Casa Romero Renewal Center opened its doors in 2001. In our earliest mission statement, we said that we wanted to be a Catholic urban retreat and renewal center in the Ignatian tradition. From the very beginning, Casa Romero always strove to complement the work of the parishes without duplicating their efforts. Over the years the staff of Casa Romero has tried many different programs, some of which have prospered and some of which have been put aside. In a sense, one could say that Casa Romero followed wherever the Holy Spirit has led it and accomplished whatever the will of God has enabled throughout these years.

Hence, Casa Romero's first programming had to do with the family. The Mother-Daughter Quinceañera Retreat for the 15 year old girls, the Moms Program for mothers with children with disabilities, the Family Program for parents and teens were at the forefront of needs mentioned by immigrant families.

At the same time, there was the effort made to do religious leadership formation in the Ignatian tradition. Men and women spent time in formation to take on leadership roles in their parishes. This has led to a more extensive formation to enable men and women to direct the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola in Spanish.

The Urban Plunge came about at the suggestion of a board member who felt that Casa Romero was in a good place to do an immersion program with people from outside the city. This program has become a staple for Casa Romero.

Our youth programming arose from a request to do a retreat for 8th grade Latinx girls. This grew into a retreat series for 5th 6th 7th girls and a similar program for the boys. A cohort of high school youth facilitate the middle school retreats.
After a time, one by one, Casa Romero’s summer camps began to flourish. First the Art Club camp for girls, then the Soccer Camp for boys, and finally the Music Camp for youth and young adults.

Casa Romero Renewal Center has become a fixture within the Latinx community on the South side of Milwaukee. It has always been a part of the community and will continue to be so.