Jesuits I Met — Big Slice Restaurant — Declining Attendance — Uncertain Future — The World Is a Small Place — Karolina90’s Blog — Pier Giorgio Frassati — Fr. Thomas Rosica — Innsbruck, Austria — Fr. Zygmunt Zimowski — Fr. Karl Rahner, S.J.
I would like to briefly mention several of the Jesuits who conducted retreats at Manresa or whom I met there.
In 2003, I took a ferry to Manitoulin Island and visited the church in Wiikwemkoong. Unfortunately, Fr. McCarthy happened to be away at the time. I registered for one of his retreats in 2019 and was very much looking forward to seeing him again. However, while travelling in the United States during the summer of 2019, I learned that he had suddenly passed away in Toronto.
In 1963, Fr. Hawkins went to India, where he laboured in that distant vineyard of the Lord for the next 44 years, primarily in West Bengal. In 2007, he concluded his missionary work and returned to Canada, where he directed a retreat that I attended. At the beginning, he apologized for occasional difficulties with his English, explaining that he had spoken Hindi most of the time while in India. I also scheduled a 30-minute consultation with him, and he was delighted to share stories from his missionary experiences.
I also fondly remember Fr. David Norris, S.J. (1940–2020). He had spent many years working in Africa but was eventually forced to return to Canada because of health problems. I attended a retreat conducted by him, and he always played the guitar!
I managed to have quite a lengthy conversation with him about Zambia, where he had served as a missionary. I also mentioned another Polish priest [(Fr. Kazimierz Kulczycki, SDB (1941–2005)] who had spent many years in both Zambia and Zimbabwe, labouring under difficult conditions. The stories he described would probably discourage most people from making such a sacrifice, as they seemed like Sisyphean tasks: theft, bureaucracy, lack of everything, corruption, poverty, rampant HIV/AIDS, inability of the locals to fix even basic things, general apathy and terrible infrastructure — although he wrote that the latter was far better than that in Zambia, as Zimbabwe had not long been under white rule. Eventually, he became seriously ill, returned to Poland, and died soon afterwards. |
| This letter from Rev. Kazimierz Kulczycki consisted just of the envelope--the content was written on the other side of the envelope, so that potential thieves knew right away there was no money inside the envelope. Nevertheless, later even such letters were apparently stolen and eventually he had to have them mailed from Poland or other "civilized" countries. In addition, most, if not all of our mail sent from Canada to Zimbabwe got lost, including registered letters (!) and postcards (!!) |
Fr. Norris told me that he, too, had contracted diseases while serving in Africa and that his doctor would not allow him to return to the continent. He died on October 31, 2020, at the René Goupil House—during a retreat that I was attending, only a few metres from his residence.
During his early formation as a novice, he was sent to northern Ontario, where he discovered a profound calling to Indigenous ministry. He was ordained to the priesthood in 2016.
When Catherine and I visited Manitoulin Island in 2017, we attended Holy Cross Church in Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory and met a Belgian Jesuit. He informed us that Father Paul Robson, S.J., was then serving as pastor there. Unfortunately, he happened to be away at the time.
Whenever his mother was about to leave the house, she would say, "Don't worry, I'm not going alone—I'm going with the lady upstairs." Of course, she was not referring to a neighbour living upstairs, but to Mary. And Mary certainly seemed to watch over her faithfully, for she remained healthy and active for many years. She passed away in 2011 at the remarkable age of 104.
In 2020, while camping at Six Mile Lake Provincial Park in Ontario, my friend Patrizia and I decided to visit the famous Martyrs' Shrine in Midland. When Patrizia telephoned the shrine, she unexpectedly found herself speaking with Fr. Foliot, who was serving there at the time.
As I mentioned previously, Manresa is located at the northern end of Liverpool Road, where an entrance gate supported by two substantial pillars marks the entrance to the property.
In 2009, a young man in his early twenties lost his life when his motorcycle, travelling northbound at a very high speed, struck one of the concrete pillars. I was told that a retreat was taking place at the time and that the impact was heard by retreatants.
A few years ago, when I arrived at Manresa, I was surprised to discover that one of the pillars had been knocked over. A few days earlier, a drunk driver had apparently assumed that he was driving on a different road and crashed into it.
At least neither he nor anyone else required the last rites.
The two accidents, occurring years apart at exactly the same location, serve as a sobering reminder of how unexpectedly life can change—and how Manresa, despite being a place of peace and reflection, has also witnessed moments of profound human tragedy.
