About Us

About Center of Renewal at Stella Niagara

Center of Renewal (COR) Retreat & Conference Center at Stella Niagara is a sponsored ministry of Sisters of Saint Francis of Penance and Christian Charity, Holy Name Province. Stella Niagara was founded in 1908.  Center of Renewal at Stella Niagara began as a retreat center in 1974, and in 2024 this ministry will be celebrating its 50th year of continuous retreat center hospitality and spiritual development.

Currently, Center of Renewal provides a peaceful and beautiful environment for many people and organizations, offering opportunities for spiritual, educational, emotional, and physical renewal. Through shared hospitality and sponsored events, this retreat center and multi-room meeting facility can currently accommodate almost 90 overnight guests. COR continues to deploy its core values plus commit to its mission and that of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Penance and Christian Charity, Holy Name Province.

Center of Renewal Retreat & Conference Center is located on the grounds of Stella Niagara, only two miles north of the Village of Lewiston, NY and four miles south of the Village of Youngstown, NY and Old Fort Niagara. This tranquil, 100+-acre scenic site offers a sense of peacefulness with nature trails, a Peace Garden, an outdoor labyrinth, athletic fields, and nearby Stella Niagara Preserve (Western New York Land Conservancy) along the Lower Niagara River.

Many not-for-profit groups, churches, and other organizations return year after year, renting reasonably-priced meeting and sleeping rooms for day and overnight events, including home-style meals, beverages, snacks, audio-visual equipment, and more. All meeting rooms, sleeping rooms, and meals are within the same building for ease of use, with elevator access to all floors.

Several scheduled retreats & workshops are offered on various topics throughout the year including preached, sponsored, directed, group, and/or private retreats. Authors, spiritual directors, and other notable retreat presenters are periodically scheduled for COR-sponsored retreat events.

Overnight sleeping rooms on two floors can currently accommodate almost 90 guests, and our numerous meeting rooms throughout the building can handle varying size groups at the same time for day and overnight programming. Wi-Fi is available in key areas throughout the building.  There are elevators for easy access to all floors; snack and beverage machines; and scheduled meals, beverages, and snacks by advance reservation. COR also offers guests use of a full-size washer (w/laundry soap) and dryer, irons and ironing boards, and limited use of full-size refrigerators, microwave ovens, toaster oven, toasters, and coffee makers.

Our staff is committed to our core values of hospitality and service, spiritual growth, and performance excellence in deploying COR's mission statement.  Each employee strives to assist you in making your retreat/event the success you expect ... please let us know how we may be of service.  Our executive director is also available to design and/or present retreats and workshops here or at your offsite location.  Dr. Askins is a certified performance improvement master facilitator whose scholar-practitioner research focuses on core values-based behaviors, mission integration, and management development.

Enjoy multiple opportunities for pensive contemplation and reflection, insightful self-expression, and meaningful rest and relaxation. Spiritual directors are typically available by advance appointment through our office. 

Center of Renewal at Stella Niagara ... refresh, renew, rejoice!