The feast of Our Lady of Częstochowa made for a fitting day for the blessing and dedication of a new retreat center affiliated with the St. John Paul II National Shrine.
Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori celebrated a Mass Aug. 26 at the shrine before a procession to the property next door where the St. John Paul II Retreat House celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting and tours of the newly renovated center.
The John Paul II Shrine, a pastoral initiative of the Knights of Columbus, purchased the Washington Retreat House in October 2025 from the Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement. Renovations on the retreat house began in January 2026, and the property received a new certificate of occupancy this summer.
In his homily, the archbishop, supreme chaplain of the Knights, recalled that in 2010, he and other leaders of the Knights celebrated Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Częstochowa at Jasna Góra, Poland, where the famous icon of the “Black Madonna” is housed. The delegation was marking the recent institution of the Knights in the country. Jasna Góra means “bright mountain,” and is a draw for pilgrims from around the world because of the shrine there to Mary.
Pope John Paul II had a great devotion to the Blessed Mother, especially under the title Our Lady of Częstochowa. His papal motto “Totus Tuus” (“Totally Yours”) reflected his dedication to her.
Archbishop Lori noted that Karol Wojtyła visited the shrine at Jasna Gora as a young man, as a priest, later as a young bishop and cardinal, and eventually as pope. “Through the years, as his titles were elevated, his dedication to Our Lady of Częstochowa was deepened,” the archbishop said.
He noted that at the shrine and retreat center, visitors are making a spiritual pilgrimage to Częstochowa, as the site is on a “bright and shiny hill” like Jasna Góra. “Taken together, the shrine and the retreat house are a sacred place where we can entrust ourselves to Mary’s intercession. … For in belonging to Mary, we also belong to Christ,” Archbishop Lori said.
The Mass included hymns in Polish as well as Latin and English.
Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly said the retreat house will be a place for people to deepen their faith, in the heart of the nation’s capital, but set apart. Along with the shrine, the retreat house sits on four wooded acres near the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, The Catholic University of America and the headquarters of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“It’s far enough away from the hustle and bustle to provide a sense of serenity. Our hope is that it will be filled with men and women seeking a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, by encountering him through the teachings and through the intercession of St. John Paul II,” he said.
Stephen P. White, executive director of the shrine, said before the ribbon cutting, “We gather today not simply to open a building, but to consecrate a mission. This retreat house exists for one purpose, to bring souls closer to Christ.
An icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa was displayed during the Mass, next to a large painting of Christ as the Divine Mercy, another connection to Poland through St. Faustina Kowalska, whose visions of Jesus’ heart of mercy at the convent in Płock were captured by an artist at her direction. The Black Madonna icon was carried in the procession to the retreat house, where it was hung in the small St. Joseph Oratory chapel.
The retreat house can accommodate 40 guests in private rooms with every two rooms sharing a bathroom. The conference hall can accommodate as many as 115 people, depending on configuration.
A dining area — named “Wujek’s Dining Hall” for the nickname Father Karol Wojtyła’s students called him, meaning “uncle” — can seat up to 140 people. It does not have a full kitchen but has refrigeration and warming facilities; the center recommends that groups utilize a catering service for meals.
The center expects to host its own quarterly spiritual retreats, and Catholic organizations can reserve the facilities for retreats, meetings or conferences. The center anticipates designating one week each quarter for individual retreatants.
Speaking to members of the media before the Mass, White emphasized that the center is not a hotel and is intended to be used by groups, but that occasions for individual accommodations like a guest house may be available.
The current setup allows two different groups to rent a separate floor with 20 rooms, or a group can take both floors. Ann Robertson, associate director of marketing and communications for the shrine, said there are other wings that could be developed in phases, including the possibility of family-friendly rooms.
The center also includes a library, named for Pope John Paul’s mother, Emilia, and a small dining room suitable for board meetings.
Gunty is associate publisher of Catholic Review Media.
Find out more
For more info on the St. John Paul II Retreat House, go to retreat.jp2shrine.org.
