Catholic Retreat Center · Blanco, Oklahoma

A reverent rustic place to encounter God.

Retreat at Remnant Ranch is a sacred space for Christian worship, prayer, rest, and recreation — set on quiet land where silence speaks and creation testifies to the goodness of the Father.

Plan a Retreat Discover the Ranch

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Our Welcome

Come away & rest awhile.

"Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."— Mark 6:31

Whether you seek solitude, spiritual renewal, or fellowship, Remnant Ranch provides a sacred space for your journey. We exist so that you may experience deep intimacy with the Lord, the Land, and your group.

Read our story

Three Encounters

Where God meets you here.

In the Silence

Step away from the noise. Walk wooded trails, sit by still waters, and rediscover what only stillness can teach.

"We need silence to be able to touch souls."— St. Teresa of Calcutta

In the Chapel

The Holy Family Chapel offers a quiet, candlelit space for daily Mass, Adoration, and personal prayer in the presence of our Lord.

"Jesus is there in the Blessed Sacrament expressly for you."— St. Thérèse of Lisieux

In Creation

From sunrise Stations to evening campfires, the land itself becomes a teacher. Outdoors, the miraculous becomes the daily.

"The miraculous is not extraordinary, but the common mode of existence."— Wendell Berry

The Holy Family Chapel

Our Approach

A place set apart for the work of prayer.

Just over an hour from Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Remnant Ranch sits on quiet acreage in Blanco, OK. Our buildings are simple, our schedule is sacred, and our hospitality is shaped by the Rule of St. Benedict — receive every guest as Christ.

Groups, families, and individuals are welcome. Bring your parish men's group, your young adult community, your homeschool co-op, or simply come alone to be with the Lord.

Learn About Us

Ways to Retreat

Find the retreat that fits you.

Individual

Silent Retreats

Time set apart for solitude, prayer, and rest. Bring your own programming, or let our retreat center manager help you plan a meaningful schedule around daily Mass and Adoration in the Holy Family Chapel.

OvernightYear-round

Single Day

Day Visits

Spend a day on the ranch — Mass, Adoration, the outdoor Stations of the Cross, time on the trails, and fellowship at the gazebo. Ideal for parishes and individuals who can't stay overnight.

Day UseSeasonal

Groups

Group Retreats

Bring your parish men's group, young adult community, ministry, or homeschool families. The Fellowship Hall and Chapel host gatherings up to 54, with our team available to assist with planning and recreation.

Up to 54 guestsWeekends

Check Availability

From the Saints

"Outdoors we are confronted everywhere with wonders; we see that the miraculous is not extraordinary, but the common mode of existence. It is our daily bread."

— Wendell Berry

Latest from the Ranch

About Remnant Ranch

A sacred space for silent retreats, day visits, and group retreats in Blanco, Oklahoma.

Who Is This For?

Who is the Retreat at Remnant Ranch for?

We warmly welcome individuals and groups for silent retreats, day visits, or group retreats. Many retreatants bring their own programming, while our dedicated team — including our onsite retreat center manager — is ready to assist in planning and facilitating a meaningful experience. When needed, we can enhance your retreat with additional support or select recreational activities.

Current Facilities

What you'll find on the ranch.

Chapel

Holy Family Chapel

An intimate setting for worship — seating 30 with overflow capacity for up to 54 during special occasions. A sacred space for Mass, reflection, prayer, and praise.

Seats 30 · Overflow 54

Gathering

Blessed Stanley Rother Fellowship Hall

A warm and versatile gathering space featuring a cozy fireplace, library, comfortable furnishings, spacious kitchen and dining area, covered porch, and an elevated deck with views of the pond and Ouachita Mountain foothills.

Kitchen · Library · Deck

Outdoors

Gazebo & Firepit

A short walk from the Chapel and Fellowship Hall, the gazebo sits at the south corner of our central pond. Its firepit is a quiet place for evening fellowship and relaxation under the Oklahoma sky.

Pondside · Open-air

Where You'll Stay

Overnight accommodations.

