Mission & Vision

The welcoming community of Siena Retreat Center provides retreats and programs that renew lives and deepen holistic spirituality in an environment of peace, joy, and beauty. In the spirit of the Racine Dominicans, we seek to be a catalyst for a more just and compassionate world.

History

The seeds of Siena Retreat Center were sown in 1966, when several area women gathered to discuss the societal shifts of the 1960s and the ideas initiated by the Catholic Church’s Second Vatican Council. The Racine Dominican sisters’ leadership invited the group for a weekend at their new mother house, Siena Center. Soon, numerous groups requested space for their own retreats and gatherings, the sisters’ sponsored their own enrichment programs and retreats, and a full retreat ministry was born. In 2010 the Retreat Program was incorporated as Siena Retreat Center, Inc., with a Board of Directors and governance by the Racine Dominicans. A new building was built on the north end of the campus in 2013, and the Center celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2016. The Center serves over 6,000 people annually through sponsored, hosted, and private retreats, as well as spiritual direction. Siena Retreat Center is a sponsored ministry of the Racine Dominicans whose mission is shaped by the pursuit of truth and a dedication to promoting justice. It is named after St. Catherine of Siena, a 14th century Dominican of great religious and spiritual influence.

A Guiding Vision

All you who are thirsty, come

Come--where the Spirit stirs the waters

     to reveal the place where you stand as holy ground.

Bring here your God-story, the stories of those you touch

     to place them within the universal divine story.

Come--to receive and be nourished,

     to speak and to listen,

     to share and to reflect.

Come--to hear today's prophets speak a vision for a better world.

Come--to renew your faith, your hope, your efforts

     for a world of peace, not war

     of harmony, not division

     of meaning, not power

     -- a world held within the arms of divine compassion

             --Rita M. Martin, OP