Welcome To La Salle Retreat Center
Welcome! We are ready to assist you with your next retreat, workshop, conference or day of reflection! La Salle Retreat Center is located on 180 acres of beautiful wooded grounds just southwest of St. Louis, Missouri. Our staff provides excellent hospitality. You will feel at home and find peace in our quiet, picturesque setting.
Mission for La Salle – Providing a place of hospitality and peace for individuals and groups.
Vision Statement – Striving to be the destination for peaceful and creative growth of mind and soul.
Experience La Salle
La Salle Retreat Center is open year around. It is the perfect destination for retreats, workshops, meetings, conferences, and youth programs. Arrangements are flexible according to group needs.
Overnight Rooms
La Salle has simple sleeping rooms to accommodate all group sizes.
Grounds and Grottos
Beautiful grounds with shrines, grottos, athletic fields & picnic areas.
Meeting Space
Meeting spaces range from intimate to larger conference rooms.
Donate
Support La Salle! YOUR financial gift makes a difference! Donations help us continue our mission of providing hospitality and peace for individuals and groups. La Salle has a long history in Glencoe and your generosity allows us to improve and update our beautiful buildings and grounds. We are deeply grateful for donations of any size. LaSalle Retreat Center is a 501(c)(3) corporation. Please consult with your tax professional regarding the deductibility of your financial support.
Historical Timeline
1886
The Christian Brothers help run the Catholic Protectorate in Glencoe from 1872-1885. After the orphanage burns, they purchase the property. Built on the foundation of the orphanage, La Salle Institute opens for young men studying to become Christian Brothers.
1891
Our Lady of Lourdes grotto was dedicated on September 8, 1891. The Brothers and young men at La Salle built the grotto on the hilltop to honor Mary, the Mother of God. Today, it continues to be a place of peace and prayer.
1927
To the west of the main building, a hall was built to house the growing number of novices. It served primarily as a dormitory, also included science labs, carpentry and machine shops. All the stone was quarried nearby. It is now called the West Wing.
1931
The East Wing was dedicated in 1931 by Archbishop Glennon. This building housed the retired Brothers and the Brothers who taught and worked at the Institute. It included classrooms, recreation area, and a gym. Today the Peace Place is located in the East Wing.
1934
St. Joseph Grotto was built in gratitude when prayers were answered to stop the state from cutting a path through La Salle’s ball fields to build Highway 109. The grotto faces the fields that were saved.
1940’s
The facilities and grounds continued to grow as the number of young men in formation increased. The buildings stood grand on the hill in Glencoe.
1962
The Novitiate Class of 1962. The population of La Salle Institute reaches its peak of 200 young men in the Juniorate and Novitiate.
1968-69
The Juniorate (school) was closed in 1965. The top two floors of the main building were removed and the chapel was relocated to the ground floor.
1978
La Salle opens as a retreat center. St. Francis Borgia High School the first to hold a student retreat at La Salle and continue to do so today.
2002
The first ACTS retreats in the St. Louis area held at La Salle Retreat Center, sponsored by St. Joseph Parish-Manchester and Holy Spirit Parish- Maryland Heights.
2011
Celebrating our 125th Anniversary, Archbishop Robert Carlson blessed the front entrance and rededicated La Salle to the mission of “Service Inspired by Faith.”