Rev. Canon Andrew Todd speaks in a lecture room during tours of the newly renovated Sacred Heart Retreat Center, Burlington, during an open house in September that followed a ribbon-cutting ceremony. (Photos by Karen Mahoney)
The first part of the renovation of a former Franciscan friary and retreat center in Burlington has been completed, and the newly updated retreat center is now open.
An open house last month offered a peak at improvements thus far made by the Institute of Christ the King to what is now the Sacred Heart Retreat Center, 2457 Browns Lake Drive, in Burlington.
The event marks a significant milestone in a massive, nearly $10 million restoration project to transform the former friary.
Built in 1931 and expanded in 1952, the former St. Francis Friary stands as a “preeminent example of the Spanish Colonial Revival Style in Racine County,” as listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The original college seminary closed in 1969, and during the 1980s, the friary began hosting retreats. For decades, this impressive edifice served the Franciscans of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and became a beloved pilgrimage destination for Catholics throughout the northern Midwest.
At one point, senior housing was considered for the site, but the Italy-based Institute of Christ the King purchased the property in May 2023. The institute renamed it the Sacred Heart Retreat Center to reflect its new mission of serving the spiritual needs of the faithful.
The institute brings extensive experience from operating retreat houses across Europe. The retreat center is situated on 105 acres of beautiful grounds along the Fox River, featuring 1.5 miles of trails.
Phase one of the renovation is a $6.8 million project that focuses on enhancing the existing facilities, preserving their historical character, and harmonizing the 1950s wing with the 1930s wing. Their Facebook page chronicles videos of the progress. Their vision is that this sacred space will once again flourish as a center for Catholic spiritual renewal.
With phase one completed, staff led the public through a tour of the renovated facilities on the north side of the retreat center.
Abbé Raymond Schmidt from the provincial headquarters in Chicago explained at the open house Sept. 15 that renovating the church will be the last phase of the project, as they want to do with high quality.
“This is a Franciscan Italian style, and it feels very similar to our seminary in Italy,” he said. “The windows are Italian style and very old school. We want to maintain that same style.”
Following a tour of the renovated facilities, Debbie and Patrick Dillon of Burlington said they were impressed with how well the updates fit with the center’s historic nature.
“It looks nostalgic, but yet modernized with the addition of the air-conditioning and other accouterments,” Debbie said. “I love the bathrooms in all the retreat rooms, and it will be so nice for the retreats. This entire place, from the institute’s purchase to the renovations, is an answer to prayer. It is all God’s grace.”
Visiting from St. Louis, Missouri, Donald and Janet Benjamin toured the facility, where their son, David, has been volunteering in the refurbishing efforts.
“It is gorgeous, and it is so nice that they updated the heating and air-conditioning,” said Janet. “I am so happy they replaced the statues that were gone, too.”
David admitted that the before pictures do not do it justice as to how bad the facilities looked before the renovations.
“It was awful before,” he said. “It is nice, fresh and beautiful now. Very welcoming.”
One of the more apparent changes at the Sacred Heart Retreat Center is evident before entering the buildings. What was once a lush, tree-lined 100-acre paradise with Stations of the Cross, beautiful statuary and trails had fallen into disrepair, with overgrown brush, fallen trees and statuary in poor condition.
However, Tim Zignego and his grandsons volunteered to bring the property to its former glory.
“There were many oak trees that were dead, and so many trees down and overgrown brush. It’s been a huge project, and I have taken down more trees in the past two years than I have in my entire life. It is beautiful and interesting here, and I am happy they kept it original but updated the facilities. I also love the natural look of the refectory, which they didn’t have to change much at all.”
Sacred Heart Retreat Center offers silent guided retreats for men and women as well as youth programs. While the grounds are not open to the public, visitors are welcome to walk around after attending Sunday Mass. The retreat center also will host its annual fundraising gala Nov. 8. Find out more at shrcburlington.org.
