Former orphan gives sisters opportunity to go 'up north'
by Pat Norby, The Catholic Spirit

Published March, 2003, in The Catholic Spirit

Religious sisters soon may have an opportunity to enjoy the Midwest experience of going “up north” or “to the lake,” thanks to the generosity of a former orphan.

Sal Di Leo, a parishioner at St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony, is getting close to fulfilling a dream: to provide a free retreat by a northern Minnesota lake for sisters and women who are considering religious life.

“It feels like a wonderful opportunity to do something that has some long-lasting purpose,” Di Leo said. “It seems like something my whole life has been geared toward. It’s a spiritual thanksgiving. A thanking God and the people who made me — that’s the nuns.”

Di Leo, 49, and his three siblings were taken to the Guardian Angel Home Orphanage near Chicago in 1963. He tells about his life and experiences and the compassionate care he received from the sisters in a memoir titled “Did I ever thank you, Sister?” He sells the book on-line as a fund-raiser for the retreat center at Lake George, which is called St. Francis Lodge. Lake George is about seven miles east of Itasca State Park where the Mississippi river originates.

“I would not have the life I have today if it were not for the love and compassion the nuns gave to me and my family when we had no one to turn to in the early ‘60s. I think I could have ended up in jail or dead. Now I want to give something back,” he wrote for his Web site.

Dominican Sister Dominica Brennan said that St. Francis Lodge sounds like a wonderful place for religious women to go for rest and rejuvenation.

“It sounds to me like the kind of place that would be a wonderful setting for religious who need a restful beautiful spot for reflection, for rest and for internal renewal,” said Sister Dominica, who is chancellor for canonical affairs at the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Sister Dominica met Di Leo when he called the Chancery for information about finding a Catholic publisher, she said.

“He told me about the sisters he grew up with,” she said. And he also told her about spending one year at an orphanage that her Dominican community ran.

“He knew, by name, some of the same sisters I knew who served there,” she said. “I became a little link to his earlier part of life.”

Although she said she doesn’t know Di Leo well, Sister Dominica said, “He’s a good man and is sincerely appreciative of the role religious women have played in his life.”

Di Leo also is interested in helping women who are considering religious life, he said.

“There are a lot more options for women today than there were in the past,” he said, “but people are searching. “I think there may be a movement for women to look at religious life as an option, and I believe God is asking us to do something about that.”

Sister Dominica said a northern retreat would be an appropriate place for those religious candidates to think and pray with a more focused purpose in mind.

Since Di Leo and his wife, Beth, purchased the land three years ago, they have put in a road, well, septic system, Stations of the Cross, a grotto, stairs to the lake and a dock.

“We’re ready to dig the foundation of the main house and the smaller house,” he said. “We’re hoping to get the big house built this year and get it open in the fall.”

The main house is to include four bedrooms in the lower level, with a bathroom and kitchenette to share and a separate entrance. The Di Leos would act as caretakers and live in the upper level during the summer. The separate guest house is to be set away from the main house, overlooking the lake. It is designed to sleep 10 and includes complete bathroom facilities and a full kitchen.

“By the end of ‘04’ our goal is to have the chapel finished and the guest quarters would be completed,” Di Leo said.

The facility is to be built as a year-round facility, but availability in the winter months will depend on how much interest is expressed by the sisters, he said. However, because the Di Leos both work full time, they would need to make additional arrangements, he said.

“At this point, our initial goal is to be open from May 1 to Oct. 1,” he said. Beth could work from the retreat center and he would take time off without pay, he said.

“Our goal is to run it like a bed and breakfast,” he said. “There won’t be any meetings or a format in place. It will be like taking a vacation in peace.”

Sister Dominica said, “If I had the opportunity and the time, I would be very interested.”

Di Leo notes that he has heard similar sentiments from other sisters who he has told about the retreat site.

“There must be a need because sisters are showing an interest,” he said. “I feel very moved by God to do this. If one sister shows up, it will be worth it.”

For more information about St. Francis Lodge, see the Web site: www.salsbook.com and click on St. Francis Lodge on the “Order Page,” or write to Sal Di Leo at 2611 Ulysses St. NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418, call (612) 789-2795, or e-mail to sal@salsbook.com. Di Leo also is interested in any donated construction materials or labor on the center.

Return