Welcome to Heart Ridge!

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We* are busy working at the retreat center so that we can begin this beautiful, on-location ministry.  Our plan is to have everything ready to  open in spring of 2021!   We will begin to book reservations for church and other private groups interested in renting the facilities starting in September for spring 2021 dates.  We will have a few preliminary events before our official opening date in the spring.  These will include an open house, a women's retreat, a Father-son retreat, and a family Advent retreat.  All of these will be dependent on Covid-19 restrictions and social distancing guidelines.  
If you would like to be kept in the loop of upcoming retreats, workshops, cultural events, or other important news about Heart Ridge, please sign-up for our monthly newsletter.  
  Like and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Please keep this endeavor in your prayers.  
*currently, Keith, Tami, our son and his family, hired contractors, and a slowly growing stream of volunteers including friends and other family members.  (We're always looking for volunteers-"Many hands make light work.") 

Heart Ridge Retreat and Cultural Center Offerings:

  • Week-long Summer Family Camps (See  Sample Schedule)
  • Weekend Spiritual Retreats for individuals, couples, and families
  • Individual private, self-directed retreats
  • Presentations, workshops, seminars, and classes  throughout the year on a variety of topics
  • Periodic festivals, concerts, and shows featuring musicians and artists
  • Heart Ridge is available for rent by diocesan and parish groups, ecclesial movements, schools, non-profit organizations, and businesses for retreats, training programs, and conferences

Glimpses of Heart Ridge Videos

Over on our blog, we have run a series of articles on how we came to our new retreat place  location. Here we have videos that  highlight the potential of this retreat place, as well, as giving you a glimpse of what is here and the work that lies ahead.

Please send some prayers our way!

We believe that Heart Ridge can become a place of healing, a place of rest, a place of creativity, a place of community. . .  a place to find God.  We also would like it to become a place where culture and faith can meet.  
The Property
Heart Ridge Retreat and Cultural Center is located in the northwest corner of South Carolina in the Jocassee Gorges Wilderness Area.  Heart Ridge borders this 50,000 acres of lush, protected forestlands and contains one of the highest concentrations of waterfalls in the eastern US. National Geographic labeled this wilderness area one of "50 of the World's Last Great Places."
 
​Heart Ridge is situated in Pickens County in Sunset, SC on 37 acres including a 5 acre lake, with cottages and dorms for up to 100 people, a large cafeteria, gymnasium with game room, art and crafting rooms, chapel that seats 150, a prayer chapel, small creek, trails, and zip-line.
 
It is an easy 50 minute drive from Greenville, and 60 minutes from GSP International Airport.
Here is the map of the retreat center.  The buildings are already in place.  They are just in need of renovations, updating, etc.  They are named after plants and trees native to this area. We still need a name for our lake.

Mission of the Heart Ridge Retreat and Cultural Center:

​​​​Heart Ridge aspires to provide a place for renewal and restoration in a Catholic atmosphere of loving hospitality and community, as well as a place for education through programs of truth, beauty, and goodness, ultimately with the hope of encountering Jesus Christ.
  • Familial bonds, deep friendships, and meaningful community
  • Wonder, awe, and the discovery of God through nature, art and each other
  • Education that promotes understanding and dialogue, and helps one discover the true, the good, and the beautiful
  • Music (in all of its genres) and other forms of art for what they awaken in the human heart and reveal about man and God
  • The restorative power of time spent in nature
  • Local farming, sustainability, and ecological responsibility
  • Technology and media that communicates the truth and facilitates real-life connections
  • Time, space, and resources to facilitate healing
  • Diversity in people and programs
  • Opportunities for all families and individuals regardless of their ability to pay
  • ​The Roman Catholic Church with Mary, the saints, and Pope Francis our Shepherd, with all her rich traditions, through which we see the world and grow in our relationship with Christ

We are surrounded by so many beautiful parks, hikes, waterfalls, and other natural wonders.