Facility

Opening New Doors

The Darst Center settled in to our first home late 2002.  Situated in a former convent, thousands of retreatants spend time at 2834 S. Normal while on retreat.  In September of 2021, we noted that we were a "ministry on the move,"  leaving our beloved home of nearly two decades.  The Darst Center then spent a year and a half borrowing spaces to run our immersion retreats while looking for a new permanent home.  In January of 2023, the Darst Center moved into our new home at 6336 S. Kilbourn.  We are excited about Opening New Doors in the West Lawn neighborhood, just steps from Midway Airport.  Stop by if you are in the neighborhood or consider booking your next immersion retreat or self-directed retreat with us!

The Darst Center

The current location of the Darst Center is in the former monastery for the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception.  Built in 1955 as their Midwest Provincial House, our facility housed Brothers and Priests and served as their Midwest headquarters for over 50 years. Since the early 2000’s, it has occasionally welcomed retreat groups  from various communities.  In 2023, the Darst Center, a ministry of the DeLaSalle Christian Brothers, took over management of the space, making upgrades to the facility.

The facility can welcome two smaller retreat groups at once or one larger retreat group at a time.  There are two kitchens, two dining rooms, one formal chapel, and a myriad of small and large group gathering spaces as well as a large lawn with some old growth trees.  There are 19 bedrooms, each with their own bathroom.  Each bedroom has both a twin bunk bed (for our high school and college groups) as well as a double bed (for adult groups and marriage retreats).  The maximum single room occupancy is 19 people and the maximum occupancy for large groups is 60 people.  We look forward to working with you to book your next retreat.  Please check out our rates page for pricing information and contact us for availability