Cardinal Stritch Retreat House is a place committed to offering to ministers and others of the Catholic Church a place to gather, to reflect, to pray and to rest.  Our mission is to provide hospitality to you so as to assure your comfort and provide the quiet so necessary to listen to God’s call.  Each room is equipped with its own private bathroom, full-sized bed, recliner, dresser and prie-dieu.  Meals are provided by an outstanding kitchen staff.  Contiguous to the spacious grounds of University of St. Mary of the Lake, there are hundreds of acres of forest and miles of shoreline to explore.  A meeting room is located within the building together with a beautiful chapel and comfortable library and common room.

The facilities.

We have 43 rooms available for your use.  Each room has a private bath and shower.  The rooms are air-conditioned in the warm months and radiator-heated for the cooler days.  Each room is quiet, comfortably appointed and well-lit so as to be a place of prayer and contemplation.  Our dining room can seat up to 56 people and our kitchen staff is truly excited to demonstrate their skills in both courtesy as well as efficiency with large groups.  The private retreatant will also experience the kitchen staff’s solicitude for the retreatant’s comfort or special needs.  The third floor has a meditation room for quiet prayer.  In our office and waiting room, there is a small bookstore with items of interest for sale to retreatants.  Our lower level has a meeting room which can accommodate 40 persons.  An elevator services all four levels of the building.

In addition to the features mentioned above, we are very proud of our beautiful chapel which was personally designed by Cardinal Stritch.  Behind the marble altar is the ascending Christ.  Flanking this altar are statues of Mary and Joseph.  Eight stained glass windows line the nave.  The chapel can accommodate a congregation of 54 persons.  Below the chapel, on the lower level, is an oratory, an architectural gem, with seventeen altars.  Finally, we point out our library and sitting room where one can relax and browse our collection or read the periodicals.  Conversation and snacks may also be had in this comfortable room.

The retreats.

The House schedules a variety of retreats.  There are traditional preached retreats.  There are retreats with a special focus or intended for a particular group.  There are silent and directed retreats where one has the advantage of meeting daily with a spiritual director for personal guidance.

Do not hesitate to call the Retreat House at any time for reservations for a scheduled retreat or to arrange a day or two or a full week (or more) on your own.  Private retreats are always a possibility.  If your group of ministers would like to schedule your own retreat, call us to make arrangements.