Our current overnight accommodations are in one of two ranch houses on the adjacent property — roughly a one-mile drive from the Holy Family Chapel and the Blessed Stanley Rother Fellowship Hall.

For specifics on capacity, dates, and what to expect, contact our Retreat Center & Ranch Manager, Anthony Hammen.

Email Anthony

Phase II — Now Underway

Building the next chapter.

With Phase I of construction complete, the Retreat at Remnant Ranch has begun Phase II. Future accommodations will include 2 Poustinias — modest, secluded cabins for individual or couple retreats — and 1 Dormitory with 14 rooms and a small living area.

When complete, Phase II will allow us to accommodate 30 guests overnight on the main property.

We are currently fundraising for Phase II construction costs. If you'd like to support this work, see ways to give or email info@remnantranchok.org.

Support Phase II Have Questions?

Phase II at a Glance

Poustinias Planned

Dormitory Planned

Dorm Rooms

Overnight Capacity

Our Mission

Christian worship, prayer, rest, and recreation — in the hills of southeastern Oklahoma.

The Mission

"To provide a gathering place for and experiences of Christian Worship, prayer, rest, recreation, and other Christian activities consistent with the teaching and laws of the Roman Catholic Church."

We offer a reverent rustic atmosphere for retreats in the hills of southeastern Oklahoma for God's faithful remnant to gather as a group or escape individually, to grow closer to Jesus Christ in the beauty and silence of nature.

From Scripture

The Meaning of "Remnant"

"Remnant" is a concept that appears over 500 times in the Bible, though often various translations into English use different words. One verse that is near to us is Zephaniah 3:12:

"But I will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly, who shall take refuge in the name of the Lord."

— Zephaniah 3:12 [NABRE]

We at Remnant Ranch strive daily to be God's remnant in a world that increasingly drifts from Christian values and is being torn apart by evil through division, anger, hatred, materialism, humanism, idolatry, atomization, addictions, and sin. We endeavor to provide a peaceful, loving respite for those striving to take refuge in the name of the Lord. We aim to host, support, encourage, love, and lift up God's remnant in this hurting world.

Looking Ahead

Our Growing Ministry

To date, the Retreat at Remnant Ranch has mostly hosted collegiate men, monks, and seminarians who don't mind (or at least have tolerated) our currently tight communal accommodations.

In November 2025, we broke ground on construction of new accommodations that will help meet our growing demand. By providing additional occupancy for up to 36 retreatants, this will allow us to host a much broader range of retreat requests we are receiving.

Groundbreaking

November 2025

Construction underway on new retreat accommodations.

Additional Capacity

+36 retreatants

Broadening who we can welcome on retreat.

Capital Campaign

Support Our Mission.

A capital campaign is starting now to fund our development. We are grateful to anyone who discerns to support this ministry, both financially and prayerfully.

Learn How to Support Ask a Question

Meet the Team

Eager to help you plan your prayerful experience.

Retreat Center & Ranch Manager

Anthony Hammen

Anthony became the manager of the retreat center after serving for two years as a missionary in St Paul's Outreach campus ministry at the University of Minnesota and two years as a general contractor and project manager in Orlando, Florida.

A graduate of the University of Central Florida, Anthony is a talented guitar and vocal musician. He loves God's creation, silence, and being a beloved son of the Father.

Contact Anthony

info@remnantranchok.org

Retreat Center Chaplain

Fr. Bryan Ketterer

As our chaplain, Fr. Ketterer assists with sacramental ministry and pastoral support for Retreat at Remnant Ranch.

He currently serves as the Pastor of Sacred Heart in Wilburton, St. Catherine in Talihina, and as the Rural Outreach Coordinator. Fr. Ketterer is excited to assist Remnant Ranch in meeting the spiritual needs of all who visit our retreat center.

Sacramental & Pastoral Care

Available by arrangement during retreats.

As Remnant Ranch grows, additional team members and the Advisory Board will be introduced on their own pages within this section.

