Where Silence Speaks: Patris Corde Retreat Center Now Open
- Guest Contributor
- 5 hours ago
- 6 min read
A new hermitage retreat center, Patris Corde, answers the call of the heart for God through silence, prayer and solitude in the Colorado mountains.
By Karin Gamba
Patris Corde is the newly opened silent retreat center within the Archdiocese of Denver, tucked along an off-the-beaten-path country road near the border of Grand and Summit Counties in the mountains of Colorado. Open to Catholics and all Christians seeking spiritual renewal, it is a place that invites individual retreatants to temporarily leave the noise of the world behind and listen to the still, small voice of God in the quiet of prayer and solitude.
Listening for God in a Noisy World is Not Easy
“When you go on retreat and step into the silence, you realize how loud the world is,” said John Ryan, who co-founded Patris Corde alongside his wife, Ashleigh.
“On retreat, the goal is to empty ourselves and let God fill us,” he explained. “Removing the noises, distractions and technology allows the heart to cry out: ‘I need you, God’.”
“We crave silence,” said Father Daniel Cuicci, pastor of Most Precious Blood Parish in Denver, a friend of the Ryans, and a past retreatant at Patris Corde.
He points to the popularity of noise-canceling headphones, all the rage these days.
“A silent retreat is a kind of spiritual noise cancellation,” he explained. “It allows us to hear with greater fidelity,” both in the technical sense of clarity, depth and precision, and in the theological sense of faithfulness and responsiveness. “The Lord often speaks in quiet, non-obvious ways.”
A Seed Planted in Silence
As young adults in Minnesota, John and Ashleigh had the opportunity to attend silent retreats, and the impact of those youthful days was profound. The practice of stepping away from the noise of the world to meet God in silence planted a deep desire in both of them to one day nurture a plot of land with their children and offer the same opportunity to “get away with Jesus” to others.
“I always wanted to be a groundskeeper or gardener, but that wouldn’t pay the bills,” John mused.
And yet, once planted, that simple, humble desire took root in their hearts and prayers.
Many years later, the couple and their growing family moved from Minnesota to Summit County. They joined the local parish and met Monsignor Michael Glenn, then pastor of Our Lady of Peace Parish in Silverthorne and the former rector of St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver. Supportive of the Ryans’ dream of opening a retreat center, John recalls, Monsignor Glenn was fond of saying, “Priests need poustinia — that’s desert — prayer. In speaking to him, I would add, we (the laity) need it too.”
What is Poustinia?
This unfamiliar word, a favorite of the late Monsignor Glenn, is of Russian origin and means desert, wilderness or an empty place. Just as Jesus went to “lonely” (solitary) places to pray, so poustinia refers to a place set apart for prayer, silence and encounter with God.
John emphasizes the words of Cardinal Sarah: “Silence is not an absence. On the contrary, it is the manifestation of a Presence. The real questions of life are posed in silence.”
The purpose of going on poustinia or retreat is not to escape or navel-gaze. Rather, it is to prepare for a faithful return to mission in service to others in the world.
See What God Does
Monsignor Glenn and other priests continued to affirm the Ryans’ idea and the need for such a place within the Archdiocese of Denver. Stepping out in faith, the couple began searching for suitable land, but acreage in the heart of Colorado ski country is scarce, and it doesn't come cheap. The couple didn’t fret; instead, they turned to prayer.
During that time, John revealed his hopes to his piano teacher, also a parishioner of Our Lady of Peace, who encouraged him to get in touch with her husband. As it turned out, he was a partner in a ranch real estate group and was himself purchasing a parcel; however, he was waiting until he had a buyer for a smaller portion of the ranch property.
For the Ryans, it was a perfect and providential fit — a solution they would never have foreseen or arranged on their own.
“When we bought this land, which was never on the market, we were praying a novena to St. Joseph,” John explained. “There are 10,000 people in Summit County, and the buyer is my piano teacher’s husband! It’s amazing to see what God does.”
