The Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos

What The Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos does

The Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos (affectionately known as El Retiro) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit religious organization founded in 1925 by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and headquartered on a 38-acre ecologically diverse hillside campus at 300 Manresa Way in Los Altos, California. The organization provides guided silent and non-silent spiritual retreats grounded in Ignatian spirituality and the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, serving up to 8,000 retreatants annually. Its portfolio includes Overnight & Weekend Retreats ($320 per person), Day Retreats, Directed Retreats with assigned spiritual directors, Summer Directed Retreats (including the 30-day Spiritual Exercises and 8-day Contemplative Retreats), the year-long 19th Annotation Retreat in Daily Life, the three-year Pierre Favre Program for training spiritual directors, and Online Retreat Resources distributed via YouTube.

The Center operates from a purpose-built facility featuring 84 bedrooms with private bathrooms, the Gellert Rotunda (seats 100), multiple conference rooms, a chapel, and natural amenities including Stations of the Cross, a Rosary Walk, a Labyrinth, and trails. Beyond individual retreatants, the Center rents its facilities to outside mission-aligned groups for conferences and meetings accommodating up to 125 people. Revenue is generated through retreat fees, facility rentals, individual and stock donations, the El Retiro Society legacy giving program, and annual fundraising events. Pastoral leadership comprises six ordained Jesuit priests and religious with combined decades of Ignatian formation experience; governance is provided by a Board of Directors with members drawn from Bay Area professional, academic, and Jesuit-affiliated institutions.

The organization celebrated its Centennial Anniversary in 2025 and is governed by Fr. Chi Ngo, S.J. as Executive Director. Distribution is regional, primarily serving the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California, with digital resources extending reach beyond the immediate geography.

Name

The Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos

Legal name

The Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos

Website

https://jrclosaltos.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1925

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos is a 100-year-old Jesuit nonprofit retreat center on a 38-acre Los Altos, California campus that offers Ignatian spirituality retreats — including overnight, directed, and 30-day Spiritual Exercises — to individuals, couples, religious groups, and outside organizations across the San Francisco Bay Area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Spiritual Retreat Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (81311)

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAJAL

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Religious & Faith-Based Organizations

SECONDARYTHAGAMAB

Wellness Retreat Centers (Yoga, Meditation & Mindfulness)

Travel & Hospitality/Lodging & Accommodation/Wellness, Spa & Health Retreats

SECONDARYTHAGALAG

Conference Retreat Hotels

Travel & Hospitality/Lodging & Accommodation/Convention & Conference Hotels

Keywords

• Ignatian retreat programs
• Spiritual direction services
• Religious retreat facilities
• Spiritual Exercises training
• Group conference retreats

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Altos

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Retreat Fees: Fees charged for overnight retreats, day retreats, directed retreats, and group reservations. Retreats include accommodations, meals, and spiritual programming.
2. Donations and Contributions: Individual donations, memorial gifts, and contributions to support operations, grounds maintenance, scholarship programs, and pastoral staff funding.
3. Stock Donations: Accepts publicly traded securities as charitable donations, providing donors with tax deductions for full fair market value without capital gains tax.
4. Legacy Giving (El Retiro Society): Bequests, charitable remainder trusts, charitable gift annuities, retained life estates, and life insurance policy donations as part of legacy giving program.
5. Outside Group Reservations: Renting facilities to outside groups for meetings, conferences, and retreats whose purposes are compatible with the mission. Includes 84 bedrooms and meeting spaces for up to 125 people.
6. Fundraising Events: Annual fundraising events including the Blessing of the Cross celebration and spring fundraisers to raise money for specific initiatives like the Pastoral Staff Fund and Ignatian Spiritual Direction Training program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos operates a single-location retreat facility on a 38-acre hillside campus in Los Altos, California, offering spiritual retreat programs grounded in Ignatian spirituality and the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. Programs range from day retreats and weekend/overnight retreats to 8-day and 30-day directed silent retreats, the 12-month 19th Annotation Retreat, and the three-year Pierre Favre Program that trains spiritual directors, with accommodation, meals, and spiritual direction provided on-site by Jesuit priests and trained pastoral staff.

Product overview

The Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos operates as a single-location spiritual retreat facility offering a coordinated portfolio of in-person retreat programs centered on Ignatian spirituality and the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. The core offerings include Overnight & Weekend Retreats, Day Retreats, Directed Retreats (with spiritual directors), Summer Directed Retreats, and the 19th Annotation Retreat—a 12-month program for experiencing the Spiritual Exercises in daily life. The center also runs the three-year Pierre Favre Program for training spiritual directors. Digital offerings include Online Retreat Resources for remote participants. Facilities services encompass outside group reservations for conferences and retreats. The portfolio is unified under the mission of offering the Spiritual Exercises rooted in Catholic tradition, with all programs guided by Jesuit pastoral staff.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pierre Favre Program: A three-year training program to train people to give the 19th Annotation Retreat of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Named after St. Pierre Favre, a close friend and co-founder of the Society of Jesus.