After Fr. Scott Lewis, S.J., stepped down, Fr. Michael Coutts, S.J., who was born in Mumbai, India, became Director of Manresa and also conducted several retreats.
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| Fr. Kevin Kelly, S.J., directed a very interesting retreat from November 3 to 5, 2023. Unfortunately, due to some unexpected family emergency, I hardly remember it, even though he was an excellent speaker |
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| Fr. Earl Smith, S.J. gave a retreat in October/November, 2025 |
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| Although I have never attended a Manresa retreat directed by Fr. John O'Brien, S.J., at Manresa, I went on a day-long pilgrimage to the Martyrs' Shrine in Midland, Ontario, in August, 2022, led by Fr. O'Brien. It also happened to be my 60th birthday! Later all of us went to the Boathouse Restaurant in Midland. I met him again at this Shrine in September, 2025 - at that time he was the Shrine's Director: while camping at Six Mile Lake Provincial Park, I drove to the Shrine to attend a special Healing Mass, which he celebrated. Afterwards I was able to talk to him a little and reminded him our meeting 3 years ago — yes, he did remember me. "Three years? I can't believe how time flies!" he said. |
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| The October 30-November 1, 2026 weekend retreat was directed by Fr. Dexter Fredric Gray, S.J., a Jesuit from Sri Lanka. It was my 35th retreat! |
Several years ago, Brother Bob had to move to the Jesuit infirmary and began using a motorized scooter to travel between buildings. Yet even in 2025, when he no longer resided at the René Goupil infirmary but in a retirement home in Toronto, he still managed to visit during our retreat. As always, I had a very interesting conversation with him. During the October/November, 2026 retreat, for the first time Br. Bob did not show up during the retreat.
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| Source: Wikimedia Commons Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation Author: Chris Adamczyk |
He was appointed by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops as National Director and Chief Executive Officer of the 17th World Youth Day, held in Toronto in 2002 and attended by Pope John Paul II. Because of that event, he became a well-known public figure and frequently appeared on television, in newspapers, and in other media.
Soon afterward, while enjoying a large slice of pizza at The Big Slice Restaurant (no pun intended) at 385 Yonge Street in Toronto, just metres south of Gerrard Street, I unexpectedly encountered Fr. Rosica there and recognized him instantly.
The Big Slice closed in 2016, after more than 45 years in business, because the buildings it occupied were slated for demolition and replacement by large condominium developments. However, the designated heritage façade of the 1924 stone building at 385 Yonge Street—the Gerrard Building—was preserved.
One more thing about The Big Slice Restaurant: I first noticed it probably in 1982, shortly after arriving in Canada, mainly because of its sign. It read: "The Big Slice. Have you had your piece today?"
Having always been taught that the Present Perfect tense could not be used with a specific completed time reference (in this case, "today"), the slogan struck me as grammatically incorrect. However, I later discussed it with my English teacher at George Brown College and was told that "today" was considered an unfinished period of time because the day was still ongoing and the effect of the action—having eaten a slice of pizza—was still relevant at that moment.
For English learners, such slight grammatical nuances can be more memorable than the same lessons!
*****
As I mentioned earlier, when I attended my first retreat at Manresa in 1994, it was almost full, with approximately 60 men participating. Regrettably, the number of retreatants has steadily declined over the years, dropping to 40, 30, and on one occasion even to only 14 participants.
As a result, some retreats were merged, while others were discontinued altogether. Although plans once existed to build a "New Manresa" and demolish the old buildings, these plans were put on hold many years ago because of a lack of funds—and, more importantly, because of the declining number of retreatants. [However, I should add that there were 45 men at my October/November, 2026 retreat and 60, "the full house", at the January, 2026 retreat].
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| The Manor House |
The announcement caused considerable frustration among Manresa's current and former retreatants, donors, and friends. Somehow, the decision was subsequently put on hold, and I was still able to attend my 34th retreat from October 31 to November 2, 2025.
Nevertheless, the future of Manresa remains highly uncertain.
Incidentally, in 2025, another very prominent Jesuit retreat centre in Guelph, Ontario—Loyola House at the Ignatius Jesuit Centre—officially closed its spiritual retreat and formation programs.
Many retreatants fear that, if Manresa eventually closes, an important part of Ontario's spiritual and religious heritage will disappear with it.
