Facilities
General Information
Facility Photo Gallery

Facilities

Saint Mary by-the-Sea includes three buildings:

  • Saint Mary by-the-Sea - the large white building which houses the large Chapel,  Dining Room, Offices, and guest rooms

    • open from early June through early October     CLOSED
       
  • Queen-of-the-Sea - the tan building with guest rooms

    • open nine months of the year

  • Saint Joseph House - the gray building with guest rooms  

    • opened year round

 

Porches:

Porches with rockers line the entire inside and part of the outside of Saint Mary by-the-Sea on the first and second floors. Your room may not face the ocean, but much of the porch space does.

  

 

 

While You Are Here

Atmosphere of Quiet: During retreat, please maintain quiet throughout the house. If you arrive or leave while a retreat is in progress, please respect the quiet of the house.

Parking: Parking space is limited during summer months, please seriously consider carpooling when driving to Saint Mary by-the-Sea.

Natural Beauty: Surrounding Saint Mary by-the-Sea are landmarks which have become an integral part of the experience of making a retreat or vacationing at "The Cape." Lily Lake, a favored spot for reflective walks, is one such place. The history of Lily Lake extends back to the pirate days of Captain Kidd and to the American Revolution. Today, the lake is a bird sanctuary, a place of solitude and beauty, refreshing mind and heart.

At the very tip of the Point lies Sunset Beach, most famous as the final resting place of the concrete ship the "Atlantus." Built as part of a ferry experiment, the ship was sunk in the Delaware Bay in 1926. Sunset Beach has become something of a tourist attraction with vacationers coming to see the ship and witness the magnificent sunsets which have given this place its name.    Stop by for the evening flag ceremony held daily in season (May through September). All the flags flown at the mast are veterans' casket flags that have been donated by the families. There is nothing as thought provoking than to watch the sun set over the Delaware Bay while taps plays and Old Glory is lowered for the evening.

To the south of Saint Mary by-the-Sea is the  Cape May Point State Park  with its animal preserves, beach area, and the State Park museum. The history of Cape May Point is preserved here, especially its glory days as an elegant resort town. The Point hosted such impressive vacationers as President Benjamin Harrison, whose summer home was only one block up the beach from Saint Mary's, and John Wanamaker, whose summer cottage is now the Marianist Family Retreat Center .

Perhaps most beloved of all these landmarks is the Cape May Lighthouse, which stands one block behind Saint Mary's. Like Saint Mary's, the Lighthouse is a symbol of fidelity and endurance. For centuries, sailors and fishermen have been guided and protected by its beam which has never been extinguished.