Sisters of St. Joseph close iconic Cape May retreat: ‘It’s beyond sad’

By now, the Sisters of St. Joseph would normally be sending out brochures to members of the order announcing spring, summer, and fall retreats at the more-than-a-century-old oceanfront, 138-bedroom building in Cape May Point.

But the Chestnut Hill-based Roman Catholic order of nuns can’t hold the retreats due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a result, they are permanently closing the three-story, 38,000-square-foot retreat house, Saint Mary by-the-Sea, with its commanding view of the Atlantic Ocean and its confluence with the Delaware Bay.

The sisters had planned to close the U-shaped facility on Lehigh Avenue after the 2022 retreat season; the pandemic only hastened things.

The order has hired an attorney who specializes in conservation deals, said spokesperson Cecilia Rupell. According to an announcement last week, the order hopes to “return this land to nature rather than use it for further development.”

The sisters do not have plans to raze the landmark retreat facility, located a block from the historic Cape May Lighthouse. But the future of the building could be in the hands of whomever acquires it.

“Oh, it’s beyond sad. It’s beyond sad,” Rupell said of the early, and final, closure. “It was a difficult and heartbreaking decision. The history has been a very long one.”

The sisters first announced plans to close the retreat house in 2016. It is assessed at $4.1 million, according to property records — though that is not necessarily an indicator of present market value.

The retreat house is currently tax exempt and is located in a low-density residential zone. No plans to develop the property have been submitted to Cape May Point, according to municipal clerk Elaine Wallace.

Saint Mary by-the-Sea has a storied history, and stands on the location of what was originally the Shoreham Hotel, built in 1889, according to stmarybythesea.org, a website devoted to the retreat house’s history. The hotel had 1,200 linear feet of porches and a 200-foot lawn that spilled onto the beach.

The hotel went bust after a decade in business, and was sold in 1898. It became the Home for Aged and Infirm Colored People, which also failed.

In 1909, the Sisters of St. Joseph, aided by the Rev. Daniel I. McDermott, pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Philadelphia, bought the property for $9,000. The sisters added crosses to the roof. The ballroom became the chapel. The rest of the property became a retreat and vacation home for the sisters.

During World War II, retreats were halted while the sisters leased the property to the federal government for $1 a year for use as a barracks. When the sisters returned after the war, the property was a “shambles” and needed a complete renovation, the website states. And, because the ocean had been scattered with mines, the sisters could not swim there until 1966.

In later years, the retreat house was threatened by beach erosion.

Rupell said the house has been maintained over the years, but has no heat or air conditioning, so the sisters only use it in the spring, summer, and fall.

The sisters will still retain two adjacent properties, one known as Queen of the Sea, and the Saint Joseph House, a convent.