The Oblates of Mary Immaculate, the Catholic Religious Order who have operated Queen’s House since 1958, have come to a place where they are no longer able to maintain this and other of their ministries in Canada and elsewhere. Age, diminishment and other factors have contributed to this difficult decision to withdraw from retreat ministry at Queen’s House. We trust that the following information will be of assistance to update our community and provide direction and clarity to those who have an interest in what future plans may unfold. Members of our community who have been in contact with OMI Lacombe Canada regarding the sale of Queen’s House will also be contacted directly by them. To this end, please refer to the following Request For Proposals directive and associated information.
St. Charles Missions Support invites formal Requests for Proposal (RFP) regarding the Queen’s House Retreat & Renewal Centre property. Submissions must be received no later than January 31, 2024. For access to the information package, please follow the links provided below:
RFP St Charles Property – Word
RFP St Charles Property – PDF
The following information, dated November 24, 2023 and revised today, December 15, 2023, is addressed to the many Friends of Queen’s House and contains the current status of the Planning Committee associated with managing this process of transition.
At this point, the Transition Planning Committee is made up of the following:
OMI Lacombe Canada Queen’s House:
Andrew Stendzina omi (chair) Martha Fergusson
Debbie Doornbos Sarah Donnelly
Chris Pulchny omi Corrine Pambrun
Rob Meilleur (CAO) Brendan Bitz
This Queen’s House Transition Planning Committee was struck following recent meetings involving staff, members of our Advisory Board and leadership representatives of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. The purpose of this committee is to assist with the withdrawal of the Oblates from retreat ministry and the upcoming sale of the property. These meetings were helpful and are allowing us to clarify this challenge and begin to plan for next steps. We offer you this brief update:
- To date the property has not been sold.
- The Oblates have prepared the Request For Proposals (RFP) document posted above to guide the interest and offers that are emerging from our community regarding the property. This notice will be posted in our weekly e-newsletter and is now on our website. If you know of anyone considering submitting an expression of interest or wanting to submit a proposal regarding the purchase of this property, please contact Rob Meilleur, CFO for the Oblates, by email at RMeilleur@omilacombe.ca
- Our plan is to conclude all Oblate sponsored programs and hosted bookings by July 31, 2024.
- A time of giving thanks for Queen’s House, the Oblates, and the gifts of the last 65 years is tentatively scheduled to take place at the end of Fr. Ron Rolheiser’s annual retreat, on the afternoon and evening of Thursday, July 18, 2024.
We will keep you posted as further details emerge. In the meantime, please continue to enjoy the many retreats and workshops that we will be offering in the coming months, and we look forward to welcoming those groups who enjoy coming to the retreat centre for meetings and conferences. Thank you for continuing to pray for wisdom, creativity and discernment as the future of this property is determined.