufelsmoore & other haunts, Gallery Stratford, by Tricia Brubacher
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Spring Awakes! was conceived by Shannon Kingsbury & Sue Smith (SKSS Productions) in 2011 as an opportunity for creative expression and performance in celebration of spring while at the same time raising funds for the worthy initiative of creating an Old-Growth Forest in the Guelph community.
Sharing a love of music, the creative process and the woods, Sue & Shannon evolved their idea, with the help of contributing artists and volunteers, into an annual event which combines performance and celebration with fundraising support and increased awareness of the Old-Growth Forest.
Artists are invited to create original pieces which are situated in natural settings along the Old- Growth Forest Trails. Audience members are guided on a contemplative journey, walking in silence and encountering unique performances along the way. Each year, new performances are invented; nothing is repeated. Each year the trees grow taller and the forest grows older.
Spring Awakes! has grown into an annual happening with an impressive gathering of musicians, dancers, poets, visual artists, ecologists, community builders and nature lovers who have come together over the years to celebrate spring in the woods and contribute to the re-naturalization and protection of the Ignatius Old-Growth Forest.
SPRING
Greg Kennedy SJ
minor mobs of red, red robins,
muskrats in the defrosted Marden,
mud that doesn't beg your pardon
for sticking to your shoes-
these and other clues
speak of earth
(by whom we live blessed)
stirring from her rest.
OLD-GROWTH FOREST PROJECT (OGF)
Spring has finally sprung which marks the beginning of this year's reforestation work. A big thank you to the staff and students from John Black Public school in Fergus for the 500 trees we've put in the ground already!
Invasive Species
A significant part of the project's goals is to improve the ecological health of the land by restoring native habitat for wildlife. Invasive plants species such as European Buckthorn pose a threat to the biodiversity of these systems. When you walk the OGF trails you may notice small black bags on the ground. These bags are used temporarily to supress any new growth on the removed plants as an alternative to using herbicide in the forest. To learn more and to hear the story of how these plants are being repurposed for guitars,
Homes for Ducks
On Saturday April 7th we held the first of the seasons OGF events. Folks of all ages came out to learn about cavity nesting ducks (wood duck, Common Mergansers and Goldeneye) that visit the Speed River watershed. The decline of Old-growth forests and wetlands has reduced the amount of suitable habitat in which to raise their young. During the workshop we constructed and installed nesting boxes to help our feathered friends along the Marden Creek
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