Our Founders

Joe and Evette Nowicki — the family who opened their land for the work of prayer.

The Founding

Joe and Evette Nowicki founded Holy Family Retreat at Remnant Ranch, Inc. as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2023, after they had been hosting retreats on their family ranch since 2021.

Married for over three decades, they are proud parents of their two adult sons, Joseph and David. Having experienced life-giving spiritual rejuvenation, healing, and growth in retreats they have taken themselves — in both organized group and individual silent formats — they felt led to provide a place for others to experience the same on retreat.

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Co-Founder

Joe Nowicki

A cradle Catholic and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Joe was a carrier-based Naval Flight Officer for nine years and then a global real estate capital markets consultant with Chatham Financial for 23 years.

Joe has a passion for ministry to men, campus ministry, and ministry to married couples.

A Transformative Moment

In 2019, Joe was shot in a hunting accident and nearly lost his life. Following a dozen surgeries and intense rehabilitation, Joe and Evette counted the string of miracles that occurred to allow him to live. They realized anew the depth of love that God the Father has for every one of us. It became obvious that there was more that God was calling them to do in this life, including founding this retreat center.

Co-Founder

Evette Nowicki

Evette graduated from the University of Miami (FL) with two engineering degrees. After several years of homeschooling and caring for their sons in the home, she earned a master's degree in teaching mathematics and was a teacher for twenty years.

Early in their marriage, Evette became a Catholic and developed a tremendous passion for studying the faith and sharing it with others in women's Bible studies and reading groups.

Together

A Shared Calling

Both Joe and Evette are graduates of the four-year Denver Catholic Biblical School through the St. John Vianney Theological Seminary.

Joe and Evette have been privileged to support and be a part of hundreds of retreatants' experiences — whether reversions, discernments, restoration, healing, rest, rejuvenation, or deep fellowship. They look forward to supporting and perhaps walking with you as well on retreat.

Our Advisory Board

The clergy, religious, and lay leaders who have walked with us in discernment, prayer, and practical wisdom.

BH · Brotherhood of Hope

Br. Adam Neri

Brother Adam Neri, BH, calls the great state of New Jersey home. He grew up in Berkeley Heights, NJ, one of eleven children — seven boys and four girls — full of the joy of life: God, family, close friends.

Br. Adam attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, where he earned degrees in English and Spanish, and a Master's Degree in Secondary Education. He also has a Master's Degree in Pastoral Ministry from the University of St Thomas in St Paul, MN. He taught high school prior to joining religious life with the Brotherhood of Hope in Boston, MA.

While traveling the world doing mission work, he encountered a group of religious brothers from the Brotherhood of Hope, whose authentic witness of radical love for God inspired, challenged, and attracted him. Through their witness, the desire to do something great for God was placed in his heart. In July of 2010 he professed perpetual vows in the Brotherhood of Hope.

Br. Adam has had mission assignments as a campus minister at Rutgers University, Florida State University, and as the director of Catholic Campus Ministry at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL. He currently works as the Director of SPO Missions for Saint Paul's Outreach, dividing his time between organizing international mission trips, engaging the local poor, serving the brothers in his household, and finding reasons to visit one of his happy places — the Amazon jungle of Peru.

Brother Adam's thirst for the Lord has carved a path for an adventurous life, taking him across the country and throughout the world seeking to serve others, elevate human dignity, and do great things for God.

Connection to Remnant Ranch

It was Brother Adam who co-conceived, along with Brother Clinton Reed, the vision for the first retreats here at Remnant Ranch.

O.F.M. Cap. · FOCUS National Chaplain

Father John Lager

Father John Lager, O.F.M. Cap., has been a FOCUS National Chaplain since 2013. FOCUS is a national organization serving college students at more than 255 campus/locations, including nine international locations, 29 parish venues, and nine digital expansion campuses. More than 1,048 FOCUS missionaries invite college students into a relationship with Christ and His Church, while equipping them for a lifetime of Catholic evangelization.