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It has probably become a cliché in my blogs, but I often say that the world is a very small place. Yet it is so true!
How often do we read a book and, within days, unexpectedly hear about people or events mentioned in it? Or speak with a complete stranger only to discover that we have mutual acquaintances?
Something similar happened to me on June 11, 2026, when I visited a Subaru dealership in Mississauga.
After spending more than an hour there, I met a man who, upon hearing Chris and me speaking Polish, joined our conversation and contributed his own "three cents' worth" of wisdom regarding various Subaru models.
As we chatted, I noticed that his T-shirt bore the logo of a relatively small but very dynamic and successful manufacturing company.
"Do you work there?" I asked him.
"No, but a close family member does," he replied.
"Well, I know that company, as well as its president and co-owner," I added.
"You mean R.? I know him quite well, too!"
Indeed, I have known R. for a very long time, as he was my client for decades.
Experiences such as these continually remind me that our lives are often interconnected in ways we could never anticipate.
Now let me tell another story about certain interconnections—connections involving two Jesuits whom I met personally and an individual I first learned about through one of the blogs I read.
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| Pier Giorgio Frassati Public Domain |
1. In 2025, I bought the book "A Man of the Beatitudes: Pier Giorgio Frassati" by Luciana Frassati. Surprisingly, this book mentioned the names of three individuals with whom I was already familiar—or whom I had even known personally.
The first time I encountered the name "Pier Giorgio Frassati" was in the Polish-language blog "Na ścieżkach codzienności" ("On Everyday Roads") written by Karolina90, a very dedicated and prolific blogger.
She has mentioned Frassati numerous times in many of her blog posts (all are in the Polish language, but the English translation really works quite well):
- Pier Giorgio Frassati - the man of the Eight Beatitudes.
- And interest in Pier Giorgio Frassati continues unabated.
- Getting to know Pier Giorgio Frassati better - a small, accomplished goal.
- That was quite a celebration - the centenary of the Society of Shady Characters.
- God always has beautiful gifts in store.
- Pre-Confirmation and post-pilgrimage.
2. The Foreword to this book was written on May 20, 2000 (the tenth anniversary of the beatification of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati) by none other than the aforementioned Fr. Thomas Rosica, C.S.B., who at that time served as Executive Director and Pastor of Newman Centre Catholic Mission at the University of Toronto.
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| Karl Rahner Source: Wikimedia Commons |
3. Last, but certainly not least, the Introduction was written by Fr. Karl Rahner, S.J.
In 1982, I lived for several months in a Jesuit residence in Innsbruck, Austria. As I later discovered, the university/seminary there was highly regarded, and many prominent priests, bishops, and theologians had studied there.
During that time, I met a Polish priest, Fr. Zygmunt Zimowski (1949–2016), who was then working on his doctorate in Dogmatic Theology at the Faculty of Theology of Leopold Franzens University in Innsbruck.
Several years ago, I learned that in 2002 he had been appointed Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Radom. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2016 after undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer.
In "Gość Niedzielny" of July 14, 2016, there appeared an article by Fr. Jacek Mizak about the late Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski entitled "Above All, He Was a Good Man."
Indeed, I remember him as a very kind, approachable, and down-to-earth individual, deeply devoted to his faith and to the Catholic Church. He helped me on several occasions with various matters and once even invited me to lunch.
When I asked him what his plans were after completing his studies in Innsbruck, he replied:
"It all depends on my Bishop [Jerzy Ablewicz] in my diocese [of Tarnów]."
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| Bishop Zygmunt Zimowski Source: Wikimedia Commons Author: Serge Serebro, Vitebsk Popular News |
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| Karl Rahner Image in the Public Domain |
For a time, he even lived on the same floor as I did, in an adjacent room.
It was unfortunate that my command of German was far too limited to allow any meaningful conversations with him. Although he knew English, we never had an opportunity to converse in that language. Consequently, we exchanged only a few pleasantries during meals, and I occasionally encountered him around the seminary and in the church.
Back in Canada, I read excerpts from several of his books and was indeed impressed by the depth of his faith and scholarship.
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| Karl Rahner Probably Public Domain |
Looking back, I realize how privileged I was, as a young newcomer to the West, to have unknowingly crossed paths with one of the greatest Catholic theologians of the twentieth century.
*****
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This entry is part of a broader collection of personal research and historical documentation across multiple blogs:
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