A Private, Exclusive-Use Retreat Venue for Catholic Parishes, Schools, Youth Groups & Ministries
Planning a Catholic retreat requires more than finding a place with enough beds.
You need a setting where your group of 60-200 attendees can step away from everyday distractions, gather for prayer and reflection, build community, and still have room for fellowship, recreation, and the informal conversations that often become the most meaningful part of a retreat.
When your Catholic group stays with us, your group has the entire property to itself.
No other retreat groups. No outside guests. No shared dining hall. No competing schedules. No need to leave the property for activities.
Just your group, your schedule, and a private 100+ acre retreat campus.
Now Booking Catholic Retreats for 2027 – Summer 2028
Orange Springs Retreat Center is currently accepting inquiries and reservations for 2027 and the Summer 2028 season.
Because we host only one group at a time, available dates are limited—particularly during popular spring, summer, and holiday periods.
If you are planning a Catholic parish retreat, Catholic youth retreat, confirmation retreat, school retreat, men’s or women’s retreat, young adult gathering, or other faith-based group event, we encourage you to begin planning early.
Contact us to discuss your dates, group size, retreat goals, and meal requirements.
Call Mike Sokol at 561-221-7773 or visit orangespringsretreat.com.
Why Catholic Groups Choose Orange Springs
A retreat should feel different from an ordinary weekend away.
At Orange Springs, your group isn’t simply renting meeting space and a block of hotel rooms. You are reserving an entire retreat property where the physical environment, schedule, meals, lodging, worship, recreation, and fellowship can all work together.
Your group has the property to itself
Our defining difference is simple:
One Group at a Time. Always.
Your Catholic group has exclusive access to the campus throughout your stay. That means your retreat leaders can establish the rhythm of the weekend without having to work around another organization’s activities.
Space for Prayer, Reflection & Fellowship
The property provides a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces that can be used for:
- Prayer and worship
- Mass and Catholic liturgy, as arranged by your group
- Small-group discussions and faith formation
- Bible study and sacramental preparation
- Confirmation retreats and youth ministry sessions
- Leadership development and campus ministry
- Men’s and women’s ministry gatherings
- Evening reflection, campfires, and informal conversation
Your ministry team determines the schedule. We provide the setting.
A Catholic Retreat Venue Where Your Group Can Actually Disconnect
Orange Springs is located on more than 100 private acres bordering the Ocala National Forest in North Central Florida. The property centers around a spring-fed lake with a white-sand beach and includes extensive recreational and gathering facilities.
For retreat leaders, that creates an important balance. A group can spend the morning in prayer and reflection, come together for lunch, divide into small groups during the afternoon, and then spend the evening around a campfire or on the waterfront.
Everything is on one private campus.
Catholic Youth Retreats
For Catholic youth ministers and parish leaders, the right retreat environment can make a tremendous difference. Young people need opportunities to pray and reflect—but they also need time to laugh, compete, explore, talk, and simply spend time together away from their normal routines.
Orange Springs gives youth groups room for both. Your retreat might include:
- Faith formation sessions and small-group discussions
- Prayer, reflection, Mass, or other Catholic worship arranged by your group
- Team-building activities and free-time fellowship
- Swimming, canoeing, kayaking, and paddleboarding on our spring-fed lake
- Sports, archery, and optional ropes-course elements
- Evening campfires
Because your group is the only group on the property, youth leaders aren’t competing with another organization’s schedule or trying to keep students contained within a shared public facility.
Catholic School Retreats
Orange Springs can also serve Catholic schools planning overnight retreats, leadership experiences, class retreats, or special student programs. The property is particularly well suited for larger groups that need lodging + meeting space + meals + recreation + privacy—all in one location.
A Catholic school might use the property for:
- Junior high and high school retreats
- Senior retreats and class bonding trips
- Confirmation preparation and Kairos-style programming
- Student leadership and campus ministry retreats
- Faculty and staff retreats
The campus accommodates structured programming during the day while giving students time to relax and build relationships outside of formal sessions.
Catholic Men’s & Women’s Retreats
Orange Springs isn’t only for youth. The property also works well for Catholic adult ministries, including men’s retreats, women’s retreats, parish leadership gatherings, young adult retreats, and ministry team weekends.
The combination of private accommodations, meeting areas, outdoor gathering spaces, recreation, waterfront activities, and chef-prepared meals gives adult groups considerable flexibility. A weekend might include morning prayer and teaching, small-group sessions, free time, outdoor activities, shared meals, and evening fellowship around a fire. Your group decides what the retreat should look like.
Lodging for Large Catholic Groups
Orange Springs is designed for groups rather than individual travelers. The property offers 200+ beds in comfortable, climate-controlled group lodging.
