FEDERAL WAY – The staff at the Archbishop Brunett Retreat and Faith Formation Center at the Palisades have their favorite spots — the chapel, the trail, the Stations of the Cross. The secluded, wooded vista overlooking Puget Sound offers plenty of peaceful places to connect with the Holy Spirit.

The usually busy retreat center has been particularly quiet the past year, closed due to the coronavirus, but that will change when guests return, tentatively in September. Guests will find new carpet, new roofing and a new faith formation center.

“Faith formation” has always been a part of the retreat center’s name, and “our facilities now reflect that with a dedicated space for catechists,” Deacon Eric Paige, acting director of the Palisades, said in a letter announcing the reopening plans.

The retreat center is starting to plan its calendar, with the first “Betrothed” marriage preparation retreat scheduled October 8–10. It’s an appropriate way to reopen the Palisades, said Deacon Paige, who also serves as the archdiocese’s director of Marriage, Family Life and Formation. For many of the engaged couples, he noted, it will be their first exposure to a retreat, offering an opportunity to experience the power of growing closer to God and each other.

For the safety and comfort of its guests, the retreat center staff is observing all COVID cleaning and safety protocols “and will continue to do so,” Deacon Paige said in his letter.

Connecting with God

Retreats are an integral part of Catholic faith, providing an opportunity to reconnect with God. The Palisades provides more than 50 guest rooms, meeting rooms, a dining room, conference space and a chapel for retreats, spiritual growth and professional formation.

The Palisades is a popular place to hold retreats, meetings and professional formation events. 

“Scheduling is very tough here. This is a very popular place,” said Carlos Carrillo, the archdiocese’s director of faith formation. The new faith formation center is a place “faith formation [ministries] can count on,” he said.

Besides improvements to the buildings, the retreat center website has been upgraded and integrated with the new Archdiocese of Seattle website — but still can be found directly at palisadesretreatcenter.org. That’s where people can find out about the Palisades, register for retreats and learn about available hospitality jobs.

The chapel at the Archbishop Brunett Retreat and Faith Formation Center at the Palisades.

New space for catechist gatherings

The new faith formation center is located in a familiar building, a modular structure previously known as Building B.

“We renamed the building … ‘Samuel’s Building,’ remembering Samuel’s calling and his response: ‘Lord, here I am,’” Carrillo said in an email.

The structure has served many purposes since arriving at the site in 1972. Renovation of the building was discussed pre-pandemic; when the retreat center closed during the pandemic, it gave Sam Keller, facilities and grounds manager, an opportunity to breathe new life into the tired building.

Facilities and Grounds Manager Sam Keller continues to ready the new faith formation center at the Palisades retreat center for its debut this fall. Photo: Brenda Sexton

“We would not have been able to stay within the budget without the incredible creativity of Sam,” Deacon Paige said.

He praised Keller’s resourcefulness in salvaging and repurposing materials — such as his inspiration to turn discarded wood from a box spring into exterior window trim and his skill in refinishing interior door hardware. There is new flooring, fresh paint (inside and out), upgraded lighting, fewer closets and more elbow room.

Faith Formation Director Carlos Carrillo has been getting comfortable in his new office in the new faith formation center and making plans to greet guests. Photo: Brenda Sexton

Now the building houses a conference area, an updated kitchen, restrooms and three offices, which will allow programs to run simultaneously on the campus without having to jockey for space. The center has been “designed around the users,” Carrillo said. He is beginning to flesh out topics and line up speakers for the center’s faith formation offerings.

“The spirituality of this place is wonderful,” Carrillo said. “Faith formation and spiritual growth go together.”

For more information, to book a retreat or to reserve meeting space, email  [email protected] or call 206-274-3130.