CHERRY HILL – The three-story building on the Camden Catholic High School campus has served many functions and witnessed many stories throughout its long history.

Having served as a rectory for the religious sisters who founded the school, a discernment for aspiring priests, and a home for international high school students, the school will now be a retreat center for Catholics of all ages.

The Sacred Carlo Acutis Center, originally called the House of Nazareth, was dedicated on October 10 with a prayer and blessing ceremony followed by a tour. Bishop Dennis Sullivan was joined by Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Williams, Curia Vicar General and Moderator Father Robert Hughes, and priest-secretary Father Joshua Nevitt, as well as school staff and student representatives from Camden Catholic; Gloucester Catholic High School, City of Gloucester; and Paul VI High School, Haddonfield.

Bishop Sullivan reminded all attendees: “We want the spirit of the living God to touch everyone who enters the rooms, not the walls, not the rooms, but the rooms, this chapel, and the common areas in this building.”

He also took some time to talk about the building’s new namesake, Blessed Carlo Acutis. “This young man caught the attention of people all over the world.” Noting Blessed Carlo Acutis’ love for the Mass and the Eucharist, he explained that the young man called the Eucharist “My way to Heaven.”

At the conclusion of the prayer service, Paul VI senior Annalize Capoli shared her experiences attending retreats and their impact on her spiritual life. “For me, Kairos cultivates three main things: the relationship with yourself, the relationship with God, and the relationship with others,” he said.

He stated that his Catholic faith, Catholic school experiences, and the influence of his family brought him into a closer relationship with God. But what he found in Kairos was his relationship with himself and others.

“I knew what I needed and what I desired was for my relationships to improve with my friends,” Capoli continued. “I mended these relationships in Kairos. “I learned to grow, I learned to open my heart, and most of all, I learned what true love is.”

Among the areas visited were the chapel on the ground floor, and the recently renovated bedrooms and common areas on the second and third floors. Freshly painted walls, new flooring and donated twin beds also welcomed attendees. As the tour progressed, Bishop Sullivan and Auxiliary Bishop Williams blessed the rooms with Holy Water “to remind us of the power of Baptism and the release of that power to all who come here,” Bishop Sullivan said.

Msgr. Andrew Martin, president emeritus of Camden Catholic High School, also shared his excitement.

“To have people use the building… for retreats, for meetings, for interactive encounters… I think it’s great that the building benefits from that kind of use,” he said.

At the end of the tour, guests were welcomed to the main dining area for light refreshments. Conversations continued in the large hall as many students from various high schools gathered tables and shared their own retreat experiences.

“Surely, let everyone who visits this place be as holy as Blessed Carlo Acutis,” Bishop Sullivan said.

For more information on how to reserve the Blessed Carlos Acutis Center, email the Diocese’s Office of Buildings and Project Management at [email protected].