Saskatoon’s Queen’s House closes its doors after 66 years

A long-standing retreat and renewal centre has closed its doors and will soon hand over its keys.

After 66 years, the Queen’s House in Saskatoon is saying goodbye. The space was home to around 150 community groups and helped put on everything from Catholic programming to spiritual and meditation retreats.

“It’s the belief that the spirit comes in many different dimensions, and you just don’t know what the stranger brings to your world and to your community,” Queen’s House executive director Brendan Bitz said.

Bitz went on to explain how the facility was created and run by the oblates, an order of priests formed in France over 200 years ago.

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“They responded to the desperate social needs around the French Revolution…. Their first order of support was to widows and orphans and to prisoners,” Bitz said. “And one of the responses to that work was the development of retreat centres around North America that could serve as learning centres and faith development centres for them.”

Originally a centre for Catholics, father Kevin Thorson said Queen’s House responded to the evolving needs of the community.

“One of the blessings, especially in the last 30 years or so that Queen’s House has offered a space for everybody,” Thorson said.

Thorson went on to say the congregation of oblates is growing in other countries but diminishing in Canada, leading to the difficult decision to close Queen’s House.

“There is a sadness as we come to the final days of the retreat house’s existence but at the same time there’s a real sense of gratitude,” Thorson said. “A place like this takes an awful lot of resources, it takes a lot of energy and we just simply couldn’t do it anymore.”

Bitz said work is underway to find new homes for religious items and books.

As for what will happen with the space in the future? Queen’s House says it has sold the property to Saskatoon’s RIVA Developments.

A conceptual development plan showed a few possibilities, including seniors’ housing, mixed-use development and market housing.

RIVA plans to begin construction on a new development in 2025 or 2026. The new owners get the keys on Sept. 1.