St. Paul Of The Cross Passionist Retreat
And Conference Center
Detroit, Michigan
And Conference Center
Detroit, Michigan
Welcome to St. Paul’s
St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center offers an experience to remember! It is a welcoming, sacred place where you can truly experience the hospitality and compassion of St. Paul’s staff. You will find several meeting spaces, a beautiful chapel, 85 private guest bedrooms with individual bathroom and an exceptional dining service. The Center is surrounded by a secured 20 acres of outdoor statues, pathways, and gardens. You are welcome to experience this place where miracles happen! May the Passion of Jesus Christ be always in our hearts!
Mission of St. Paul’s
Our Mission
In the spirit of St. Paul of the Cross and through the love of Christ crucified, we provide a unique, sacred place of hospitality and compassion where all are welcome to experience hope, renewal, and the loving presence of God through spiritual retreats and hosted events.
Guiding Values
Hospitality: Profound acceptance and open hearted welcome of all who come.
Compassion: A down to earth experience of God’s tender mercy.
Christ Centered Spirituality: Finding hope and strength in the midst of suffering through the passion of Christ.
Quiet & Prayerful Environment: A comfortable and nurturing place of safety that readies the human heart for contact with God.
Service to All: To discover and meet the pressing unmet needs found in both the church and humanity.
Retreats
Come away by yourselves to an out of the way place.
(Mark 6:31)
A retreat is a special moment to step back from the demands and challenges of daily life. It is an opportunity to slow down, rest, and gain perspective. A retreat affords graced time to renew faith, experience the presence of our loving God and to discover anew the energy and wisdom to continue life’s journey. Be good to yourself – and to all those you touch in life and who depend upon you – seek the refreshment and renewal of heart, mind and spirit that comes from making a retreat.
Preparing for Retreat
Being on a retreat is a time for focusing on your inner life and relationship to God. You are invited to participate in the retreat in those ways in which God and your own spirit guide you. There will be scheduled and unscheduled time that includes both group talks and quiet time. All we ask is that you arrive for the retreat on time and stay for the entire retreat weekend.
Things to Know: Making the Most of Your Retreat
- Make a prayerful decision to attend a retreat. Though it’s great to be here with your friends and family, make sure that you arrive with a yearning to receive the gifts of the spirit on your retreat, and allow yourself to find your own space.
- As you enter the retreat center, try to come early enough to unpack, take a deep breath, unwind, and visit the chapel to begin the “unloading” of any burdens or anxieties you may be carrying.
- Remove yourself from your cell phone!
- Focus on the theme. Be mindful of the direction the retreat will be going, and especially where you need to be going as well! No matter what the theme, allow your heart to be open to the message the Holy Spirit may be sending you.
- Involve yourself in the activities and sessions of the retreat. This is YOUR retreat, so make sure that you do your best to receive everything that is offered on your weekend. Reconciliation, Adoration, Mass, wonderful speakers who will be sharing themselves with you – afford yourself every opportunity to get a full and meaningful experience from your weekend.
- Enjoy the beautiful grounds – the stations, the courtyard and fountain area, gazebo, labyrinth, library – for study, meditation, contemplation or adoration, enhancing your experience and spiritual growth. Also, our gift shop contains many religious articles and books for your enjoyment.
Prayer for Passionist Retreatants
Jesus, you invited the apostles to come away with you to a deserted place and rest a while. Like your apostles, enable me to experience you on retreat – your suffering love and tender compassion. May I come to better know myself, to draw closer to you, and to thus be of better service to my brothers and sisters in the church. Help me to listen attentively, to ponder prayerfully, to respond generously, and to benefit from the solitude and peace. Through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Sorrows, may I and my fellow retreatants leave our retreat as deeply committed Christians, better able to follow your footsteps in all the opportunities and challenges of life. Amen.