Planners give green light for large religious retreat in county Kilkenny

Kilkenny County Council has given the go-ahead for the construction of a large religious retreat.

The development by the Irish Friends of the Foyer of Charity at Rathlogan and Glashare will consist of a church, an oratory, lecture facilities, kitchen and dining facilities, a library, a sitting room and “recreational space for retreatants”, according to the planning application.

The facility will also include ensuite bedroom accommodation, a boiler house, a campanile, an access
road, carparking, a waste water treatment system, a sand polishing filter and “associated site
works” .

The charity originally applied for planning permission for a retreat centre at the same site back in May 2017. But it said that, “for several reasons including the Covid lockdowns and general disruption caused thereafter, the applicants have not been in a position to commence the development as of yet.”

Their planning application added: “As the expiry date for the current permission quickly approaches, are now re-applying for largely the same project with a new planning application.”

In a letter of introduction accompanying its planning application, the Foyer of Charity described itself as “a community of laypersons”,

It states: “The first Foyer of Charity was founded in France in 1936, thanks to an inspiration nourished in prayer by a farmwoman, Marthe Robin, and the apostolic work of a diocesan priest, Father George Finet of Lyons.

“Currently there are 76 Foyers worldwide, 28 in Africa, 15 in the Americas, 9 in Asia and 24 in Europe
of which there are 11 in France and 1 in Ireland. They welcome about 50,000 retreatants each year
worldwide.

“The foyer of Charity has been present in Ireland since 1985. The current Foyer Father is Fr Killian
Byrne, a priest of the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin, and the Foyer is based in Dunmore East in Co.
Waterford.”

The letter states: “The main function carried out in/by a Foyer of Charity is the provision of week-long silent retreats. These retreats are open to all people who might wish to attend. ”

Explaining the reason for the Kilkenny development, the charity adds: “The current Foyer location in Co.
Waterford, does not facilitate the provision of retreats due to size and space restrictions, therefore Fr
Kilian and the Foyer family members, rent various retreat centers around the country for the provision
Kof the many retreats that they provide annually. The ideal obviously is to be in a fixed location and to
be able to accommodate the retreats there.

“The Foyer Father and the Foyer family would reside permanently in the retreat center from where they
would welcome retreatants to stay for a retreat and/or visitor that might stop by.”