On Dec. 16, Chancery staff were invited to attend an Advent Day of Prayer conducted by Father Bill Noe, SJ, from Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Center. The program focused on the concept of hope, offering context and opportunities for silent reflection. In all, it was consistent with the contemplative service Ignatius House has been providing in Atlanta for almost 65 years. 

The idea for a retreat center on the banks of the Chattahoochee River began with Suzanne Spalding Schroder, daughter of prominent Atlanta attorney Jack Spalding. Her father had been a significant contributor to the building of the Cathedral of Christ the King. In 1957 Schroder donated her tranquil property on Riverside Drive to the New Orleans Province of the Society of Jesus to be used as a retreat house (her son, Father John Schroder, was a Jesuit priest). 

Father Larry Hein, SJ, (Ignatius House director, 1961-1977) stands in front of the priests’ residence, formerly the Suzanne Spalding Schroder home, circa 1962 . Photo Courtesy of Archives, Archdiocese of Atlanta

Suzanne Schroder died in December of 1958 before a retreat center came to fruition, but ground was broken on Ignatius House the following October. The first phase was dedicated on December 8, 1960, with space for 50 retreatants. Schroder’s house became the priests’ residence. The facilities have expanded over the years, including a 150-foot tower in 2001, a new chapel in 2005 and an administrative building in 2012.  

In 1963, Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan described the importance of Ignatius House in his usual eloquence: “A retreat is not an escape from life. It is not even chiefly meant to be a refreshing contrast to the daily round, although it is often that. It is, first of all, an entrance into the full life lived in Christ, with free time enough to order our own lives as God wants. A retreat is not for dreamers or spiritual idlers, or people who treat holiness like a hobby. It is for realistic practical, busy people … It is for everyone who, stubbornly but intermittently, daily but with many lapses, is trying to be a saint.” 

At the recent Day of Prayer, Father Noe spoke of the relationship between hope and imagination. To paraphrase, he said that everything we hope to accomplish begins with an idea in our imagination. Such was the case with Ignatius House. Suzanne Schroder’s time spent on her property in quiet reflection led to her imagining a place where people could go for spiritual retreat, which then led to a hope that one day those plans could materialize. Thanks to Schroder’s imagination and hope, Ignatius House exists today.