The Episcopal Diocese of California & Retreat Centers
The Diocese of California (DioCal)
The Episcopal Diocese of California seeks to enter a new era of the Church’s life emphasizing mission, diversity and collaboration. We believe The Episcopal Church has a charism, a gift, to be a generous form of Christianity. The Diocese of California has embraced the vision put forth a hundred years ago by the Fellowship of Reconciliation, later espoused by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., that we should manifest “the beloved community” – the living out of our essential inter-relatedness in Christ. The DioCal serves a diverse community of faith: 27,000 people.
The Bishop's Ranch is a retreat and conference center owned by the diocese in the heart of Sonoma County's Russian River Valley. This is a unique gathering place for groups and individuals of all ages. The Bishop’s Ranch is available and is used by a wide variety of nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit groups may hold day use meetings, or meetings with one or more overnights. For more information, please contact The Bishop's Ranch, 707-433-2440, info@bishopsranch.org.
St. Columba Retreat House
Owned and operated by St. Columba Parish, the retreat house occupies a four-floor summerhouse mansion built in 1930, in the small town of Inverness on the Point Reyes Peninsula. Nestled in the forested hills overlooking Tomales Bay, this center for worship offers individual retreats and group retreats, accommodating as many as 32 guests. St. Columba Retreat House features a full kitchen, dining and meeting areas, and private, semi-private, and dorm-style rooms for overnight lodging. Enclosed among the wooded hills is an outdoor Stations of the Cross and an outdoor Chapel with stone cross. Complementing the rustic feel of the retreat house is the open-beam sanctuary and adjacent chapel.
For over a century, our diocese is blessed to have St. Dorothy's Rest, a wonderful facility for retreats, conferences, and summer camp in Occidental, CA. Several charming buildings can house groups ranging from 8 to 65 people in semi-private rooms. A group of 50 people may reserve the entire facility. Bathrooms are "down the hall", and each retreat building has a meeting room with a fireplace or woodstove. There are also secluded outdoor meeting areas, and a lovely old redwood chapel.