Short Journey began as a one room, one teacher frame school building serving the African American community. The school received its name because it was only a “short journey” to Wesley Chapel Church, which still exists one mile east of Short Journey. The present building, completed in 1926, was made possible through the efforts of the Rosenwald Fund. The local community was successful in raising
$500 to match the funding necessary to construct the new school. The school operated for forty-four years before closing with desegregation after the 1969-70 school year. In 1983, the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh purchased the facility to serve the needs of it's youth, young adult and campus ministry programs. On May 1, 1988 Short Journey Retreat Center in Smithfield was dedicated as “the home for Youth, Young Adult and Campus Ministry for the Diocese of Raleigh which encompassed 86 parishes from Burlington to the coast” After serving the Diocese for 35 years Cardinal Gibbons High School purchased Short Journey Retreat Center from the diocese. In 2019 Cardinal Gibbons Short Journey Retreat Center opened. The center is used for spiritual retreats and team building. Short Journey provides a home for retreats where they will experience the love of God, and the formational experiences of prayer, worship, and reflection.