Ordained in 1979, Fr. John has served Capuchins as an associate pastor, a high school campus minister, and the order's director of development and missionary activity. He has also served as the executive director of the Samaritan House in Denver and vocation director for the Capuchin Province of Mid-America.

Fr. John is the cofounder of Marked Men for Christ ministry, a Holy Spirit-led global ministry that builds stronger men for Jesus Christ through ongoing transformative experiences and authentic relationships.

He also serves as the chaplain for the Mother Cabrini Shrine in the foothills west of Denver — a peaceful environment for visitors to experience God's loving presence through quiet meditation and prayer. Cabrini Shrine is built on the site purchased and developed ca. 1910 by St. Frances Xavier Cabrini as the summer camp for her charges at the Queen of Heaven Orphanage in Denver, CO.

Connection to Remnant Ranch

Fr. John was the most instrumental person in guiding the cofounders of the Retreat at Remnant Ranch through their discernment of whether, when, and how they were being called to start this ministry. His spiritual direction and practical guidance along the way have been critical to making the Retreat at Remnant Ranch a reality.

Singing River Ranch · Evergreen, Colorado

Todd and Kelly Amen

Todd and Kelly Amen live in Evergreen, Colorado. Both graduates of Colorado State University, they have been married 32 years and have four adult children. Todd is the founder and CEO of ATBS, the leading provider of tax, accounting, and business consulting services for truck drivers.

While in the throes of raising their family, Kelly experienced a reversion to her Catholic faith as part of losing a dear friend to cancer. A few years later Todd, a lifelong entrepreneur, converted to Catholicism after a family pilgrimage to Medjugorje.

They have since given of their time, talent, and treasure to honor God's blessings by opening their ranch to be used as a retreat center for both lay and religious Catholic adults. Situated in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains west of Denver, Singing River Ranch offers peace and serenity with an onsite Catholic Chapel, Stations of the Cross hike, a mountain river, and adventurous hiking trails. With God's help, Todd and Kelly's mission at Singing River Ranch is to Lead All Souls to Heaven.

Connection to Remnant Ranch

Todd and Kelly provide invaluable counsel and practical wisdom to the retreat center based on their depth of experience in similar ministry, as well as inspired insights they receive in prayer.

Lay Leader · St. Augustine, FL

Diane Buckley

Diane Buckley lives in St. Augustine, FL, with her husband Tim. They have been married for 25 years and have one daughter. With degrees in Psychology and Educational Psychology, Diane spent most of her professional career in various leadership roles in science policy, planning, and communications at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

After moving to Florida, Diane began leading adult formation programs focused on spiritual development. Annually, she prepares participants to make or renew an Act of Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary based on the spirituality of St. Louis de Montfort.

Diane has a strong devotion to the Eucharist and encourages others to spend time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. She is a founding member of the Seven Sisters Apostolate at her parish, which invites women to offer an hour of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament weekly for a priest. Diane also leads a special holy hour for the Relief of Suffering and is an active member of the leadership team for the women's scripture study, Walking with Purpose.

Connection to Remnant Ranch

Diane has a particular charism for discernment of the movements of the Holy Spirit in adoration and focused prayer. She has been an instrumental source of guidance to the retreat center.

Walk with Us

Come and see what they helped build.

The counsel and prayers of our advisory board have shaped Retreat at Remnant Ranch from the start. Their fruit is the place itself — open to you.

Book a Retreat Support the Mission

Gallery

Photograph from Retreat at Remnant Ranch

Follow @remnantranchok for more from the ranch.

Support Retreat at Remnant Ranch

We are currently raising funds for Phase II of construction.

Phase II Construction

What your gift builds.

Phase II will accommodate up to 30 guests in 15 double-occupancy rooms, providing a welcoming and restful environment for all who visit — a peaceful sanctuary for clergy, couples, and individuals seeking uninterrupted time with the Lord.

Main Building

A Retreat Lodge

Communal lodging in 15 double-occupancy rooms, providing a welcoming and restful environment for all who visit.

