Our History

"Knowing the history of a place helps us to better appreciate what we have now.  There is a rich history here at Saint Joseph Retreat and Conference Center.  From the stories that 'the walls could tell' of students and sisters who walked and lived here, to the beauty of the buildings, the cemetery, and the landscape, there has been a rich deposit of faith being lived on this site since the early 1900s."

We welcome stories and photos from St. Joseph Academy alumnae, the community, associates and friends of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Please share by contacting Fr. David Huemmer at (765) 551-9585 or  fr.dhuemmer@dol-in.org .

Fr. David Huemmer, Chaplain & Spiritual Director

In 2016, the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana purchased this property and began renovation. The St. Joseph Retreat & Conference Center opened September 26, 2017.

With our rich history as the Sisters of St. Joseph Academy campus, faith has been formed here since 1904.

Sister Gertrude Moffitt laid the foundation for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Tipton, Indiana on March 15, 1888. She was invited by Father Lentz of St. John the Baptist in Tipton to establish a school. The St. Joseph Academy was formally opened and blessed November 15, 1904 on this property. A second building, the St. Joseph Convent, was built in 1910. St. Katharine Hall was added in 1932 to house the gymnasium, auditorium and home economics department.

As the Order and Academy grew in the 1950s, the St. Joseph Motherhouse was established as a residence for the Academy boarders, and as a home for the Sisters in administration and retired Sisters.

After the St. Joseph Academy closed in 1972, and there were fewer novices for the Convent, the Academy building was razed in 1978 followed by the Convent in 1982.

St. Katharine Hall was used as a Migrant Day Care from 1972 to 1991.

Our bungalow-style Nazareth House, built in 1908, has functioned as the St. Mary’s Boys Academy, the Chaplain’s house, and in 1991 was remodeled to serve as a retreat house. Our Montana-style St. John of the Cross log cabin was built in 1989 by an anonymous donor for use as a retreat house.  

The Sisters of St. Joseph operated this campus as a both a senior living facility and a conference center until the Motherhouse closed on March 27, 2013 when only 14 sisters remained. The property sat dormant for four years prior to the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana purchase in 2016.

Prior to purchasing the Sisters of St. Joseph property in Tipton, the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana operated the John XXIII Retreat Center, in Hartford City for 50 years. It closed in 2016.