local retreat centre takes leap of faith

For immediate release

Local Retreat Centre Takes a Leap of Faith

Victoria, April 30, 2009. 

Queenswood is set to unveil its new approach to spirituality and wellness with an Open House on Saturday May 9, 2009. The day will include free yoga classes and wellness workshops, a spirituality library book sale, samplings of chef Wendy Barron’s signature “healthy comfort food,” and tours of the gardens and labyrinth.

For 40 years, Queenwood has been a haven of peace and renewal in Victoria. So when the aging West Coast community of the Sisters of St. Ann realized that they could no longer run Queenswood themselves, rather than simply close its doors they began a three-year project to re-create Queenswood as a financially viable nonprofit organization. The challenge captured the imagination of hundreds of people in Victoria who attended public consultations last year to give input on how to transform “Victoria’s best-kept secret” into a household name.

Now a year and a half along in the project, Queenswood has undergone a dramatic renewal of both its building and its programs. Its new retreats now appeal more broadly, reflecting a cultural diversity of wellness practices such as Zen meditation and yoga. Its facility has been renovated in a West Coast modern style. Its programs offer an integrated approach to physical, mental and spiritual wellness, open to all but with a special program focus on renewing social service workers, educators, healthcare professionals and other caregivers.

“In today’s economy, preventing burnout is more important than ever,” says Queenswood’s executive director, Kate Fagan Taylor. “Nowhere else in Canada can you find such a rich variety of affordable programs that renew people who have a passion for serving others. This is how Queenswood is staying true to its roots and living the legacy of the Sisters of St. Ann, who themselves are nurses, educators and social workers.”

The response from residents in Greater Victoria has been enthusiastic, as increasing numbers of people in BC are exploring spiritual practices. While BC has the lowest rate of church attendance of all the provinces in Canada, personal spirituality is growing in popularity. According to Statistics Canada, 21% of the British Columbians who do not attend church take part in some kind of spiritual practice weekly.

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For more information or interviews with Queenswood staff or guests, please contact:
Stefan Jonsson, Programs and Marketing Coordinator
Phone: 250.514.0288
Email: programs@queenswoodvictoria.ca
www.queenswoodvictoria.ca

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