St. Ignatius Spirituality Center (SISC)
Is a 24-hectare property of Ateneo de Davao University located at Barangay Adecor, in the Island Garden City of Samal. The SISC is first and foremost a place for prayer and reflection. It provides a venue for refuge, renewal, and solitude for the university, its partner institutions, and friends. Only silent and individually-guided retreats are accommodated.
The SISC has six clusters and each cluster is composed of six individual cottages for the retreatants, a cottage for the retreat guide, an oratory and a dining hall. Each retreatant’s cottage comes with its own prayer and bedspace, shower, toilet and veranda. A main chapel and a session hall are still being completed. For exercise, the facility has a paved 1.4 kilometer jogging trail.
The SISC boasts of a picturesque shoreline with rich mangrove and limestone forests.
Indigenous trees include Tipolo, Molave, Tibig, Ficus, Sterculia, and Malibago.
It is also a home to a variety of birds including Sunbirds, Flycatchers, Crows, Kingfishers, and the Black-naped Oriole.
Best of all, the SISC offers the most scenic sunsets overlooking Mt. Apo and Davao City.
To lessen the impact of development in the island, water is sourced from a spring discovered within the property.
It is treated via reverse osmosis, making the tap water potable.
Rainwater is harvested for non-potable uses. And with bioengineering, low-impact systems have been installed to maximize rainwater infiltration. Bioswales, infiltration trenches, and rain gardens also help filter rainwater and percolate it back to the ground.
The Center also takes its sewage seriously—a multi-chamber septic tank system is employed, and with phytoremediation, plants and microorganisms provide a natural means of dealing with harmful bacteria and pollutants.
At SISC, it is believed that a meaningful encounter with nature can lead to a deepening relationship with God. This is their way of schooling others in the spirituality of St. Ignatius.
For reservation and more information, please contact:
Fr. Victor R. Baltazar, SJ
Director
St. Ignatius Spirituality Center-Samal
Ateneo de Davao University
E. Jacinto St., 8016 Davao City
Tel No. +63 (82) 221.2411 local 8373
Fax No. +63 (82) 226.4116