Mission Saint Gabriel’s Spiritual Center for Youth serves today’s youth regardless of their socio-economic background or religious affiliation. Our retreats offer teens a chance to explore their relationships with God, their families and peers, as well as themselves, in a secure and faith-filled environment. The young people who come might be lost in the desert of struggles with relationships, substance abuse, low self-esteem, or deep anger and pain from dysfunctional family life. Oftentimes, the teenagers simply need a place to “get away from all the stuff of everyday life.” History Saint Gabriel’s was founded in 1963 by the Congregation of the Passion, known as the Passionist Community. Originally a retreat house for their novices, we opened our doors to teenagers in 1963. This Passionist ministry meets the growing spiritual needs of the youth of the New York Metro Area. Who are the Passionists? “We preach Christ crucified.” said our founder Saint Paul of the Cross. Some may view this as a morbid devotion. Not so with The Passionist Community. We recognize that Christ’s passion and death are no mere historical events. They are ever-present realities to people in the world of today -- "crucified" as they are by injustice, by the lack of a deep respect for human life, and by a hungry yearning for peace, truth, and the fullness of human existence; struggles we believe teenagers can bear during their daily lives. The message that Christ left us by His Passion and death was a profound message of unconditional love and this is what we preach to our retreatants. The center is named after Gabriel Possenti of Assisi, Italy. After a dramatic conversion to the passion of Christ during his own young adulthood, Saint Gabriel was stricken with tuberculosis and died at the age of 23. Because of his conversion at a young age and early death, he is named Patron Saint of youth. About Retreat Events Policies Staff Facilities Contact Mission Gift Shop Post Graduate Volunteer Program Fr. Vincent Youngberg Media