• August 24, 1910: Thomas B. Enders, M.D., a Yale-educated graduate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons (Columbia) and Hartford surgeon purchases Enders Island from the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent DePaul, and work begins almost immediately developing Enders Island.

• 1918: The construction of the Enders House begins.

• March 1, 1920: Dr. Enders purchases a right of way from the Mason's Island Company and proceeds to build a bridge connecting Enders Island to Mason's Island.

• December 22, 1925: Dr. Enders marries Alys VanGilder in the West End Presbyterian Church, in New York City.

• Work continues on Enders Island, including the extensive stone tiles designed by Mrs. Enders and featured throughout the arts and crafts style mansion.

• January 16, 1932: Dr. Enders conveys Enders Island to Mrs. Enders.

• January 26, 1943: Dr. Enders dies at the age of 77.  He leaves the sum of $100,000 (nearly $1.5 million in current dollars) to Mrs. Enders “for work, labor, and materials, in the repair, restoration, or improvement of the land and buildings known as Enders Island.”

• 1953: Mrs. Enders’ health is failing, and she sets out to ensure the preservation of her beloved Enders Island. She seeks a religious institution to gift the property. 

• Summer 1953: Since Mrs. Enders had been raised a Catholic, she sends her representatives to meet with The Most Reverend Henry J. O’Brien, Bishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford.

• October  1953: After a reorganization of the Catholic Church of Connecticut and the establishment of the Diocese of Norwich, Bishop-Designate Bernard Joseph Flanagan is formally appointed as the first Bishop of Norwich. He does not see any use for Enders Island, but to help Mrs. Enders fulfill her wish, refers the offer to Father Jeremiah T. Purtill, SSE, the Superior General of the Society of St. Edmund.

• Father Purtill was born and raised in the village of Pawcatuck, Connecticut, and knew of both Dr. Enders and Enders Island.

• By 1953, Father Purtill has become the Superior General of the Society of St. Edmund, an order of priests and brothers who foster spiritual renewal, evangelization, and social justice.

• Father Purtill visits Enders Island shortly after the New Year in 1954. It is the first time he ever sets foot on the grounds.

• January 6, 1954: Father Purtill accepts Mrs. Enders’ gift of Enders Island.
 

• January 8, 1954:  Alys Enders formally transfers Enders Island to the Society of St. Edmund.

• January 30, 1954: Mrs. Enders goes home to God, knowing that Enders Island is now in the hands of a religious order to be used in carrying out its religious charitable mission and would not fall into secular hands. She desired that her beloved Island would be preserved.

• October 9, 1954: Bishop Flanagan, The Bishop of Norwich, formally welcomes and approves the mission of the Society of St. Edmund in the Diocese of Norwich, stating, “It is understood that this House is to serve, primarily, as a novitiate for the Community, but I express my hope that it will serve to carry out the other good works which are proper to your Congregation, as time goes on.” In the spring of 1955, the Edmundite Community begins welcoming parish groups for Days of Recollection and prayer.

• 1967 — Other Good Works: The “other good works” begin almost immediately with the opening of a Retreat Ministry and, beginning in 1967, a formal Recovery Ministry is established, now known as “St. Edmund’s Retreat.”

• 1990 — Facing Trouble: By 1990, St. Edmund’s Retreat is tired, dispirited, and bankrupt. The Superior General of the Society began to develop a plan for the revitalization and renewal of the programs and facilities.

• 1991: A task force meets for nearly a year and in the spring of 1991 — by a vote of 19 to 1— recommend to the Superior General that St. Edmund’s Retreat be closed. The Bishop of Norwich, Bishop Daniel Patrick Reilly, asks the Society to reconsider and develop a plan for the revitalization of the Ministry of Enders Island.

•2003: In order to ensure the long-term sustainability/viability of the ministries of Enders Island, the Society of St. Edmund transfers the title of the Island from the Society of St. Edmund to the newly-formed St. Edmund of Connecticut, Inc., a 501(c)(3), a non-profit religious organization governed by a three-member Board of Directors consisting of the Bishop of Norwich, the Superior General of the Society of St. Edmund and a Bishop from Region One of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops.

• In addition, Pope John Paul II approved the lease of Enders Island from St. Edmund of Connecticut, Inc. to St. Edmund’s Retreat, Inc., an independent 501(c)(3) Catholic non-profit organization that is governed by a Board of Trustees of 25 men and women — lay and religious — who possess a wide variety of skills and expertise.

• Today — A Wish Fulfilled: The Board continues to be actively involved as a steward of Alys Enders’ precious gift, fulfilling her intention that the Island would be preserved and used for religious/charitable purposes.