To combat a weakened economy and the escalating costs of simply doing business, two retreat centers in the Sacramento Diocese are finding ways to decrease expenses while maintaining and in some cases expanding retreat opportunities.

More fortunate than some of its neighboring retreat centers in the San Francisco Bay Area struggling to remain open, the Mercy Retreat Center in Auburn is finding that one of its challenges is keeping up with reservations requests which are being made up to 18 months in advance.

“We are scheduling now into 2005,” said Colleen Gregg, director of the Mercy Retreat Center.

A sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Mercy Auburn regional community, the center is able to offset at or near annual expenses with revenues generated from conference and retreat use, with only a minimal percentage of funds coming from donations and grants, Gregg said.

Mercy Center’s scheduling first accommodates the Sisters of Mercy, including their sponsored programs and retreat days, then opens up to diocesan and church groups, non-profit and educational organizations.

Gregg said like most organizations the center’s major overhead expense is salaries and benefits, but this cost is partially offset by keeping the accommodations and environment simple and emphasizing “warm” hospitality and “a quiet and serene atmosphere.”

Rates have moderately increased in recent years as more lay people who depend on stipends as a major source of income enter the field of retreat direction.

“We have, up to this time, been able to cover our expense by the generosity of our retreat facilitators, both religious and laypersons who are willing to accept a less than customary fee,” Gregg said.

She said a group of Mercy Sisters who offer days of prayer, retreats and spiritual direction to groups and communities outside the boundaries of the Auburn center “significantly decreases” overhead and expenses.

Weekend retreats at Mercy Center are typically $150 and $50 for Saturday only. One-day retreats vary from a suggested donation of $15 (lunch not included) to $25 to $50 (including lunch.)

Rates for outside facility users vary depending on such factors as the size of the group and length of stay.

Gregg said a critical question which must be addressed by retreat centers everywhere is identifying their audience of the future.

“What kind of spiritual outreach will appeal to the younger generation, whose faith and spirituality, while very important and alive, is not necessarily being nourished within the church?” she asked. “Community and even contemplative faith experience is more and more made up of interdenominational or ecumenical Christian relationships.”

While Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center in Citrus Heights is seeing a steady flow of new and returning weekend guests, the center has experienced a slight decline in numbers over the past year.

Passionist Father Ronald Corl, director of the center, said that conducting weekend retreat programs led by the center’s staff and supported by generous participants has enabled the center’s overall financial health to remain “quite good” during the current economic decline.

“Our suggested offering does not cover the entire cost of the retreat weekend, so we depend on the extra generosity of those who can do so and a couple of fund-raising events each year to help make up the difference,” Father Corl said.

He explained that the decrease in revenue the center experienced was from hosted programs, retreats, workshops and meetings in which non-profit or religious groups of various organizations and churches conducted their own programs at the retreat facility. Several cancellations and a reduction in the number of participants accounted for this downturn.

For weekend retreats conducted by the Passionist Fathers or center staff members, the suggested offering is $125. There is an additional cost for sponsored programs which involve outside speakers.

In an effort to decrease costs, the center has implemented a slight reduction in annual salary increases for the coming year while continuing to offer health care benefits which continue to escalate, Father Corl said.

Helping keep finances in balance is the fact that the diocese, which accounts for approximately 15 percent of the center’s weekend programs, has remained a consistent source of revenue.

To address the sharp rise in energy costs, Christ the King Retreat Center has made it a priority to have more efficient energy use and the installation of energy saving heating, cooling and lighting devices.

Father Corl said that while practical measures are being made to avoid unnecessary energy consumption, retreats by nature involve considerable coming and going, not particularly conducive to reducing energy usage.

Copyright © 2003 Diocese of Sacramento - All Rights Reserved