The O’Dwyer Retreat House recognizes and ignites the divine spark in the youth, young adults, and adults who come to visit. Located 20 miles north of Baltimore, the Retreat House is the perfect place, as it says in our lobby, to “Come Apart and Rest Awhile.”
We seek to fulfill Monsignor Clare O’Dwyer’s vision of being a “spiritual powerhouse” for Christian growth, renewal, and hope. In an atmosphere of service and hospitality, youth and young adults gather for community and prayer through retreats, days of recollection and events. We invite the young church to deepen their faith as disciples of Jesus and send them forth to witness to the Gospel in their parishes, schools, and wider church.
We support and partner with the Catholic youth and young adults who “come apart and rest awhile” in order to encounter God in this holy space, and nurture their call as disciples of Jesus in the Catholic tradition.
"Our Catholic Faith comprises the deposit of faith left by Jesus with the Apostles. It is what we believe and how we live our lives. For 2,000 years, this Catholic Faith has been handed down from Jesus to the Apostles to generations of Bishops in the Apostolic Succession. In our own lives, we receive that Faith from the Holy Spirit through our parents, our parish, from friends, or even a stranger we meet. The Church provides the Catechism to help us understand our Faith and the reasons for it."
Apostles Creed
I believe in God,the Father Almighty,Creator of heaven and earth,and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died and was buried;
He descended into hell;on the third day He rose again from the dead;He ascended into heaven,and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;from there He will come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit,the Holy Catholic Church,
the communion of Saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and life everlasting.
Amen.
Throughout his years of ministry, Msgr. Clare J. O’Dwyer was a person who believed our young people deserved the best we could do for them. So when the Castaways Country Club in Sparks came up for sale, he asked Cardinal Shehan to purchase the property for the Archdiocese for use as a youth retreat house. As the leader of the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) for the Archdiocese, Msgr. O’Dwyer and a group of local businessmen (who made up the first Board of Directors), got the property ready to start on its mission of serving the youth of Baltimore and the surrounding areas. The CYO Retreat House, as it was known, welcomed a group of young men from Mt. St. Joseph High School for the first retreat in late September 1963
In 1967 Msgr. O’Dwyer received a new assignment and the CYO Retreat House named a director to oversee operations. But for the rest of his life Clare O’Dwyer advocated and worked tirelessly for the retreat house he helped start. It was his promise to Cardinal Shehan that the Retreat House would become a “Spiritual Powerhouse for Young People” for the Archdiocese of Baltimore and neighboring dioceses. The hundreds of thousands of youth and adults who have come through its doors for more than 50 years now, who have laughed here and cried here and prayed here, will attest that the House is that place that Msgr. O’Dwyer promised it would be.
After his death, the CYO Retreat House was fittingly renamed the Monsignor Clare O’Dwyer Retreat House. Today, the House continues to serve 7,000 – 8,000 youth and adults each year. We strive to create a prayerful and comfortable setting, where retreatants can feel at home as they build up their relationship with God.