Mary & Joseph Retreat Center

What Mary & Joseph Retreat Center does

Mary & Joseph Retreat Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1963 in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, that operates an 8-acre retreat campus offering spiritual hospitality to individuals, faith-based organizations, schools, 12-step recovery groups, and non-profits. The center delivers day retreats, overnight personal retreats, group retreat hosting, spiritual direction, and life coaching services, complemented by on-site amenities including the Labyrinth Bonaventure, maintained gardens, a gift and book shop, meeting rooms with standard AV infrastructure, and buffet-style dining. Pricing is transaction-based, with single rooms at approximately $100 per night and double rooms at approximately $130 per night, and the center also accepts tax-deductible donations to support its mission.

The business model is event-driven and community-led, relying on direct bookings through the website, phone, and walk-ins, supported by a digital marketing presence across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn, plus an email newsletter. The center does not operate proprietary technology platforms; its service delivery is human-led and in-person, with virtual spiritual direction and life coaching offered as a digital extension. Operationally, the center transitioned leadership from the founding Daughters of Mary and Joseph religious order to lay staff, including Executive Director Paul Craig, while retaining DMJ representation on the volunteer Board of Directors. The center serves over 15,000 visitors annually and is governed by a board chaired by President Dennis Branconier.

The geographic footprint is regional (Southern California), with no disclosed expansion outside this market. Revenue streams consist of retreat and event hosting fees, private retreat bookings, and donations processed through the myamplify.io giving platform. The organization has 11–50 employees and no disclosed funding rounds, acquisitions, or parent company. Its competitive position rests on 60+ years of brand heritage, unique physical assets (gardens, labyrinth), and embedded relationships with local faith and community organizations rather than on technology differentiation.

Name

Mary & Joseph Retreat Center

Legal name

Mary & Joseph Retreat Center

Website

https://maryjoseph.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mary & Joseph Retreat Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1963 in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, operating an 8-acre campus that hosts spiritual retreats, spiritual direction, life coaching, and group events for individuals, churches, schools, and recovery groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retreat & Hospitality Services

NAICS

Accommodation (721), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Wellness Retreat Centers (Yoga, Meditation & Mindfulness) (THAGAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL), Private Wellness & Retreat Experiences (Personalized Spa, Yoga, Healing) (THAJALAI)

Keywords

• Spiritual retreat services
• Faith-based hospitality
• Retreat venue rental
• Spiritual direction services
• Nonprofit retreat center

Headquarters

HQ city

Rancho Palos Verdes

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Retreat and Event Hosting: The center generates revenue through hosting day retreats, overnight retreats, and group events for organizations, families, and individuals. Pricing includes room accommodations and meal services.
2. Private Retreat Bookings: Individual retreatants can book single or shared rooms for personal refreshment and renewal, with meals available. Single rooms are priced at approximately $100 per night and double rooms at approximately $130 per night.
3. Donations: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the retreat center accepts tax-deductible donations to support their mission of spiritual hospitality and renewal.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Mary & Joseph Retreat Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates an 8-acre sacred hospitality venue in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, offering individual day and overnight personal retreats, spiritual direction, life coaching, and venue/hosting services for outside faith-based and non-profit groups. The center combines overnight accommodations, buffet-style meals, meeting facilities, gardens, and a walking labyrinth into a single integrated retreat experience focused on spiritual renewal, rest, and reflection.