Products and services

• Overnight & Weekend Retreats Multi-day silent and non-silent retreats providing extended time for prayer, reflection, and spiritual renewal. Includes accommodations, all meals, and program content with compelling speakers and relevant subject matter; examples include the Young Adult Retreat, Married Couples Retreat, and Psalms Retreat at $320 per person.
• Day Retreats & Series Single-day retreats for prayer, renewal, and reflection, including Ignatius Day, Art and Journaling workshops, Ash Wednesday observances, and the Busy Person's Day of Retreat, led by pastoral staff and guest facilitators.
• Directed Retreats & Private Retreats Individually Directed Retreats (IDR) offer a silent retreat experience with daily meetings with a spiritual director; Private Retreats provide self-directed solitude. Both require a minimum two-night stay, with extended stays up to 30 days available for the full Spiritual Exercises.
• Summer Directed Retreats Summer program featuring the 30-day Retreat of the Spiritual Exercises, three 8-day Directed Retreats, and Contemplative 8-day Retreat. All retreats are silent with assigned spiritual directors.
• 19th Annotation Retreat (Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life) A 12-month program beginning in June that guides participants through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Includes a 5-month preparation period with spiritual direction, followed by weekly director meetings, optional monthly faith-sharing sessions, and additional input.
• Pierre Favre Program Three-year training program that trains individuals to give the 19th Annotation Retreat of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Named after St. Pierre Favre, cofounder of the Society of Jesus. Candidates must have completed the full Spiritual Exercises and pass an interview process.
• Outside Group Reservations Conference and retreat facility rental for external groups whose purposes align with the center's mission. Facilities include 84 bedrooms with private bathrooms, meeting rooms for up to 125 people, and dining services.
• Online Retreat Resources Digital retreat programs available remotely, including the Quarantine Retreat (16 ten-minute videos with meditation materials), Finding God in all Things (30-day video series), Contemplative Prayer Practicum, Examen videos, Stations of the Cross, and Post-Retreat Prayer Exercises.
• Conference Spaces & Overnight Accommodation On-site facilities including the Gellert Rotunda (seats 100), O'Mara Conference Room (seats 90), St. Robert's Conference Room (seats 30), and Bellarmine Room (seats 40). Overnight accommodation includes 84 bedrooms with private bathrooms, writing desks, and views of the bay and hills.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 8,000 retreatants per year experience enhanced spiritual connection affecting personal relationships, career, and daily life

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Spirit Rock Meditation Center: Bay Area-based Buddhist meditation retreat center offering multi-day residential silent retreats, day-long programs, and teacher training. Comparable multi-day residential retreat format and Northern California audience, but secular/Buddhist rather than Catholic.
• Esalen Institute: Iconic Big Sur, CA wellness and personal growth retreat center with workshops, residential programs, and seminars. Overlaps in extended-stay retreat model and California destination positioning, though secular/holistic rather than Ignatian.

Direct peers

• St. Francis Retreat Center: San Juan Bautista, CA Catholic retreat center hosting weekend retreats, directed retreats, and group programs for parishes and organizations. Comparable mission, lodging capacity, and Bay Area/California catchment.
• Loyola Retreat House: Jesuit retreat house in Morristown, NJ offering silent directed retreats based on the Spiritual Exercises, parish retreats, and youth programs. Near-identical Ignatian retreat model and Catholic/Jesuit audience to Los Altos.
• Vallombrosa Center for Retreat and Spiritual Life: Jesuit-sponsored retreat center in Menlo Park, CA offering directed retreats, parish missions, and spiritual direction programs. Closest Jesuit-identical peer in Northern California with overlapping retreat programs and customer base.
• Mercy Center, Burlingame: Catholic retreat center in Burlingame, CA offering spiritual direction, directed retreats, and workshops on Ignatian and broader spirituality. Directly comparable retreat model, target audience (faith-based individuals), and Bay Area location.
• Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center: Passionist retreat house in Sierra Madre, CA providing preached retreats, directed retreats, and day retreats. Comparable Catholic retreat model and conference/retreat facility.
• Sacred Heart Retreat House: Jesuit retreat house in Los Altos Hills, CA providing silent directed retreats, spiritual direction, and Ignatian programs. Direct Jesuit neighbor with the same Ignatian mission and Bay Area retreatant pool.
• Mount Saint Joseph Retreat House: Catholic (Jesuit) retreat house offering directed and preached retreats, spirituality workshops, and parish programs. Closely comparable religious retreat, lodging, and spiritual direction model.
• San Damiano Retreat Center: Franciscan retreat center in Danville, CA offering silent and directed retreats, parish retreats, and conferences. Comparable Catholic retreat model and Bay Area geographic catchment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/TheJRClosaltos
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/JesuitRetreatCenterLosAltos
• Facebookfacebook.com/ElRetiro
• Instagraminstagram.com/thejrclosaltos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-jesuit-retreat-center-of-los-altos

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles26 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 The Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos