The Lake House of Prayer exists because the world got louder.
It was built as a response — not to any single moment, but to a pattern: people arriving in Mwanza exhausted, disconnected, and searching for something they couldn’t quite name. What they needed wasn’t more information or activity. They needed silence. They needed space. They needed somewhere to simply stop. That is what this place was built to hold.
Rooted in Contemplation
The Lake House of Prayer is a Catholic retreat centre operating in the Ignatian tradition — a centuries-old practice of spiritual discernment through silence, prayer, and guided reflection.
Ignatian spirituality doesn’t ask you to arrive with answers. It creates conditions for you to hear your own life more clearly — through stillness, through honest examination, and through the kind of unhurried conversation that rarely happens in ordinary time.
We welcome retreatants of all faith backgrounds. The tradition informs how we hold the space. It does not determine who is welcome in it.
A Setting That Does Its Own Work
The contemplative life of the Church began in Africa with the Desert Fathers and Mothers of Egypt in the third century, who went into silence to find what the noise of the world was covering.
Lake House of Prayer sits on a hill in the Kabuhoro-Ibanda section of Kirumba District, overlooking Lake Victoria. The grounds are landscaped for quiet — gardens, open sky, and a view of the lake that has a way of putting things in perspective.
It is not remote for the sake of it. It is simply apart — close enough to reach, far enough to feel different.
Who Holds This Space
Stephen Veryser — Director
Steve has served as Director of the Lake House of Prayer since January 2025, bringing a listening ear and an open heart to spiritual direction. His earlier years in Tanzania include teaching high school and managing rural development programs. He credits the retreat house with helping him find God again — and with his calling into lay mission with Maryknoll. He is currently pursuing a Masters of Pastoral Studies to round out his background in management.
Edigar Kiiza — Office Manager
Edigar is the main point of contact for bookings and operations at the centre. He manages the day-to-day life of the retreat house with practical attentiveness, allowing guests to focus entirely on why they came. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Project Planning, Management and Community Development from the University of Dodoma, and has long been drawn to contemplative spirituality.
Joanne Miya — Programming & Facilitation
Joanne brings over forty years of experience in rural and urban Tanzania, alongside a creative spirit, to her work facilitating retreats. She is responsible for group retreat programming, outreach, and annual planning. Her personal touch shines through in the gardens and the tasteful décor that defines the centre.
Founded in 2015 by Fr. Jim Eble M.M., the Lake House of Prayer is a collaborative effort of Maryknoll Fathers, Brothers, Sisters, and Lay Missioners, operating under the Archdiocese of Mwanza.
It is not a grand institution. It is a small, serious, carefully tended place — held by people who believe that silence is not a luxury, and that every person who arrives here deserves to be met well.
