We had some difficulty getting a suitable place for our retreat. But fortunately we did find a place that is very nice, inexpensive and located in San Antonio. These last to features will help if we spent too much shopping at the seminar shops and especially if the cost of gasoline continues to spiral upward. It is a retreat center run by the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows, better known as the Seraphic Sisters. The order is based in Poland and the first sister to come to San Antonio arrived in the 1960s. They specialize in nursing and retirement homes. You may be familiar with St. Francis Nursing Home at the corner of Woodlawn and S. Flores St.
Dates and Time: The retreat will be held from October 9 -12. We selected those dates because Monday is a holiday Columbus Day. We may arrive any time after 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. You may also just come for the day if you wish. Check in can be anytime after 1 PM on Thursday and check out is on Sunday morning.
Location: The retreat center is located
at 130 Beethoven Street. This is off Rigsby Ave very near Comanche Park on
the south side of San Antonio. It is easy to access from Loop 410 at
Rigsby. Beethoven Street runs off Rigsby about four miles west of the
Rigsby 410 intersection.
When you enter the grounds you are immediately greeted with a very quiet
peaceful feeling. You will see some statues, a chapel and many buildings.
The grounds are large, well maintained and there are several places where we
could stitch outdoors (weather permitting) including a gazebo
Security: There is good security and
plenty of parking. The main gates to the grounds are closed and locked at
night. Doors are kept closed and locked at all times. The retreat
center is a new building; it was two years old this past April.
Stitching Room: The room we will use for
stitching has six or seven round tables. There are windows on both sides
of the room, the walls are white and the lighting is extremely good for
stitching, beading, etc. This room is large and very airy and would be
suitable for our needs. Of course you may bring your stitching lights if
you wish.
Dining Room: The dinning room has a long
table that will seat about 16 people and there is plenty of room for more tables
to be set up. The dinning room is adjacent to a large living area or
lounge. It has a giant TV there are not TVs or telephones in the
bedrooms so we could catch up with favorite shows in there. There is
also a room that is a library but we probably would not be using that.
Meals: Thursday's evening meal would have to
be brought in by each member since the sisters will not be available to cook.
So Thursday evening will be a Brown bag supper you bring for yourself. We
will be allowed to bring snacks and we plan to have an ice chest for cold
drinks. The other days we will have breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Bedrooms: The bedrooms all have two twin
beds and a full bathroom and big closet that most of us would love to have at
home. The rooms are very simple and we are asked to remove the sheets when
we leave on Sunday. There are enough bedrooms to sleep 26 people. Most of
the rooms are up-stairs, but we can accommodate a few people who have a
difficulty with stairs.
Cost: The cost is very reasonable.
Charges are:
For the entire time Thursday to Sunday -- 3 nights and eight meals - $
210.00 per person
For Friday to Sunday 2 nights and eight meals -- $160.00 per person
For Friday to Sunday 2 nights and five meals -- $140.00 per person
Commuters with lunch only -- $30.00 per day, per person
For single room accommodations -- $90.00 per night and with three meals.
Dead line for registration is July 15 with the rest of your payment is due Aug. 15. There are only a limited number of rooms so dont lose your chances to attend this retreat for a good time and time to do what you want to do!
After we receive your deposit, we will send you more information and a map.