• Comfortable clothes you don't mind getting a little dirty. If it is fall, winter, or spring, bring layers and a warm jacket. In the summer it is warm.

• Sneakers/work boots that can get dust or muddy/wet and are good for walking on uneven surfaces. You must wear closed-toed shoes if you want to work with our animals. If you have a pair of work gloves, bring those. But we have plenty to loan out if you need some.

We strongly recommend living into the daily rhythm of life already unfolding on campus:

• Prayer times: 9am, noon, 4:30pm

• Manual labor (a variety of tasks from easy/casual to those that are physically demanding are available) - morning between 9:30-noon or afternoon 1-3pm. Ask the staff or residents how you can get involved.

• Silence & Solitude - any time, but campus wide between 3-4:30pm daily

Other possibilities:

• Study - check out a book from the library (2500+ volumes)

• A spontaneous shared meal with other guests / residents / staff: often people grab their lunches and bring them to the back deck of the village barn to eat together. Ask about this if you’re interested.

• Request a 30-50 minute Spiritual Direction session

• Request a pastoral meeting with a priest with a time of private confession

• Art / writing / creativity - this is a very “right-brained” setting

• Walking - prayer trails and labyrinth

• Help feed the animals with residents in the morning (8:40am) or evening (times vary depending on the time of year).

Actually, we strongly discourage people bringing their normal job to Iona House. It’s a sacred place designed to take you out of the intensity and demands of your ordinary life and schedule. Please put away your cell phone and leave your laptop at home. It can actually be distracting to other guests if they see you working or taking work calls.

Iona House is located between Placerville and Camino. But its weather is more similar to Camino.

We do not allow animals of any kind in our homes or on campus. Unfortunately, you will need to leave your pet and/or your emotional support animal at home.

We DO, however, have many wonderful creatures who make their home on our campus, both domestic animals and wild ones.

No, we do not have WiFi available anywhere on campus. This is an intentional decision to allow for some margin from the incessant intrusion of technology. Consider the absence of internet on campus a feature, not a bug. :)

If you need internet, there is a Starbucks about 10 minutes from campus.

Note that we STRONGLY discourage bringing your ordinary work to Iona House. This is a place for contemplation and Christian formation, not an off-site for your normal work. We are happy to provide other types of “work” for you in the form of physical labor as a part of our holistic approach to spiritual formation.

Yes, all of the major carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc.) seem to get signal on campus, though on the 1-2 bars level of signal strength.

We have a standard 110/115v outlet that you can plug your car into.

We would prefer that Iona House’s campus not be used for any outside purpose. There is a life of faith, practice, and formation always unfolding on campus. It seems strange to have that duplicated. We would request that you not use the campus as your ministry’s off-site location (even if it is in the same vein as what we are doing). Please talk to Fr. Ryan and/or Elizabeth if you have questions.

We would welcome you to bring others with you - by having them register as day guests as well. For security / safety reasons, we need to know who is on campus at all times. It also helps us to be able to welcome people and share the vision for the place in a brief introductory email with each adult guest.

Kids are welcome at Iona House. They must remain under parental / guardian supervision at all times. The animals, machines, and other aspects of the campus all have potential to harm guests. It is especially important to not let kids have unsupervised contact with the animals.

We have a public restroom at the Welcome Center / Library. There are also two portapotties on campus.

We have picnic tables at the back deck of the Village Barn. It’s a great place to eat your lunch in the shade there.