CENTER FOR FRANCISCAN SPIRITUALITY
With over 60 years of Retreat Ministry!
HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC RETREAT CENTER
HOLY CROSS RETREAT CENTER
ENCOURAGING DEVELOPMENTS
All the staff and volunteers at Holy Cross are fully vaccinated and we are beginning to welcome small groups and scheduling larger groups. We are still mindful of the need for care and protection, yet we can see the benefits as more people have received the vaccine. Our upcoming sponsored retreats are being offered both in person as well as online to accommodate all who are interested.Â
At Holy Cross Retreat we are celebrating 6:30pm Eucharist on Wednesday evenings as has been our custom. All are asked to wear a mask and maintain distance from each other. We can welcome groups with up to 46 people for religious prayer. We have 46 individual rooms and space in our dining room and chapel for social distancing.  Our Hermitage is open and safe. We are New Mexico safe certified and our staff follow the COVID protocols. You can call 575 524-3688 to get information as we continue to gradually reopen.
You are still 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.