Retreat house construction along the Hudson, 1965
Father Columkille Regan, C.P.: 1960s Planning and
Promotion
at Cardinal Spellman Retreat, Riverdale, New York
Summarized by Father Rob Carbonneau, C.P.
What was it like to be the first retreat director of Cardinal Spellman Retreat House? As part of the 40th anniversary celebration, Father Columkille Regan, C.P. agreed to sit down with me on April 11, 2007, and answer this question. Friends of Riverdale will agree that his candid thoughts offer a behind the scenes look at events leading up to the opening of the retreat house in 1967. My summary is based on notes compiled from the taped interview.
Passionists who gathered at the July 1959 Provincial Chapter recommended that the time had come to build a new retreat house at Riverdale. However, delays left it up to the members of the July 1962 Provincial Chapter to implement a plan. All knew the plan would fail unless the New York Archdiocese reversed its long-standing policy not to permit the Passionists to build a retreat house. Success came on July 28, 1962, at a meeting between Cardinal Francis Spellman of New York and Passionist Fathers Owen Lynch and Fabian Flynn. Skillfully, Father Flynn broached the topic of a retreat house, building upon his connection with Catholic Relief Services which had led to a friendship with the Cardinal. He even suggested the Passionists would name the facility after the Cardinal. This strategy, Father Regan learned later, was how they “got the green light” to build.
In July 1963 Father Regan was teaching at the Passionist Monastery in West Springfield, Massachusetts when he got a phone call from Passionist Provincial Gerard Rooney. Rooney told the professor he was to be sent to Riverdale as the new retreat director. Father Regan was told to first spend a year at Jamaica, New York to gain understanding of the nuts and bolts of running a retreat movement. By December 1965 Father Regan was living at Blessed Strambi Retreat as retreat director of the yet unbuilt retreat house. His first challenge was to face Passionist Father Bonaventure Gonnella, who had been living there and raising money, and who was under the impression that he was to be the new retreat director. “It became a very embarrassing thing” when Father Regan assumed the reigns rather than Father Gonnella. Father Regan had to overcome many hurdles to succeed in planning and promotion.
Next
Page: Challenges faced in building Cardinal Spellman
Return to Newsletter Contents
Feed