About

The facility of Terra Sancta was originally built in 1962 as a monastery for the Benedictine Sisters of Saint Martin. It was their first permanent home in Rapid City after the arrival of four brave sisters to Sturgis, South Dakota from Melchtal, Switzerland in 1889. The Sisters served the Diocese of Rapid City through the ministries of education and healthcare with a special commitment to the liturgy of the hours and communal prayer.

In 2009, the Sisters built a smaller monastery to the south and in 2012, the former monastery opened as Terra Sancta Retreat Center, a Chancery Annex, and Saint Elizabeth Seton Elementary School.

We are eternally grateful for their generosity and faithfulness throughout the years.

The staff and the ministry at Terra Sancta exist to love and serve all the guests who come to visit our facility. Every detail is carefully attended to, acknowledging that even the smallest touches of love and care can have the greatest of impact on our guests.  From the commitment to ensuring rooms are “immaculately clean” to busing and cleaning tables to allow for a more comfortable dining experience, the event staff at Terra Sancta are showing the love of Christ through their generous and humble service. As Bishop Gruss states in Through Him, With Him, and In Him, “love makes us want to serve.” Those who come to work at Terra Sancta are compelled to willingly, cheerfully, and sacrificially give of themselves in service of Christ’s Church. The gift of this servant’s heart is a charism that is carefully cultivated and encouraged to ensure that everyone who comes to Terra Sancta has a tangible experience of the Lord’s generous love.

Terra Sancta offers a variety of spaces and activities to meet the needs of most events. From religious workshops and conferences, to retreat weekends or week-long retreats, we are blessed with lodging rooms, meeting rooms, chapels and beautiful surroundings.

We’re also a great location for family gatherings – reunions, celebration meals and more, we have accommodations for sleeping, eating, playing, hiking and more. With advance notice, we can help you schedule mass in one of our chapels for your family event, too!