Vale of Clwyd MS Gareth Davies paid a visit last week to St. Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre in Tremeirchion, touring the Catholic residential retreat with the Director, Ruth Holgate, and the House Manager, Sue Rumble.
The beautiful grade II listed Welsh Historic Monument was built by the Jesuits in 1847 and was designed by Joseph Hansom, the designer of the infamous black Hansom cab. St. Beuno’s is the largest retreat house in the UK with much of the work focusing on 1-2-1 retreats with guests meeting their spiritual director once a day for 45 minutes and the rest of the day spent according to their own determination. They offer 30-day retreats but also a selection of shorter stays.
Jesuism is a religious order of the Catholic Church, with around half of visitors to St. Beuno’s being Catholic but they stress the inclusivity of the retreat with people of any or no faith welcome. Gareth was shown around the centre which currently has a significant amount of work building work being undertaken with a newly completed Conference Centre and work to ensure the energy efficiency of the building. He was also shown the 22-acre garden which inspired some of Gerard Manley Hopkins’ famous poems and currently has an Arboretum being planted.
Commenting on his visit, Gareth said:
“It was truly a pleasure to visit St. Beuno’s spectacular and tranquil spirituality centre in Tremeirchion. Aside from its initial architectural beauty, this is a centre of spiritual and mental reflection and well-being that provides an enormous service to people across North Wales.
“I was struck by the tranquil and contemplative environment of St. Beuno’s where people can reflect on their faith and recuperate in their own well-being accommodated within the sublime setting of rural Denbighshire with dedicated staff and clergy to assist visitors in their spiritual journey.
“I was pleased to see how popular the retreat is and the work that is being carried out to ensure the future viability of this asset to the Vale. I’d like to thank St. Beuno’s for showing me around and I am delighted to have them in my constituency.”