Built by Hand & Sustained by Grace
When the land was finally secured, prayer quite literally took root in the soil. Monsignor Glenn celebrated Mass and blessed the property in 2017, burying St. Benedict medals at its corners, and the Ryans and their six children moved onto the land with little more than faith and an RV trailer. They learned to build by hand alongside an Amish craftsman, raising the first log structure in 2022, and discovering that construction is much like prayer, an exercise in patience.
Progress came slowly, often stopping altogether. In moments when the money ran out, or a contentious water rights battle ensued, unexpected financial gifts arrived, or the legal case resolved, affirming again that this work was of a higher calling, carried not by human effort alone but by God’s grace.
Why Patris Corde and Why Now?
The name Patris Corde, Latin for With a Father’s Heart, takes its cue from an Apostolic Letter written by Pope Francis. It promotes the dignity of quiet, hidden faithfulness of ordinary people carrying unseen, but heavy, burdens. A role model for our times, St. Joseph lived his vocation as a father, taking care of the Holy Family, not through striving, but through simplicity, presence, obedience and trust in God.
The mission of Patris Corde is to strengthen, renew and empower vocations within the Archdiocese of Denver and beyond.
“There are many people struggling in their vocations — priests, religious, married and single people. The antidote is counterintuitive: To allow yourself to be loved profoundly again by God. Patris Corde offers a place for that encounter,” John said, explaining the need for a place for quiet retreat.
“A ‘yes’ to your vocation has real implications,” Father Ciucci added. “Vocations are renewed by attending first to the relationship, the love at the heart of the relationship [with God]. Healthy vocations follow secondarily, as a fruit of intimacy with God.”
The Patris Corde Retreat Experience
The retreat experience at Patris Corde is intentionally simple and free from excess stimulation. Right from the start, the surrender to God begins. Guests park their vehicles a half mile away. Patris Corde staff members welcome guests and drive them to one of five log-cabin hermitages.
Each hermitage is named after a saint. Oversized windows give breathtaking views of God’s creation. Inside, guests have all they need: a simple bed, a rocking chair, a side table and even a religious icon to contemplate. Essential appliances — a small refrigerator and a one-burner stove — are solar-powered and efficient. Guests are encouraged to bring food but keep meals simple to stay in the spirit of the retreat. Patris Corde offers bread, cheese and fruit, and will happily restock as needed. For bathing, an on-site shower house is also available.
At the center of the facility is the St. Joseph Chapel, dedicated by Denver Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila in 2023, where the Blessed Sacrament is present. It is an ideal place to spend time in prayer, close to the Eucharistic Lord. John hopes, as the retreat center grows, Mass will be offered daily. In the meantime, Mass is offered when priests are on retreat at Patris Corde.
In addition to praying at the chapel, guests are encouraged to explore the 200-acre property bordered on three sides by public lands. Walking trails are abundant and offer an opportunity to experience God in his creation.
“One of the gifts of a retreat at Patris Corde is time squandered with the Lord,” said Father Brady Wagner, a Patris Corde board member and director of Spirituality Year at St. John Vianney Seminary, in a video on preparation for retreat.
The hermitage area is intentionally silent, allowing nature, prayer and the presence of God to take the lead. John notes that phones do work, but encourages retreatants to turn them off or leave them in their vehicles.
Be Not Afraid
Going into the desert, or in the case of Patris Corde, into the woods, can be uncomfortable for some.
Speaking to this concern, John cites a quote from Archbishop Aquila that also appears on the website: “There’s nothing to fear when you’re going to the One who has loved you eternally, and to the One who seeks only your good.”
John and Ashleigh’s hope for every person who leaves Patris Corde is that they be strengthened in their vocation and experience a personal poustinia of the heart that sustains them throughout the year.
Patris Corde is open year-round and is currently accepting reservations for retreats.
