Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center

Visit our new web pages on our proposed new development.

Would you like the convenience of not having to deal with your donation when you are on your weekend retreat? Making a recurring monthly payment toward your weekend retreat allows you to plan ahead. Or if you find yourself unable to contribute when you are on retreat, this is a good way to spread the donation over a period of time.

Would you like to be a part of a magnificent improvement of our beloved Mater Dolorosa Stations of the Cross?  

2015 will mark the 50^th year that the beautiful, life size Stations of the Cross at Mater Dolorosa have provided a place of solitude for retreatants to open their hearts and minds to feel the healing power of God. We invite you to become part of this landmark celebration by helping us renovate the Stations for their 50^th anniversary!

The rugged elements of the San Gabriel foothills have taken a toll on the Stations’ infrastructure and surrounding environment.  Scarce resources are most often directed toward the maintenance and improvement of the Retreat Center which houses retreatants when they attend a retreat.  In addition, 50 years of retreatant use has led to the need to refurbish the Stations so our children and grandchildren will have the same prayerful opportunity for the next 50 years.

For more information, please watch this special video below.

To make a donation in support of our Stations Renovation Project, please scroll down.

The Stations of the Cross, which follow the path of Christ from Pontius Pilate’s praetorium to Christ’s tomb, have been an important devotion for Catholics for centuries.  The Stations of the Cross are used at every weekend retreat, on Good Friday, and by local church groups, high school and grade school groups and all visitors to Mater Dolorosa.  The Mater Dolorosa Stations are life size and the path through the Stations covers the same distance as Christ’s last walk in Jerusalem, just a little less than a quarter of a mile.  Passing though the Stations today requires a keen eye and steady foot because of the deterioration of the pavement.  The Stations are virtually inaccessible to handicapped and disabled persons.  Even though we are an overnight retreat facility, the Stations can only be safely visited during daylight hours.

The design for the renovation will create a unique spiritual setting, with places to rest, pray, reflect and enjoy the natural surroundings.  The existing walkways have deteriorated and will be replaced. The slopes will be eased. Permanent benches will be added and new lighting will showcase the beauty of the Stations and allow for nighttime use.

A new Garden of Gethsemane area will be developed among the 90 year old olive trees just to the north of the Stations pathway. The Garden of Gethsemane will become the starting point for meditation prior to experiencing the Way of the Cross. A bronze sculpture of Jesus and his “Agony in the Garden”, along with sculptures of disciple figures of Peter, James and John have been commissioned with Christopher Slatoff, a noted sculptor.

The Passionist Cemetery which is barely visible at this time will be part of this amazing renovation project.  This is an opportunity for us to honor our beloved Passionists who dedicated their lives to preaching the Passion of Jesus Christ and creating such a beautiful place for us to pray and spend time with God.

View additional photos: Photo Page – Stations Renovation.pdf

Station 13 – “The Body of Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross” will be dedicated to retreatants who make a donation to help with the renovation.

You can be part of this historic renovation at Mater Dolorosa in several ways.

• Sponsor a station
• Become a station maintenance endowment sponsor
• Sponsor the bronze sculpture of Peter, James or John in the garden with Jesus
• Make a donation toward the Retreatant Station #13

Ways to Give

• Make an individual cash donation.
• Have your employer match your gift.
• Give a gift of stock/appreciated securities.
• Get retreatants from your Parish involved.

Monetary Commitments for Stations Renovation – To date, half of the total projected cost for the stations renovation has been raised.  $375,000 has been raised through a grant from the Dan Murphy Foundation, donations from our 2013 Harvest on the Hill Event, and early sponsors of particular stations.  $10,000 has been raised from an individual sponsor for station maintenance endowment.

Station Sponsorship Opportunities are available for each of the Stations as follows:

Station Sponsor Amount:                           $30,000

Station Maintenance Endowment:           $10,000

Monetary Commitments for the new Garden of Gethsemane

A donor has come forward to sponsor the cost of the Jesus figure for the garden.  Additional donors are being sought for the disciple figures of Peter, James and John.  These sponsorships will be $65,000 for each disciple.

Permanent donor acknowledgements will be made for both sponsorship and maintenance endowment commitments in the stations environment.

On behalf of the Passionist Community and staff, the Mater Dolorosa Board of Directors, and the many retreatants and friends who benefit from these beautiful Stations of the Cross, we extend to you our deep, personal thanks for your support.  May God bless you and all your loved ones.

Stations of the Cross donations can be made by check and sent to:

Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center
Stations Renovation Project
700 N Sunnyside Avenue
Sierra Madre, CA  91024

Or, drop off a check in person at the Retreat Center.

If you wish to donate stock/appreciated securities, please contact the Development Office.

If you have any questions or would like additional information, please call the Development Office at 626-355-7188, Ext. 103 or email [email protected].

Letter from the Director

My dear friends,

Welcome to the website of Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center.  Here we hope you will discover and begin to explore this sacred place in Sierra Madre, California.  Since 1924 the Passionists and the Mater Dolorosa Retreat League have sponsored retreats, days of prayer and other spiritual programs to enable all those who are seeking a deeper relationship with God to experience His presence in the peace, beauty and wonder in this remarkable place.

