HOLY CROSS RETREAT CENTER
ENCOURAGING DEVELOPMENTS

All the staff and volunteers at Holy Cross are fully vaccinated and we are welcome people for retreats and other conferences, overnight stays, and events.  We are still mindful of the need for care and protection, yet we can see the benefits as more people have received the vaccine.  The State of New Mexico no longer requires masks for all people and groups are returning in a normal fashion.

Holy Cross is commemorating Earth with two events:  Friday April 22 at 6:30 will be an interfaith Prayer service on Caring for the Earth, our Common Home.  Rev. Henry Atkins will be speaking about our call to an ecological conversion, and the theme: “Planting the Seed.”     To view the poster, click    here.

Saturday April 23rd from 10:00-3:00 we invite you to join us for presentations and information on many practical areas of environmental concerns.  These will include: Chihuahuan Desert Park, Water Conservation, receiving free seeds, care for roses, questions on tree planting, and conservation ideas for the home. You can also share in painting a large outdoor mural, and enjoy burritos.

At Holy Cross Retreat we are celebrating 6:30pm Eucharist on Wednesday evenings as has been our custom.  We can welcome groups of up to 125 people for overnight stays and meals.  We have several gathering spaces with available technology and can also accommodate several groups at once.  We have 48 individual rooms and space in our chapel for up to 200 or more.    Our Hermitage is open and quite beautiful and a special place for meditation or writing.  You can call 575 524-3688 to get information as we move forward with care.

You are also welcome to come for prayer in our Chapels or outside with the Rosary Walk and Labyrinth for personal prayer.  We also have developed a Prayer Walk with guided prayers.  Copies of the brochure will be in the Chapel, the outdoor bulletin board, and other locations.

Welcome

Welcome to Holy Cross Retreat Center. We are happy to have you here. During your visit we invite you to become acquainted with our grounds, chapel, religious article area, library and the historical original house, built in 1912 and 1913 by Mr. & Mrs. Frank Monaghan. The adobe bricks for the house were fashioned right on the property by native work¬men. When completed, the house contained 14 rooms built around a central atrium. The furnishings for the hacienda were brought in by train.

After several years the property was passed on to Beatrice White Fountain. Mrs. Fountain and her husband, Henry, lived in the house many years and carried out extensive redecoration and landscaping as well as farming the land. In 1954, the Fountains sold the house and 19 acres to the Franciscans of Santa Barbara, California who were looking for a site to build a retreat house. Many of the unique furnishings were sold with the house, including the hand carved Japanese dining room set, an ebony grand piano and a hand carved Swiss grandfather clock.

The Franciscan Brothers’ building crew moved in and began a project which included the kitchen and dining room, conference room and chapel, friary and motel units. In 1957 Holy Cross Retreat Centr opened with Fr. Owen da Silva as the first director. The Californian Franciscans continued to maintain and staff the retreat until 1980. Due to a shortage of personnel, they turned over Holy Cross Retreat Center to the Conventual Franciscan Friars.