This facility, located in a secluded area next to the Old Mission and behind the former St. Anthony Seminary went in 1954 from being a private residence to a convent and women’s retreat center operated by the Episcopalian Order of the Sisters of the Holy Nativity. It originally consisted of two houses, Dial House and Mission Hill House, both built in 1885.
.A small chapel was built on the premises as well as an outdoor altar with a large cross. The stations of the cross were established throughout the garden. The setting is most inspiring, with expansive views of Mission Canyon. An Episcopal men’s retreat center and monastery too named Mount Calvary, was run by the Order of the Holy Cross. The abbot of that community, Rev. Karl Tiedeman, negotiated the sale of the St. Mary’s property to the Episcopal nuns in 1954. The guesthouse was operated and staffed by members of the monastic community.
The original Mount Calvary property located on Gibraltar road was a magnificent retreat facility with sweeping views of the city. Unfortunately in 2008, the Tea Fire swept through the area destroying every structure on the ground. The only object left standing was the tall, iron cross containing symbols of the Passion of Christ in the monastery garden. The priests have since relocated to this site near the mission, the original Saint Mary’s Retreat House.
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