Located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, Mater Dolorosa is blessed with a spacious and comfortable retreat center that has single-room accommodations for up to 90 guests, beautifully landscaped grounds, a Memorial Garden dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, a life-size Way of the Cross and a variety of places for quiet meditation and prayer overlooking the San Gabriel Valley.  Mater Dolorosa is truly a sacred place that lifts the spirits and calms the souls of all who come here.

As you come to know this beautiful and sacred retreat center, I am confident that you will find here a renewed experience of God and a deep sense of His love and presence in your life.  Come and see, rest and be renewed.

Fr. Mike, CP
Retreat Director

Make a secure online donation to Mater Dolorosa by scrolling down to our donation form.

Download and mail our Ways to Give Donor Form.

Please consider Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in your will or estate plan. Click here to learn how to complete your bequest to Mater Dolorosa. 

What is a Retreat?

A retreat is a personal encounter with God through a balance of communal prayer, inspirational talks, silence and solitude, natural beauty and sacramental grace. This sacred time brings renewal for your body, mind and spirit.

Why is making a retreat important?

“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”  Mark 6:31

Even if these words of Jesus were spoken directly to us today, many of us would have a myriad of reasons of why we could not get away.  We are overcommitted in many areas of our life and can’t imagine taking a few days to make a retreat. However, if you are honest with yourself, you know that you could make the time.

In the simplicity of the retreat experience, we connect with our true self. For people of faith, this time is not a luxury, it is a necessity.

Weekend retreats at Mater Dolorosa are silent retreats. Why do we enter into silence? Silence renews us and provides a refreshed perspective on the condition of our life. In silence, we are less likely to be able to hide from our problems, and by practicing silence, we nurture our listening skills and are better able to hear the quiet voice of God.

In the book of Hosea, God invites us “to come to the desert to pray and He will speak to our hearts.” In the stillness of the sacred grounds of Mater Dolorosa, our spirit is nourished with the solitude of silence, meditation and prayer.

Because…You Make A Difference!

The Passionist-preached retreat ministry has continued since the first retreat in 1926, which was held under the shade of a giant Moreton Bag Fig tree.  This is a powerful testament that the retreat ministry at Mater Dolorosa is an important and necessary ministry to the many men and women who come to the mountain every year to attend a retreat.

A retreat at Mater Dolorosa offers solitude and silence, a time to stand apart from the pressures of the day ~ to reflect, to pray, and to be restored by the love of Christ.

Contributions to Mater Dolorosa help us to continue to provide a spiritual sanctuary where people can leave behind the demands of every day life and renew their faith in a more meaningful way.

Accomplishments   

Donor support has helped Mater Dolorosa achieve the following successes:

• Offer a unique and wonderful opportunity for spiritual growth and development since 1926.
• Uphold the long-held tradition of welcoming all who wish to attend a Passionist-preached weekend retreat regardless of their financial ability to pay the recommended donation.  More than 3,000 men and women attend a weekend retreat at Mater Dolorosa each year.
• Help subsidize High School student Kairos retreats to students in underserved communities.  Two high schools were assisted in 2011-2012 fiscal year.
• Add new retreat programs such as Spanish-speaking married couples in October, 2011 and 2012; and a Young Adult retreat in June of 2012.
• Retreat Center grounds available to 3,500 visitors on Good Friday to walk and pray our uniquely beautiful Stations of the Cross.
• Continue a hosted program ministry that reflects the
  Passionist mission of hospitality.  Hosted groups include religious communities, school faculty, Catholic high school students, Archdiocesan programs, theological seminary programs, and Ecumenical retreats for various churches and organizations.
• Approximately 125 hosted groups utilize the beauty and serenity of the Mater Dolorosa retreat center and grounds each year.
• Maintenance, repair, enhancements and upgrades to the retreat center and grounds.

Future Goal

Your support is needed more than ever before to ensure the retreat center has sufficient resources to carry out its mission, to offer Passionist-preached retreats, and to continue our long-held traditions well into the future.

Make a secure online donation to Mater Dolorosa. 

Download our Ways to Give Donor Form.

Click here for our Century Club donation form

Click here for our Sponsorship Circle donation form.

Please consider Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in your will or estate plan.  Click here to learn how to complete your  bequest to Mater Dolorosa.    

For more information on supporting Mater Dolorosa please call:
Jeanne Warlick, Director of Development
626 355 7188, ext 103 or
email: [email protected]

Mater Dolorosa welcomes many groups and organizations who use our facility to host their own program. These groups are usually scheduled during the week, but occasionally weekends are available as well. Hosted groups include:

• Members of religious communities, priests and clergy
  Religious organizations of many denominations
• Parish Staffs
• Archdiocesan organizations
• Seminarians
• Deacons
• School faculties and students
• Ministers and church boards
• Campus ministers
• Youth organizations

Available for day use or for overnight:
For rates, availability or to make a reservation, contact Janet Selinske, 626-355-7188 x107, or email [email protected], Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

We invite you to scroll through the pictures to see our grounds and accommodations!

Beautiful Meeting Rooms

• Founder’s Hall accommodates groups up to 110
• De Loor Hall accommodates groups up to 80
• Possenti Hall accommodates groups up to 250

The library is a quiet reading area that also accommodates 6-8 people.

Delicious meals are served in the historic dining room, which accommodates 110.

Overnight accommodations include 67 single bedrooms and 21 double bedrooms,
all with private baths.

The chapel seats 110.

The veranda offers an ideal setting for smaller groups or a quiet space to read and reflect.