Since its foundation as a place of ministry in 1962, this sacred space, formerly the Dominican Retreat House has served as a font of grace and healing for thousands of men, women and youth. On these grounds they encountered God, committed themselves to a spiritual journey, and discovered that their lives were to have an impact for good in the world and therefore their ongoing journey must be fueled by God. The need for retreats and spiritual programs continued and grew over time, but the number of Dominican sisters was reducing.

By October of 2003, the Dominican sisters faced the need to consolidate their ministry, and therefore decided to sell the property. There was an immediate ground-swell of concern for these ten little acres of holy ground. Rather than close the facility and turn the land over to the highest bidder, Archbishop John C. Favalora, of the Archdiocese of Miami, looked at the future with a vision for deeper lay involvement and invested $2 million toward the purchase of MorningStar, and arranged a line of credit for the remaining $2 million. In so doing, a board of religious and community leaders was established.

The committed group of laity and clergy who expressed the desire to continue and broaden the sacred work of spiritual renewal in the Archdiocese of Miami then took the extraordinary step of organizing MorningStar as a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity.

Each year, MorningStar hosts over 100 groups for overnight retreats or day programs, and ministers to approximately 5000 people. Thirty brand new programs have been developed of which twelve have already been successfully implemented.

The need for places and spaces for spiritual renewal is clearly evident. Weekends are booked a year in advance and weekdays are filling up with many schools, church groups, and community organizations coming to MorningStar for their retreats or day conferences. New programs are in demand but need time and open space to be scheduled. Increased usage of the forty-plus year old facility has resulted in need for repair and upkeep.

MorningStar, a place infused with God’s Light, is being called to shine throughout South Florida and beyond. The Extend the Light Capital Campaign will enable that light to shine forth creating a legacy for spiritual renewal.

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