Peter Canisius House can be accessed via Mona Vale Road (if heading towards St Ives).  Telegraph Road is the nearest cross street.  Alternatively you can access via our rear driveway in Ganmain Road (off Telegraph Road).  The rear access is the fourth driveway on the right after turning into Ganmain Road.

Yes, there are excellent transport links to our site. Gordon Train station is about a five minute bus trip away and there is a bus stop directly out the front of our driveway on Mona Vale Road.

Travelling via Train/Bus –If travelling from Central Station it is best to catch a train on the North Shore Line to Gordon as buses leave regularly from Gordon Station.When you alight from your train at Gordon turn left at the top of the station stairs and head straight across the road to the bus stop. Forest Coach Line bus 195 runs from Gordon Station to St Ives, 196 and 197 from Gordon Station to Mona Vale.  You can catch any of these. Ask for a ticket to the Telegraph Road bus stop.

If another member of your group is picking you up from the Train station the closest station is Pymble. There are not any bus routes from and getting a Taxi from Pymble Station to Canisius is near impossible.

Via Taxi – From the Airport, a taxi may cost in excess of $100.  There are taxis available from Gordon Station if you catch the train to Gordon.  The taxi from Gordon to PCH will take 5-10 minutes and should about $20.

There is ample free parking on site (on the tennis court at the front of the property).  If on the rare occasion, our visitors’ carpark is full, we advise parking in Ganmain Road and walk up the drive way to reception.

St Ives Shopping Village is a 10 minute walk along Mona Vale Road. Walk out of our front gate and turn left. Follow the footpath up to the village which has a number of major food retailersincluding Woolworths, IGA, chemists, newsagency, cafes.

Our chefs cater for vegetarians, vegans and medically diagnosed dietary requirements provided we are given at least 7 days notice of these needs.

No self-catering is permitted.  There are circumstances where permission is granted for guests with severe dietary restrictions to bring their own supplementary food. Please liaise with our administration team about dietary requirements.

Generally meals need to be arranged in advance however if your group has an additional person(s) turn up it is likely that we will be able to cater for them. Please advise the kitchen staff as soon as possible if you require additional guest meals.

Below is a guide to the type of food that is often served at each meal.

Please note morning tea and afternoon is included for retreatants and an optional extra for groups.

We have 43 bedrooms and can sleep up to 100 guests comfortably. There are a number of ensuite, single, twin share or triple share bedrooms.

Please note this our capacity under normal conditions, however at times it this may change subject to COVID-19 restrictions.

Our large hall can seat up to 150 people and we have a number of different sized meeting rooms for groups to spread out and complete smaller group work. Our chefs can comfortably cater for 150 people.

Please note this our capacity under normal conditions, however at times it this may change subject to COVID-19 restrictions.

Yes, whilst most of our bookings are groups we do take Individual bookings such as persons wanting to undertake a retreat.

Unless an additional fee is paid to obtain “exclusive use” of the site, there often will be more than one group staying at the same time.

Yes, this is usually the case for the dining room however staff will clearly label tables with group names. Separate Dining Rooms will be used to separate individuals/groups on silent retreats Bathrooms are always clearly marked as Male or Female and on most occasions we are able to allocate Accommodation Wings to individual group.

A minimum deposit of 20% of your estimated final booking fee is required to secure your booking. Dates are only secured when completed booking forms are returned and the deposit paid.

The balance of your invoice is always due 14 prior to arrival.  Any extra expenses incurred during the stay are paid on departure.

At time of booking, it is important to realistically estimate your group size especially in regard to the numbers requiring accommodation. If you overestimate by more than 10% of final numbers, a fee of 50% of our revenue lost may be incurred. If you underestimate, there is a chance we will not have bedrooms available for your additional guests. If this occurs there is still the option of these additional guests attending as a day guest with meals provided for at a cost.

Children are welcome at Peter Canisius House, however it is your responsibility to ensure your children are quietly respectful of our other guests. Parents will need to provide adequate bedding (eg portable cot), childcare, supervision and entertainment/activities for children during their stay.

Yes. However, the centre closes for a short time over Christmas, please book well in advance of the Christmas period so that adequate staffing can be provided.

Subject to availability, guests are welcome to arrive earlier or depart later than their group booking. Please advise at the time of booking. Our normal daily rate would apply to any extra days

No. A complimentary breakfast is supplied for all overnight guests. Our minimum booking rate is for bed and breakfast. There is no discount if breakfast is not required.

Our site is a non-smoking campus and we ask that if you do smoke kindly move at least 20 metres away from any buildings or other guests and do not leave cigarette butts on the ground.

Peter Canisius House has 8 ensuite bathrooms

Most rooms are twin share, however it is possible to cater for up to four persons in some of the bedrooms on request

We do not have dormitory-style rooms or bunk beds. Shared rooms have single or double beds.

Only if you come as part of a group and your group organiser has agreed to this. If guests are required to share rooms, room allocations are completed by your group organiser so you will be aware of sharing arrangements. Peter Canisius House never asks individual guests to share with somebody they do not know

Your group’s organiser will arrive prior to the group members to facilitate their arrival and check-in. If you are staying on an individual retreat, please report to reception at the front of the building for checking-in.

If you have planned to arrive outside of office hours you will have agreed on an arrival plan with our administration prior to check-in and should follow this plan.

At the time of booking, an out-of-hours mobile number will be provided. Please call to confirm and/or change arrangements. If you are delayed it is essential that you inform us as we do not operate like a hotel and reception will only be attended during normal office hours or by prior arrangement.

Check in is after 2pm. We ask that all guests vacate their rooms by 11am. It may be possible to alter these times, however a fee is charged if you wish to arrive early or depart late. Arrangements can be made to store luggage if required.

Spiritual Direction is available at Peter Canisius House. Please advise at the time of booking if you would like Spiritual Direction and it will be arranged subject to the availability of the directors team.

Yes of course, we have many regular guests that make regular appointments to come and see the same Spiritual Director.

Yes there is a small Blessed Sacrament Chapel for Prayer and there is a library located upstairs above the main chapel which is full of spiritual literature available for retreatants to read.

There is a large chapel at Peter Canisius House, which is available for use during your stay.

Yes. Peter Canisius House offers a quiet, tranquil atmosphere ideal for a silent retreat. There are a number of outdoor reflective spaces including two labyrinths for retreatants to use.

For a half-century Jesuit Father Peter Canisius led the Catholic Reformation in Austria, Bavaria, and Bohemia. For that reason he is reckoned an apostle to Germany, second only to St. Boniface. With stupendous energy he preached and taught in parishes, reformed and founded universities, wrote many books including popular catechisms, restored lapsed Catholics, converted Protestants, preached retreats, and found time to care for the sick. In his last thirty years traveling more than twenty thousand miles on foot or horseback, St. Peter Canisius spearheaded the renewal of the Catholic faith in southern Germany.