FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 14, 2023
Contact: Theresa Carson
               (847) 412-1606 or tcarson@uscsvd.org

The Society of the Divine Word has listed its historic Miramar property. Located in Duxbury, Mass., seven miles from Plymouth Rock, the Miramar Retreat Center served as a place of renewal for 74 years.

After years of discussions, the Society of the Divine Word closed the retreat center in June of 2022 due to ongoing financial concerns and a personnel shortage.

“The retreat center was a haven for spiritual seekers for generations,” said Father Adam Oleszczuk SVD, provincial superior of the Chicago Province. “We are grateful for all who have worked, worshipped and studied at Miramar.”

Elizabeth Belknap, the property’s second owner, sold the land to the Divine Word Missionaries (SVD) in 1945. Under the management of the Society of the Divine Word, the retreat center served a wide variety of organizations, welcoming more than 6,000 annual visitors before the Covid pandemic.

The Miramar property is listed for sale on various residential and commercial outlets for a 90-day marketing period ending late October 2023. Listed at $8.2 million, the site includes 30 acres and has three major buildings: the retreat center, a community residence, and an additional conference center.

“The Society of the Divine Word will consider offers from any residential and commercial entities, including those who envision some continued religious purpose for the property,” said Father John Szukalski SVD, who heads the committee that oversees the sale.

Society of the Divine Word, the world's largest Catholic missionary order, has almost 6,000 members working in more than 80 countries. The congregation’s Chicago Province stretches from Canada to the Caribbean and from Nebraska to Massachusetts.

For more information about Miramar, please visit: www.MiramarAtBayFarm.com. 

 

​