A Place Set Apart for
Encounter, Formation, and Mission
St. Brendan's at Coldwater is 400 acres of secluded natural beauty in the Florida Panhandle. No noise. No other groups. No competing schedules. Just your people, the property, and the encounter you came here for.
What it feels
like to arrive
There is something that happens when a group turns off the main road and starts down the long driveway at St. Brendan's Coldwater. The pace changes. Conversations quiet. People begin to look around. The noise of the week starts to fall away before anyone has unpacked a bag or opened a Bible.
That is not an accident. Every detail of this property has been oriented toward a single purpose: creating the conditions for encounter. The trails, the water, the sky. At St. Brendan's, the retreat starts the moment you arrive.
More than a venue.
A formative experience.
The St. Brendan Center at Coldwater is not a camp or a conference center. It is a unique property that invites you into deeper union with Christ through nature and revelation. The serenity, the landscape, the beauty of the structures...all of it is meant to slow you down and make room for something deeper. This is a place where silence isn’t unusual, Scripture is central, and the goal of every retreat is encounter.
Following the best of the Catholic tradition, we encourage guests to take up the Word of God and receive grace through the sacraments.
Every path, every gathering space, every detail of the property is oriented toward that purpose: helping people step away, listen for His voice, and return with clarity.
The Rule of One
One group at a time. When your group arrives, the entire property belongs to you. The lodge, the grounds, the trails, the beaches. You're not one among many groups, this retreat experience is customized for your group.
Encounter Christ in the still small voice
In a busy world with distractions abounding, we offer a place for silence and stillness. Like Elijah (1 Kings 19: 12), we can hear God move powerfully in the small quiet moments. Experience it at St. Brendan's Coldwater.
Open the Word
St. Jerome famously said "Ignorance of Scripture is ingorance of Christ." At St. Brendan's Coldwater, we infuse the Scripture into the entire environment, from the names of our buildings to our guest registry in each cabin.
Hosted Events
Along with groups renting the site for their retreats, the St. Brendan Center will also host its own events open to the public. See the calendar below for our plans for the first year.
Join a
hosted retreat
Join us for these exciting retreat opportunities. Registration will open in summer 2026!
October 17-19, 2026
Verso L'Alto Fathers Weekend
The Verso L'Alto retreat, inspired by St. Pier Gorgio Frassatti, is a two-part immersion into both masculine spirituality and survivals skills. Led by former Army Colonel Deacon David Ell, the father's weekend builds up the men for leadership in faith and in life and prepares them to mentor their sons in the father/son weekend. Spots are limited, and registration opens in July!
November 14-16, 2026
Verso L'Alto Father/Son Weekend
Following the initial retreat, this week brings fathers and sons together in prayerand exploring the grounds, learning how to navigate our faith and the lands of Coldwater. Registration opens in July!
December 2026
Advent Retreat
Join our Executive Director, Dr. Luke Arredondo, for a day-long Saturday retreat focusing on the Old Testament prophecies which point to Jesus Christ. Perfect for the Advent season!
February 2027
Hopeful Mysteries Retreat
Join Dr. Tom Neal and Dr. Luke Arredondo, for a weekend-long retreat (Friday evening-Sunday) focusing on the Hopeful Mysteries of the Rosary. This retreat will combine reflection, teaching, meditation, and small group sharing as Dr. Neal and Dr. Arredondo open up the narrative of salvation history and show Christ as the fulfillment of the Old Testament. Registration coming soon!
Late Spring 2027
Family Retreat Weekends
Our family retreat weekends will be a signature event for our diocese! This retreat will feature prayer, formation, and time for families to get away from their daily concerns and focus on building up their Domestic Church, all in the beautiful settings of St. Brendan's Coldwater. Dates and more details coming soon!
Bring your group
to St. Brendan's at Coldwater
St. Brendan's at Coldwater is available for private retreat bookings for parishes, schools, ministries, and individuals throughout the year. Choose a facilitated retreat led by Luke or bring your own content and leadership and use the property on your own terms.
What is included in every private booking: Full exclusive use of the entire property Lodge, cabins, grounds, trails, beach access, and all on-property formation features, Flexible scheduling with no required programming, Dr. Luke available for formation sessions by arrangement.
Start Your Retreat Inquiry →
Our Executive Director
Luke Arredondo, PhD is the founding Executive Director of the St. Brendan Center for Evangelization and Spirituality. Luke earned his PhD in Religious Ethics at Florida State University and a M.A. in Theological Studies at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, LA.
Prior to serving at St. Brendan, Luke was the Director of Faith Formation for the St. Philip Institute of Catechesis and Evangelization in the Diocese of Tyler, TX.
Luke lives with his wife, Elena, and their five children in Pensacola. They are devotees of St. John Paul II, St. Therese, St. Faustina, soon-to-be Blessed Fulton Sheen, and (sometimes unfortunately) the New Orleans Saints.
Help build something the Gulf Coast has never had.
Founding donors are helping bring St. Brendan's Coldwater to life. Every gift helps build the chapel and create the confession refuge, creating a place of prayer and renewal for generations to come.
$50 funds meals for a priest's weekend retreat.
$300 sponsors a family retreat weekend.
$1,000 helps build the chapel that makes Mass on-site possible.
$5,000 names you as a founding Steward of Silence with permanent recognition on the property.