THE CENTRE

Perched spectacularly among the cliffs of southwest Ireland, Dzogchen Beara is a Buddhist retreat centre. With its dramatic coastal views and its constant, all pervasive spiritual practice, the atmosphere is such that most people find they are deeply nourished by their visit. It is here, on an elevated tract of land with views of both sunrise and sunset over the Atlantic, that the Spiritual Care Centre will be built. It will serve as a model of how to offer spiritual care for those who face chronic illness or death and those who care for them.

The new centre will serve people from all walks of life and religious orientations. It will be a home from home--a refuge where those who are sick or facing death can come, with family or friends, for periods of rest in an welcoming and healing atmosphere. The centre will have 10 rooms for those who are sick, their family and friends and resident carers.

 

WHERE ARE WE?

The Spiritual Care Centre is situated on the wild and beautiful Beara Peninsula in south west Ireland, and sits high on cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean with breathtaking views of sea and sky. Almost everyone who visits, comments on the extraordinary qualities of Dzogchen Beara--its beautiful natural environment and atmosphere of profound peace which comes from deep spiritual practice. Beara Peninsula, located in County Cork, is 144km (100 miles) west of Cork city, 56km (35 miles) west of Bantry, and 128km (80 miles) south of Killarney. The nearest villages are Castletownbere 8km (5 miles) and Allihies 11km (7 miles). The nearest airport, train station, bus station and port are in Cork.

 

WHO ARE WE?

Spiritual Director
Sogyal Rinpoche
Author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

Patrons
Dr. Balfour Mount MD FRCSPC
Dr. Balfour Mount has made an outstanding contribution to the birth and development of palliative care both in Canada and internationally.

Julie Christie
Oscar award winning actress and long term student of Buddhism

Project managers
John Douglas
Development Manager, Dzogchen Beara

Mary Moore
Former International Director of the Spiritual Care Programme

Advisors
Dr. Tony O'Brien MD FRCPI
Consultant Physician in Palliative Care,
Marymount Hospice
University College Hospital Cork

Brigid O'Brien, BSc MA
Assistant Public Health Director, West Cork

Margaret O'Donovan
Principal Community Worker, West Cork
Community Services

Mimi Cosgrave, BSc RN RM
General Manager, Bons Secours Care Village, Cork

Mairead Murphy RN
Nurse, St Joseph’s Hospital, Castletownbere

Giles Oliver RIBA
Senior Partner, Penoyre and Prasad LLP
London, UK

Prof. Brigitte Castor
Dipl. Ing.
University of Koln

Design Team
Solearth Ecological Architecture
68 Dame St. Dublin 2. Ireland.
www.solearth.com

Declan Malone & Associates
Chartered Quantity Surveyors
Barringtons Avenue
Ballintemple, Cork

Davis Associates Engineers Ltd.
White Swan Business Centre
Greenville Avenue
Dublin 8

Malone O'Regan
Richview Office Park
Clonskeagh
Dublin 4

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BUILDING DESIGN

The design of the new Spiritual Care Centre is based on our past experience caring for people who are sick and dying. Following a consultancy process with a multidisciplinary team of advisors, a preliminary design brief was produced. The building is designed to allow for social interaction as well as quieter moments, both inside and outside the building, according to the changing needs of our guests.

Solearth, an architectural firm with an explicit ecological mandate, was engaged to translate the brief into a building that not only allows our guests the highest level of comfort, but is harmonious with the spectacular location and meets the highest environmental standards. The building incorporates renewable energy sources including solar panels and wood chip heating and is designed to achieve the highest rating under the E.U.'s forthcoming Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.

Entering the foyer of the centre you will immediately be struck by floor to ceiling windows that open onto expansive views of the Atlantic, three hundred feet below. The building hinges around the meditation room, the spiritual heart of the centre. Here, daily meditation and guided compassion practices will be offered. Guests, their friends and staff will have opportunities to deepen their spirituality according to their own tradition.

The social heart of the centre is a family style kitchen and open plan dining area. Initially there are four spacious guest bedrooms with the potential to increase this in the future. Each room is en-suite and has it’s own private conservatory that looks south over landscaped gardens with sunrise over the Atlantic as a backdrop. There is additional accommodation for family, friends and staff and all residents will be able to avail of the therapeutic Jacuzzi and massage room.

 

BUDGET AND PLANNING

To raise the €2,750,000 needed to build and open the Spiritual Care Centre, a capital fund raising appeal has now been launched. Your support of this appeal will enable many people facing life-threatening illness to find peace and spiritual meaning in the future. All donations will be very gratefully received and donations from Ireland, UK, USA and Germany all qualify for tax relief. In addition, we are appealing for major donors who can make a donation of €10,000 or more who could make a really significant difference to this project.

 

Building Schedule

Planning Application Submitted - July 2005
Detailed Designs - September 2005
Site Excavation Started - January 2007
Construction Starts - April 2007

 

Fundraising Target

The total cost of construction, fees, equipment and furnishing is estimated at Euro 4,000,000.

 

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OPERATING COSTS

The Spiritual Care Centre will initially be managed by two staff members with management, nursing and spiritual care experience. They will be supported by volunteer care assistants and spiritual practitioners. Fees will be based upon nursing home rates and a bursary fund will be established to assist those who cannot meet these costs. The income and expenditure for the first three years of the Spiritual Care Centre’s operations are summarised below.

Income and Expenditure Estimates for One Year
	Euro
Fee Income	35,500
Expenditure
Facilities	7,000
Staffing	50,000
Communication	4,200
Accountancy/Legal	3,000
Establishment	22,300
Fund Raising	20,000
Miscellaneous	2,300
Depreciation	20,000
Total Expenditure	128,800
10% Contingency	12,900
TOTAL 141,700 Annual Balance to be Raised 106,200

 

As with all charities offering care there will always be a need for fund raising to support the running of the centre. Our capital fundraising targets take account of this for the first three years after opening. Once the capital fundraising targets are met we will launch our appeal for an endowment fund so the centre can run with ease and minimal fundraising costs.