3/16/2020
Dear Men of Manresa,
Due to the circumstances involved with the Covid-19 Virus situation,
it has been
determined that Manresa House of Retreats will be suspending operation of our
preached retreats beginning March 19, 2020 through April 12, 2020. This means that
Groups 12,15,13A, 14, and 13 will not be held this year.
For groups whose retreats are scheduled to be held after the April 12,2020 closing date,
men are asked to contact their group’s captain to learn as to the status of their retreat
being held.
Let us all keep one another in our prayers,
God Bless
Tim Murphy
Director, Manresa House of Retreats
Convent, Louisiana
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3/12/2020
As our community continues to learn more about COVID-19 (formerly 2019-nCOV or novel coronavirus),
Manresa is focused on minimizing impacts on our retreatants, priests, and staff. To ensure sound and careful
decision-making, the board and I are monitoring global, national, and local health organizations daily as well
as information provided by the Center for Disease Control.
We want to assure captains and retreatants that Manresa is diligently following the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention's policies and procedures to ensure that we are prepared to act swiftly and
proactively if the need arises. Because we have a very widespread age group of retreatants, priests, and
staff at Manresa, we feel these precautions are the responsible thing to do.
Even as we prepare and take these measures, we recognize that our everyday actions are our best line of
defense and ask you to help us by reminding retreatants of the following:
- Stay home when sick; this includes any illness that is causing coughing, sneezing, fever
or any other flu-like symptoms.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Wash your hands thoroughly (for at least 20 seconds) after sneezing, blowing your nose, coughing
or using the bathroom, and before preparing or eating food. Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth
with unwashed hands.
- If you cough or sneeze, do so into the bend of your elbow, not your hand. Or use a tissue, and then
throw it away immediately afterward.
Who should avoid making a retreat at this time?
- Retreatants of all ages with severe underlying health conditions — like heart disease, lung disease
and diabetes, for example — who seem to be at higher risk of developing serious COVID-19 illness.
- Retreatants who in the last 28 days, have traveled to China, Japan, South Korea, Italy or Iran, or a
community where the coronavirus is spreading.
- Retreatants who have had close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease
caused by the new coronavirus? (Close contact means having been within 6 feet of that person for
an extended time or being exposed to their cough or sneeze.)
- Retreatants who have a fever, a cough or difficulty breathing.
- Retreatants who were told by a public health officer that you were potentially exposed to COVID-19.
We are also working to enhanced sanitizing efforts on the Manresa campus. Here are resources shared with
us from the Louisiana Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
- Information about COVID-19 available through state and local health departments
- General CDC fact sheets to help retreatants understand COVID-19 and the steps they can take to
protect themselves:
- CDC Information on COVID-19 and children
- CDC information for staff, students, and their families who have recently traveled back to the United
States from areas where CDC has identified community spread of coronavirus:
The health and well-being of Manresa’s community of retreatants, priests, and staff remain our highest priority. We will continue to monitor this health situation and will stay in close contact as we receive more information. If you should have any further questions, please feel free to contact me. Thank you ahead of time for your help and support as we work together to keep our community healthy.