Our History

Ontario Jubilee began in 1990 as The Toronto-Shalom Program in Spiritual Direction. Don Grayston and Mary McCann (Regis College staff) worked with Bill Lord (Director of Continuing Education at Toronto School of Theology) to bring to Ontario what was started in Vancouver. The first residency was held at Loretto College on the University of Toronto campus.

·      In the late 1990s Joan Atkinson, csj took over as director and shortly thereafter it became a two-year program to reflect the influx of persons who had less spiritual formation. 

·      In 2005 Ontario Jubilee was moved to Huron University College in London, Ontario as a continuing education program in the theology department. From 2007 until 2022 Miriam Frey served as the coordinator of Ontario Jubilee. She guided the program through various transitions.

·      Very few theology students participated in the Jubilee program, so in 2012 the program was moved to Five Oaks Retreat Centre, Paris, Ontario where it flourished in the retreat centre’s spacious and contemplative setting.

·      In 2016 Five Oaks Retreat Centre was undergoing a variety of changes. The Ontario Jubilee program responded by becoming a program of Crieff Hills Retreat Centre just south of Guelph. When the pandemic of 2020 arrived, Ontario Jubilee moved to an online program.

·      After two years, following Crieff Hills Retreat Centre’s shift in operational goals and policies, Ontario Jubilee leadership chose to incorporate as a not-for-profit in Ontario. This provided more flexibility as to where retreats were held and invited a broader base of support. Currently, Catharine Mitchell is the program coordinator of the new not-for-profit called Jubilee Spiritual Accompaniment Initiatives (JSAI). Ontario Jubilee programs are currently being offered in a hybrid format, with both online and in-person modules.