That makes it possible for a parish, school, diocese, ministry, or Catholic organization to bring a substantial group together without splitting the retreat between multiple hotels or facilities. Keeping everyone on one property also makes the retreat easier to manage—there is no daily shuttle between lodging, meals, meeting facilities, and activities.
Meals Can Be Part of the Retreat
Meals are an important part of group retreats. They aren’t simply something that happens between sessions—they become opportunities for fellowship and community.
Orange Springs offers chef-prepared meals that can be customized to your group’s needs and dietary requirements. We can work with organizers regarding vegetarian meals, allergies, dietary restrictions, and other special requirements.
For groups that already have relationships with outside food-service providers or have specialized dietary needs, meal-free arrangements may also be possible depending on the group and dates. Discuss your requirements with us when requesting a proposal.
Recreation That Brings People Together
A Catholic retreat doesn’t have to mean sitting in a meeting room all weekend. Some of the best conversations happen while people are doing something together. Orange Springs offers a wide range of recreational opportunities:
- Spring-fed lake with white-sand beach
- Canoeing, kayaking, paddleboarding, and waterfront inflatables
- Swimming (lake and pool)
- Sports fields, four tennis courts, indoor/outdoor basketball, volleyball
- Archery
- Walking trails and outdoor gathering spaces
- Campfire areas
- High and low ropes-course elements and climbing wall (advance arrangement required)
See the full list of available activities.
What Does “Exclusive-Use” Actually Mean?
This is one of the most important questions to ask when comparing retreat centers.
At Orange Springs, exclusive-use means your organization reserves the property for your group. You aren’t sharing the dining hall with another church. You aren’t walking past another organization’s retreat sessions. You aren’t competing for waterfront time. You aren’t adjusting your evening schedule because another group is using the facilities.
One group is on campus at a time. For Catholic retreats, that creates something especially valuable: a controlled environment where your retreat leaders can establish the atmosphere and rhythm they want for the weekend.
Convenient Central Florida Location
Orange Springs Retreat Center is located in Orange Springs, Florida, between Gainesville and Ocala. Approximate drive times include:
- Gainesville: about 40 minutes
- Ocala: about 30–35 minutes
- Orlando: about 1.5–2 hours
- Jacksonville: about 1.5 hours
- Tampa: approximately 2 hours
For groups bringing participants from outside Florida, Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV) is approximately 33 miles away. The property is also accessible to charter buses and larger group transportation.
A Retreat Center With More Than 50 Years of Camp Experience
The property began as Camp Shalom in 1971, founded by Dave and Shelley Sokol. In 2002, Mike Sokol transformed the family property into Orange Springs Retreat Center, creating a year-round exclusive-use retreat venue for private groups.
Today the property continues that tradition by hosting churches, schools, youth organizations, and other private groups. The purpose of the retreat may change from group to group. The underlying goal remains the same: give people a place where they can step away from everyday distractions and spend meaningful time together.
Planning a Catholic Retreat at Orange Springs
When you contact us, we’ll want to know a few basics:
- Your approximate group size
- Your preferred dates
- How many nights you plan to stay
- Whether you need meals
- The type of retreat you’re planning
- Any special dietary or facility requirements
From there we can discuss availability, lodging, meals, meeting spaces, activities, and the best way to structure your stay. We don’t believe every retreat should follow the same package. Your parish, school, ministry, or organization has its own goals. The property gives you the flexibility to build the retreat around those goals.
Ready to Plan Your 2027 or Summer 2028 Catholic Retreat?
If you’re beginning to research Catholic retreat centers in Florida, now is a good time to start. Orange Springs Retreat Center is currently accepting reservations for 2027 and Summer 2028.
Because we maintain a strict one-group-at-a-time policy, we can accommodate only one organization on the property during a given period.
If privacy, flexibility, group lodging, meals, recreation, and a true retreat environment are important to your organization, we’d be happy to discuss your plans.
Request Information & Availability
Orange Springs Retreat Center
Orange Springs, Florida
Phone: 561-221-7773
Website: orangespringsretreat.com
Church / Youth Group page: Florida Church Group Retreat Location
We’d be glad to learn what you’re planning and help you determine whether Orange Springs is the right fit for your group.
Helpful Media Resources for Catholic Retreats
Many Catholic retreat leaders also look for trusted media to support prayer, discussion, and formation. Here are a few currently active, reputable options:
Videos: Ascension Presents (Fr. Mike Schmitz and team), Word on Fire / Bishop Robert Barron, and Catholic Central.
Audio: The Bible in a Year and The Catechism in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz, Catholic Stuff You Should Know, and the Hallow app for guided prayer.
Always preview content for your specific age group and follow your diocesan guidelines. The media supports the retreat; the private setting at Orange Springs makes the deeper work possible.
One Group at a Time. Always.
Related Resources