Mary & Joseph Retreat Center (“MJRC”) is a private property dedicated as an environment of serenity, prayer, and natural beauty for individuals and groups who reserve and pay for the exclusive or shared use of the facilities and grounds. This is a sacred space. You are welcome as a day visitor if you want to stay for a few hours – to sit, relax, reflect – please read this Day Visitor Statement and register by providing your name, signature, and date at our Center Office upon arrival.

The purpose of the registration is for security and safety – yours, as well as our other guests and staff. During your day visit, please follow these guidelines, to maintain the environment.

• You may use the outdoor ground, benches, chairs, and tables – unless occupied by or reserved for a registered group using the property for retreat, meeting, or event purposes.
• Do not bring your own chairs, beach chairs, umbrellas (other than for protection from rain), tents, other camping equipment, or recreational equipment onto the property.
• No pets or emotional support animals allowed. Exceptions are Service animals trained for a specific purpose.
• The Retreat Center closes for day visitors at 5:00 p.m.
• Day visitors may use up to four day passes per month.
• MJRC reserves the right to modify these guidelines at any time.

Service animals trained for a specific purpose are welcomed, as per ADA regulations.

No pets or emotional support animals are permitted at the Retreat Center.

According to the American Disabilities Act (ADA), a service animal is any dog that is trained to “perform tasks for people with disabilities.” This would include such tasks as “guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties.”

Additionally, the ADA states that “service animals are working animals, not pets,” and “the task that a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability.”

Only dogs are recognized as service animals pursuant to titles II and III of the ADA.

ARRIVAL:
Check in at the Main Office or with your group leader.

A staff member will be on duty in the reception area from 7 am to 9 pm.

Your Stay:

• Please refrain from loud talking and unnecessary noise. Please do not feed any animals on the property.
• Please do not use towels/washcloths to remove makeup. Please use the makeup remover wipes found in your bathroom.  Please come to the office if you need more.
• This is a smoke-free facility. Please ask the Front Office for the location of the designated smoking areas on the property. Candles, incense & cigarettes are not permitted in the bedrooms.
• Please keep your bedroom door and window closed & locked to secure your personal property.
• Your door will lock automatically when you close it. 

Please remember to take your key with you.  There is a $10 fee for a lost Key.

• Some wall-mounted bedroom and bathroom lights have automatic motion sensors. Please leave the light switch on auto when you leave the room.  The lights will come on automatically when you enter the room and shut off when you leave.  If not an auto-system, please turn off the lights when you leave the room.
• Do not leave any valuables in the meeting room unattended.
• It is preferable to end your evening sessions and close meeting rooms by 9 pm. If you have a late-night session, a staff member will lock all doors at 9 pm.  You may remain in the room after that time.  Please be sure to turn off any lights and securely close the doors when you leave.

• For Emergencies that occur between 7:00 am & 9:00 pm, contact a hostess/staff member.
• For Emergencies that occur between 9:00 pm & 7:00 am, contact your group leader.  If you are here on a private retreat, please contact the emergency number below.  Please note the locations of exits, escape routes, and fire extinguishers.  Flashlights are in your nightstand. Please return to the nightstand when you leave.
• Heating/Cooling:  We have a heating and cooling system that is regulated by a remote control that you will find on your desk or nightstand. Please do not turn the heat higher than 74 degrees.  Don’t open the windows when the heat is on.  Do not adjust the air conditioning to be lower than 69 degrees.  Some bedrooms, as well as rooms A-H, each have a portable heater.   Do not move it from wherever it is plugged in or use multiple electric devices (hair dryer, curling iron) at the same time.  Our electrical system is very fragile in St. Joseph’s Hall, and if challenged, it may turn off everyone’s electricity.
• Recycling & Conservation: Please use the blue bins to recycle paper, plastic, and aluminum cans.  Do not put other trash or food items in the blue bins. Please be mindful of water usage.
• Please turn off lights when you are not in the meeting room or bedroom.

Standard Mealtimes:         Breakfast: 8:00 am       Lunch: 12:00 pm          Dinner: 6:00 pm

• Be there on time.  Tables will be cleared and reset 1 hour after each mealtime begins.
• Please bus your dishes after each meal and stack on the carts provided.
• The dining room closes at 9:00 am, 2:00 pm, and 7:00 pm.  Please continue your mealtime conversations in your meeting room so we can prepare for the next meal.
• Meals are served buffet style. We regret that we are not equipped to accommodate individual special diets.  A microwave oven & refrigerator are available for any special foods you may need to bring with you.

DEPARTURE:    Bedroom Check out is at 10 a.m.

• Linens: Please bring only the used towels/washcloths/bathmat and place them in the GRAY bins by the Lounge. Kindly leave sheets, pillowcases, blankets, bedspreads, and mattress pads in the room.
• CHECK YOUR ROOM: thoroughly so that you leave nothing behind. Be sure to check for your cell phone and/or laptop charger.
  1) Turn off the heater and leave the remote on the desk.
  2) Turn off the light at your bedside and in your bedroom.
  3) Lock the windows and doors and open the curtains.
  4) Plug back in any lights you may have unplugged.
  5) Turn your key into the office.  Do not take your room key or remote with you.