30 guests · 15 rooms

Secluded Cabins

Two Hermitage Cabins

For clergy, couples, or individuals — small, set-apart sanctuaries for the quietest forms of retreat.

Couples · Individuals

The Result

30-Guest Capacity

When Phase II is complete, the ranch will be able to welcome 30 retreatants overnight on the main property — broadening who we can welcome.

Phase II Goal

Ways to Give

Three ways to give.

Make a gift online, mail a check, or wire funds directly. All gifts go to Holy Family Retreat at Remnant Ranch, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

By Check

Pay to the order of:

Holy Family Retreat at Remnant Ranch, Inc.

Mail to:
2337 S Blanco Rd.
Blanco, OK 74528

Direct Wire

For wire transfer routing information, contact our Retreat Center & Ranch Manager.

Anthony Hammen

info@remnantranchok.org

Online Portal

Give securely online via Little Green Light. One-time or recurring gifts.

Give Online

Make your gift today.

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A Note on Giving

Your gift is tax-deductible.

Holy Family Retreat at Remnant Ranch, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 2023. Retreats have been hosted on this land since 2021.

For questions about giving, please reach out to Anthony Hammen, our Retreat Center & Ranch Manager.

Ask a Question Give Now

Contact us.

Reach out to us for inquiries or support. Fill out our contact form and we'll respond shortly.

Get in Touch

Have a question?

Use the form, or reach out directly to Anthony Hammen, our Retreat Center & Ranch Manager.

Manager

Anthony Hammen Retreat Center & Ranch Manager

info@remnantranchok.org

Visit

2337 S Blanco Rd
Blanco, OK 74528

@remnantranchok

Common Questions

Before you come.

We welcome individuals and groups for silent retreats, day visits, or group retreats. Many retreatants bring their own programming; our team can also help plan and facilitate a meaningful schedule.

The Holy Family Chapel (seats 30, overflow to 54), the Blessed Stanley Rother Fellowship Hall (kitchen, library, deck overlooking the pond and Ouachita foothills), and a gazebo with firepit by the central pond. See the About page for full details.

Current overnight accommodations are in one of two ranch houses on the adjacent property — roughly a one-mile drive from the Chapel and Fellowship Hall. Phase II construction will add Poustinias and a Dormitory on the main property.

We're actively fundraising for the two Poustinias and the 14-room Dormitory. Visit the Give page or email info@remnantranchok.org to learn more.

Anthony Hammen is our Retreat Center & Ranch Manager. Email him at info@remnantranchok.org.

A reverent rustic place to encounter God.

Come away & rest awhile.

Where God meets you here.

In the Silence

In the Chapel

In Creation

A place set apart for the work of prayer.

Find the retreat that fits you.

Silent Retreats

Day Visits

Group Retreats

Recent stories & events.

Holy Family Chapel Blessing

SPO Wilderness Retreat

Sunrise Stations of the Cross

Your retreat is waiting.

About Remnant Ranch

Who is the Retreat at Remnant Ranch for?

What you'll find on the ranch.

Holy Family Chapel

Blessed Stanley Rother Fellowship Hall

Gazebo & Firepit

Overnight accommodations.

Building the next chapter.

Book your retreat today.

Our Mission

The Meaning of "Remnant"

Our Growing Ministry

Support Our Mission.

Meet the Team

Anthony Hammen

Fr. Bryan Ketterer

Experience the beauty and tranquility of Southeast Oklahoma.

Our Founders

Joe Nowicki

Evette Nowicki

A Shared Calling

Plan a retreat at Remnant Ranch.

Our Advisory Board

Br. Adam Neri

Father John Lager

Todd and Kelly Amen

Diane Buckley

Come and see what they helped build.

Gallery

Photos only tell part of the story.

Support Retreat at Remnant Ranch

What your gift builds.

A Retreat Lodge

Two Hermitage Cabins

30-Guest Capacity

Three ways to give.

By Check

Direct Wire

Online Portal

Make your gift today.

Your gift is tax-deductible.

Contact us.

Have a question?

Before you come.