Product overview

Mary & Joseph Retreat Center offers a single integrated retreat experience focused on spiritual renewal and reflection. The core offering consists of day and overnight personal retreats, guided by trained spiritual directors and life coaches. Additional facilities include the Labyrinth Bonaventure for walking meditation, beautifully maintained gardens, and a gift/book shop. The center also hosts group retreats and events for external organizations, providing venue rental with meeting rooms and accommodations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Day Personal Retreats Day-use personal retreat experiences at the retreat center for individuals seeking time for reflection, prayer, and spiritual renewal during the day, without overnight stay.
• Overnight Personal Retreats Multi-day individual retreat stays with single or shared room accommodations and full buffet-style meals for personal refreshment and deeper spiritual renewal.
• Spiritual Direction One-on-one guidance sessions with trained spiritual directors for individuals exploring their faith, spiritual path, or seeking discernment in a nurturing environment.
• Life Coaching Certified life coaching sessions supporting personal growth, life decisions, and goal achievement for individuals seeking practical guidance alongside spiritual support.
• Group Retreat & Event Hosting Venue and hospitality rental for outside organizations, churches, schools, and community groups to host their own day or overnight retreats, conferences, and meetings at the center.
• Gift & Book Shop On-site retail shop offering a wide variety of spiritual and religious books, gifts, and wearables as a memory of the visit, including children's and Spanish-language book selections.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Daughters of Mary and JosephcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1963The founding religious order who established the retreat center. Seven Daughters of Mary and Joseph traveled from Belgium to California in 1926, answering a call from Archbishop Cantwell to serve in local Catholic schools. They partnered with the Mary and Joseph League and Cardinal McIntyre to acquire the land and establish the retreat center, which opened in 1963.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Esalen Institute: Iconic Big Sur retreat center known for workshops in meditation, somatic practices, and personal growth with on-site lodging and hot springs. Comparable contemplative retreat brand but with broader secular and humanistic positioning and much larger visitor base.
• Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa: High-end secular wellness resort offering meditation, mindfulness, and 'mindfulness in nature' programming with on-site lodging and dining. Comparable as a contemplative retreat destination but at a luxury/premium price point and broader secular positioning.
• Canyon Ranch (Tucson / Lenox): Premier luxury wellness resort brand offering multi-day wellness retreats with spiritual/mindfulness components, fitness, and spa services. Comparable as a destination retreat operator but at the very top of the price spectrum and with a fully commercial business model.
• Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health: Large nonprofit yoga and wellness retreat center in the Berkshires offering overnight stays, workshops, and spiritual/contemplative programming. Comparable as a multi-acre residential retreat operation with similar contemplative programming, though at much larger scale and secular positioning.

Emerging players

• 1440 Multiversity: California-based retreat and learning campus offering personal growth, mindfulness, and wellness workshops with overnight accommodations. Comparable as a newer, broader-segment retreat campus in California, though operating at a higher commercial price point than Mary & Joseph.
• Omega Institute for Holistic Studies: Nonprofit educational retreat center in Rhinebeck, NY offering workshops in wellness, spirituality, and personal growth with on-site lodging. Comparable as a workshop-driven, multi-acre retreat campus but with a more secular, holistic-learning orientation than Mary & Joseph's faith-rooted identity.

Direct peers

• Ignatius House Retreat Center: Jesuit-directed retreat house in Atlanta offering guided and self-directed spiritual retreats on a wooded campus. Directly comparable as a faith-rooted, single-campus retreat center offering overnight accommodations, spiritual direction, and group retreat hosting.
• St. Benedict Retreat Center (Schuyler, NE): Benedictine monastery retreat center offering individual and group retreats with spiritual direction. Comparable as a faith-rooted nonprofit retreat operation serving faith communities and recovery groups on a multi-acre campus.
• Loyola Retreat House (Lutherville, MD): Jesuit-sponsored retreat facility in Maryland offering silent, directed, and group retreats. Direct comparison point as another Catholic-rooted single-campus retreat center with similar pricing structure and spiritual direction offering.
• Jesuit Retreat House of Oshkosh: Wisconsin-based Catholic retreat house with extensive grounds, individual and group retreats, and spiritual direction programming. Closely comparable mission, structure, and product mix to Mary & Joseph, including overnight accommodations and directed retreats.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@maryandjosephret
• Facebookfacebook.com/MaryJosephRetreatCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maryandjosephretreatcenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/maryandjosephretreatcenter
• Xx.com/maryjosephrc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mary & Joseph Retreat Center