GIFT SHOP: The gift shop is open from 9 am until 9 pm. It is a self-service store. Please pay for purchases at the reception desk. We accept the following credit cards: Visa / MasterCard / Discover / American Express / Apple Pay.

PHONE:   We have limited cell phone reception.  The best location for any cell reception is behind the kitchen, along the back gate going to St. John Fisher.  We ask that you not use your phone in any common areas such as the gardens, courtyard, or dining room.  Please speak softly in your bedroom.

Wi-Fi:  MJR Guest      Code:  0000011111

If someone needs to contact you from offsite outside of normal business hours,

or there is an emergency after the office is closed, please call 310-622-8625.

Revised 9-17-25

CHECK IN AND CHECK OUT TIMES:

• Bedroom check-in is at 4 PM on day of arrival; Check out at 10 AM on day of departure.
• The Retreat Center may have another retreat following your group and must strictly adhere to the bedroom check-in and check-out times, as well as meeting room departure time.
• If your group needs to schedule an earlier check-in or later check-out, please contact the Conference Coordinator to request a special arrangement.
• If we can meet your request, an additional fee may apply.

MEALS / FOODSERVICE:

We prepare healthy, diverse meals, using consciously sourced ingredients, and make every effort to ensure that everyone who dines with us has a wonderful experience.

• Typical mealtimes are at 8:00 AM, 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM.
• If your group needs to schedule a meal outside our scheduled times, an additional charge may apply. Please check with our Conference Coordinator. We reserve the right to adjust the mealtimes to accommodate the number of retreatants present at any given time.
• All meals are served buffet style.
• Dining room closes 1 hour after each mealtime begins.
• Retreatants (guests) are encouraged to clear their tables and stack their dishes.
• We regret that we are not equipped to accommodate individual diets, or medically necessary diets, such as allergy-free diets, personal preferences, or diets designed for personal weight loss.
• Menus are available upon request 1 week prior to your scheduled retreat so that those with special dietary needs can bring items to supplement their meals.
• A guest refrigerator and microwave are available in the Dining Room for our guests to use.
• Coffee and tea service is available throughout the day.
• Snack service may be arranged. Please contact our Conference Coordinator about needs and pricing.
• We do not permit an outside catering service to bring food into the retreat center while you are here on retreat or using the Retreat Center facilities. However, you may bring in snacks for your group.
• No food is to be taken or stored in the bedrooms.

CONFERENCE ROOM NOTES:

• Conference Equipment and room set up must be finalized by two weeks prior to retreat date.
• All meeting rooms may be set up with tables, chairs, a sacred space table, 72-inch 4K TV that is HDMI compatible, DVD/CD player, screen, white board and flip charts.
• We do not have IT or AV staff available.
• If needed for your retreat, you must provide your own laptop and cables / adaptors.

PET POLICY:

• Service animals trained for a specific purpose are welcomed, as per ADA regulations.
• No pets or emotional support animals allowed.

SPECIAL NEEDS:

If a guest needs special assistance to participate in any activity due to a disability, please notify our office at least 48 hours in advance of meeting time to enable us to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility and accommodation for your attendance.

CANDLES OR INCENSE:

• No candles or incense may be used in the bedrooms at any time.
• If candles are used in meeting rooms or chapel, they must be extinguished each time the group leaves the area.

SMOKING:

Smoking is not allowed in the any of the common areas, meeting rooms, chapel, dining rooms, or bedrooms. Please check with the Center staff for the designated outdoor smoking areas.

LOST OR STOLEN ARTICLES:

Mary & Joseph Retreat Center is not responsible for any lost, misplaced, or stolen items belonging to a guest.

RETREAT CENTER KEYS:

$10.00 will be charged for each lost Retreat Center key.

MISSING OR DAMAGED ARTICLES OF THE RETREAT CENTER:

Any missing articles from the Retreat Center, including but not limited to, heating / air conditioning remote controls, Bibles, flashlights, linens, pillows and other articles will be billed to the Group Organizer or individual fiscally responsible party.

DAMAGES:

• Any damage or needed repair should be promptly reported to Retreat Center staff.
• The Host Group or Individual Private Retreatant (fiscally responsible party) is responsible for leaving the meeting rooms, dining room and all bedrooms tidy and free from litter upon departure.
• Guests are responsible for any damage, loss or destruction of any property, including equipment, of the Retreat Center caused by any member of the Group, or by any individual guest.

Booking Terms & Conditions, Updated September 2025

Full and 1/2 Day Retreats/Events:

$25 cancellation fee, or the cost of the retreat, whichever is less, will be charged per person for cancellations made 5 or more days prior to the start of the retreat. No refunds given for cancellations made less than 5 days prior to the start of the retreat.

Overnight Retreats:

$75 cancellation fee will be charged per person for cancellations made 5 or more days prior to the start of the retreat. No refunds given for cancellations made less than 5 days prior to the start of the retreat.