About Us

Historic St. Anne Retreat Center of the Diocese of Covington is located in Melbourne, Kentucky on 17 picturesque acres. The Retreat Center received notoriety for being used in the film Rain Man. The Diocese purchased the property in 2012 from the sisters of the Congregation of Divine Providence. Bordering the property is a large nature preserve managed by the Kentucky Nature Conservancy. There are numerous hiking trails through the property available for the retreatants.

The Retreat Center consists of two primary buildings. The Convent Center, the original building, was completed in 1919. It can hold 40 retreatants in total on the 2nd and 3rd floor of the building. On the ground floor is the kitchen, dining hall and Mary, Mother of Mercy Chapel. That Chapel was completed and consecrated by the Bishop in December of 2015. On the 1st floor is Assembly Hall, a large meeting room with all of the necessary audio / visual equipment for meetings. In addition, the beautiful 1st floor entry way leads into the Sacred Heart Chapel which connects the Convent Center to the Moye Center, our second building. The 1st floor also has the St. Francis and St. Clare meeting rooms along with a number of small consultation rooms available for use. On the 2nd floor is a well-stocked and beautifully appointed library for the retreatants to enjoy.

The Moye Center was completed in 1930 along with the Sacred Heart Chapel. It can house up to 80 retreatants and has meeting rooms as well. The Galilee meeting room is on the ground floor and has its’ own kitchen with tables and chairs as well as a meeting area. O’Shaughnessy is the primary meeting room in the Moye Center. It is situated under the Sacred Heart Chapel and provides ample meeting space. Bethany is next to O’Shaughnessy and is a smaller meeting area. Providence is also a meeting room in the Moye Center that is available.

Our Chapels are beautiful and provide a place to encounter all of the spirituality necessary for a great retreat. The Retreat Center provides all of the necessary items to hold a Mass including the priest’s chasubles, deacon dalmatics, the necessary vessels, the Roman Missal as well as the lectionaries for both weekday and weekends. The Tabernacle in both Chapels is located in the center of the Sanctuary. All needed audio equipment is provided as well.

Our objective as the staff at St. Anne is to provide an environment conducive to a meaningful encounter with Christ while on retreat. We also encourage everyone to come out enjoy the grounds, pray in our Chapels and be a part of what we do here. You are always welcome here but please let us know when you are coming.

Currently, the Retreat Center hosts a wide variety of retreats. We host all of the senior class high school retreats for our Catholic high schools. We also host a number of adult retreats and will be adding our own as we move forward. The Retreat Center provides an outstanding selection of meals, coffee, tea and juices so that our retreatants do not have to concern themselves with food while here.

We are growing and we ask that you keep us in your prayers as we move forward. Our efforts are guided by the Holy Spirit and we are grateful for the opportunity to serve the needs of the Diocese. Our friendly and professional staff makes that possible. Please do hesitate to contact us with any questions.

Vision
In the midst of a noisy, busy world, we seek to provide a space of quiet and peace, where reflection on one’s life in its relation to God is possible. St. Anne Retreat Center is a lovely place to bring your retreat group, and we hope soon to begin to offer our own specifically-themed retreats. Priests and religious may call to discuss the possibility of individual retreats.