About Nazareth Retreat Center · Grand Prairie, Texas
Nazareth Retreat Center is a Catholic retreat house and oratory located at 1814 Egyptian Way in Grand Prairie, Texas, sponsored and operated by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth (CSFN). Set on more than 25 acres of landscaped grounds behind the sisters' convent — including two ponds, wooded trails, an outdoor patio, Stations of the Cross, a Marian Grotto, a courtyard and the Emmaus Sky Bridge — it offers one-day retreats, women's silent Ignatian retreats, directed and private retreats, spiritual direction, workshops, and weekday Mass for retreatants and the local Catholic public. It belongs to the Diocese of Dallas and is one of two retreat houses operated by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth in the United States (the other being Villa Immaculata in Riverhead, New York).
- Established
- 2012
- Patron
- Holy Family of Nazareth
- Diocese
- Diocese of Dallas
Why belong here
Nazareth Retreat Center is one of the few Catholic retreat houses in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex set on a wooded, water-feature campus, sponsored by an international women's religious congregation with a 150-year spiritual tradition. It offers a full retreat menu — one-day retreats, women's silent Ignatian retreats, directed and private retreats, spiritual direction, themed workshops, and Centering Prayer intensives — together with daily and Sunday Mass that is open to the public. For Catholics seeking silence, sacramental life, and an environment shaped by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, it serves as both a parish-oratory and a place of deeper spiritual refreshment.
Mass times at Nazareth Retreat Center
Weekly Mass schedule
About Nazareth Retreat Center
Nazareth Retreat Center is a Catholic retreat house and oratory sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth and situated on a 25-plus-acre wooded campus in Grand Prairie, Texas, within the Diocese of Dallas. Its grounds, pond, gardens, Stations of the Cross, Marian Grotto and chapel give retreatants and day visitors a quiet space for prayer, and its chapel hosts Mass open to the public seven days a week. The center belongs to an international congregation whose spiritual tradition the sisters describe as 'a mysticism of the ordinary,' modeled on the hidden life of the Holy Family.
- Retreat-house sponsor: Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth (CSFN)
- Diocese: Diocese of Dallas
- Address: 1814 Egyptian Way, Grand Prairie, TX 75050
- Phone: (469) 233-5547
- Email: [email protected]
History of the Center
The site began life as the Jesus the Good Shepherd Convent, the Texas home of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. As the community's numbers declined, the sisters decided to share their property with the wider Catholic public: in 2012 they re-opened the facility as the Nazareth Retreat Center. A 2016 Dallas Morning News profile documents this transition and the founding-era leadership of Sister Bernice Stobierski, CSFN, as the center's first director.
- Re-opened to the public as a retreat center in 2012
- Founding director: Sister Bernice Stobierski, CSFN
- Rooted in the charism of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth
Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth
The retreat center is run by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth (CSFN), an international apostolic congregation founded in Rome in 1875 by Blessed Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd, Frances Siedliska (1842–1902), a Polish noblewoman who sought the blessing of Pope Pius IX in 1873. Their mission statement declares that they 'believe that the Holy Family of Nazareth reveals to us the profound reality that God is present in the most simple and ordinary experiences of human life,' and that they are dedicated to 'the moral and religious renewal of family life.'
- Foundress: Blessed Frances Siedliska (Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd), 1842–1902
- Congregation founded in Rome, 1875; first community established in Rome
- Beatified in Rome on April 23, 1989
- Charism statement: 'extend the Kingdom of God's love…in ministry to the family' (Covenant of Love p. x)
- Nazareth spirituality described as a 'mysticism of the ordinary'
Blessed Foundress & Martyrs
The retreat's spirituality draws on the congregation's communion of saints. Sister M. Stella and her Ten Companions were beatified by Pope John Paul II on March 5, 2000, and Servant of God Sister Maria Malgorzata Banaś is among the further causes for canonization supported by the community.
