Evening in the Loyola Prayer Gardens fundraiser includes live music, concert performance, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and a Super 50/50 Raffle
Loyola Jesuit Center located at 161 James Street on thirty acres of beautiful lawns, gardens and woodlands in Morristown, NJ will host its 3rd annual “Evening in the Loyola Prayer Gardens” on Thursday, June 25 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Live music, a concert performance, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and a Super 50/50 Raffle are included in this philanthropic event.
Since 1927 Loyola Jesuit Center (formerly Loyola House of Retreats) has offered silent retreats for men and women of all faiths in a quiet, contemplative atmosphere. “The gardens are an extension of the retreat experience at Loyola. They are a sacred place of beauty, meditation and reflection. Most of our retreatants spend a lot of their time outside strolling through the meandering pathways, gazing at the fish in the reflecting pool, listening to the trickling of the fountains and taking in the beauty of the flowers,” said Renee Owens, Director for the Loyola Jesuit Center.
In addition to the gardens, the historic mansion built in 1904, two chapels, the bookstore and library will be open for guests to visit throughout the evening. “We want everyone to come and experience the splendor and tranquility of Loyola, whether it’s for a special event like this, a day or weekend retreat, First Friday mass or one of our spiritually-enriching programs. Loyola provides a respite from the hustle and bustle of today’s fast-paced, technological world,” said Owens.
A garden concert will be provided by Joaquín Maria, classical guitarist and Isidro Chavez, saxophonist. Their program will include a variety of jazz, Latino, spiritual and contemporary musical selections. Both performers are graduates of the National Conservatory of Music in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Mr. María is currently the director of the Hispanic Choir of St. Patrick’s Cathedral of the Archdiocese of New York. In conjunction with this event, a Super 50/50 Raffle will be held with many chances to win cash prizes. One grand prize of $30,000 or 25% of the ticket sales will be awarded. Two second prizes at $10,000 each and twenty consolation prizes at $500 each will also be given. Raffle tickets are $100 per ticket and only 1,200 tickets will be sold. The drawing will take place at 8:00 p.m. at the event on June 25, but attendance is not required to win.
Tickets to attend the event are available for $35 per person. Raffle tickets are being sold separately to attendees and non-attendees. All proceeds from the event will help Loyola Jesuit Center continue its Free Will Offering approach of accepting donations of any size for its retreats and providing retreats for the less fortunate, those combating homelessness and addiction and those in recovery. All are welcome at Loyola – lay and religious, women and men, youth and seniors – regardless of financial status. For more information or to purchase event tickets or raffle tickets, e-mail retreathouse@loyola.org, call 973-539-0740 or visit the website at www.loyola.org.
Morristown FYI 