- Blessed Frances Siedliska (Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd), beatified April 23, 1989
- Sister M. Stella and Ten Companions, beatified by Pope John Paul II, March 5, 2000
- Servant of God Sr. Maria Malgorzata Banaś (cause ongoing)
Retreat Programs & Workshops
The center designs retreats for individuals and groups in three general formats — preached, directed or guided, and private — and tops them with themed workshops. Recurring offerings include one-day group retreats, an annual women's silent Ignatian retreat, six-day Centering Prayer intensive retreats co-hosted with Contemplative Outreach of Dallas/Fort Worth, and topical workshops such as 'A Hands-On Guide on Building a Spiritual Autobiography,' 'Remembering My Story, Celebrating My Faith,' 'What the Four Seasons Reveal About Themselves and God to You,' 'Living Stones: Leadership at Its Best in Communities of Faith,' and 'Multiple Intelligences and Prayer.'
- One-Day Retreat (groups of 10–25; 9:30 AM–3:00 PM with lunch; reserve 3 months ahead)
- Women's Silent Retreat (Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola; e.g. Nov. 12–15, 2026)
- Preached retreats — daily conferences with a leader
- Directed retreats — daily meetings with a trained spiritual director
- Guided retreats — directed format plus communal faith-sharing
- Private / self-directed retreats (Tue–Sun noon; reserve 2+ weeks ahead)
- Spiritual direction by appointment
- Centering Prayer intensive retreats directed by Fr. Bill Sheehan, OMI
Private & Directed Retreats
The center's classic retreat work. Directed and guided retreatants meet daily with a spiritual director who suggests scripture for prayer and reflection and helps them 'clarify where God is in the midst of their experiences.' Private retreatants follow a self-chosen rhythm of spiritual reading, the Liturgy of the Hours, Mass, and time outdoors; meals are eaten in silence. Private retreats must be booked at least two weeks ahead and run Tuesday through Sunday noon.
- Three formats: preached, directed/guided, and private
- Available for individuals or groups
- Silence is maintained outside of direction, liturgy, and prescribed faith-sharing
Facilities & Grounds
The campus is laid out to encourage outdoor contemplation as well as indoor prayer. Beyond the chapel and retreat-house meeting rooms, the property includes two large ponds, wooded areas, natural walking trails, an outdoor patio, the Stations of the Cross, a Marian Grotto, a courtyard, and the 'Emmaus Sky Bridge' near the courtyard — features that the sisters link to the retreatant's rest in God 'in whom we live and move and have our being' (Acts 17:28).
- 25+ acres of landscaped grounds
- Two large ponds and wooded walking trails
- Outdoor Stations of the Cross and Marian Grotto
- Emmaus Sky Bridge overlooking the courtyard
Planning Your Visit
The center is open year-round but closed for the month of July for retreat-house maintenance. One-day group retreats and private retreats require advance reservation; groups of 10–25 should reserve at least 3 months ahead and private retreatants at least 2 weeks ahead. Retreat participants are directed to park in area #3 and use entrance #4. The center is roughly 14 miles west of Downtown Dallas, about 13 miles from DFW Airport, and about 17 miles from Dallas Love Field.
- Closed every July for maintenance
- One-day group retreats: reserve 3+ months ahead
- Private retreats: reserve 2+ weeks ahead
- Drivers: I-30 or Bush Turnpike → Hwy 161 → Egyptian Way
- From DFW: ~13 miles (under 20 min); from Love Field: ~17 miles (~25 min)
Vocations & Discernment
Following the charism of Blessed Frances Siedliska, the sisters host 'Come and See' weekends and other discernment opportunities for young women exploring religious life. Sister Bernice Stobierski and other sisters have described the retreat center as a place where the community welcomes young women from across the DFW area to spend a weekend, attend worship services, and learn about life in the convent.
- Come and See weekends with the sisters
- Hosted on the same Grand Prairie campus
Contact
General inquiries, retreat reservations, and spiritual-direction requests can be directed to the retreat house office. Information about upcoming programs is also shared through the center's Facebook page.
- Phone: (469) 233-5547
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://nazarethretreats.org/
- Facebook: facebook.com/NazarethRetreats
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Sister Bernice Stobierski, CSFNcirca 2012–2016
First director of the retreat center when it was re-opened to the public in 2012; featured in 2016 Dallas Morning News profile