Resilience Fund Donor Impact Report

Resilience Fund
Donor Impact
Report
Stories of Hope, Reconciliation and Renewal
Made Possible by You!

Your support of the
Holy Family Resilience Fund,
created in response to the devastating Coronavirus
pandemic, touches every aspect of our ministry.
Through your generosity in 2020, we have reinvented ourselves to
become a spiritual center “without bricks and mortar” and have
impacted lives in ways we could not have imagined.
Ernie Andreoli with Fr. David, Fr. Terry, and Liza at Holy Family to participate in his
70th consecutive retreat. He is the only person to have attended a retreat every year
since Holy Family opened.
Sadly, Ernie Andreoli passed away at age 93 as this booklet was going to press.
If anyone represented the heart and soul of Holy Family, Ernie did. He will be dearly
missed by our staff and all who knew him.
Rest in peace, dear Ernie.
Thank you so very much!
Your support blesses us
every single day.
We have created this little book to show you just how important
you are to people like Bill L., the Farrell family, and Jon K. Like so
many others, they turn to Holy Family for spiritual nourishment,
perspective, and encouragement.
Because you care, we have been resilient through turbulent times
and are planning for a vibrant future.
Because you invest in a place that celebrates the joyful expression
of faith through God’s word, music and song and the sacredness of
reflection and discernment, we have connected with more people
than ever.
Because you go beyond just believing to actually making people’s
lives better with your incredible generosity, we have met the moment
— in all of its complexity.
We are truly honored to be your partner in creating opportunities to
share the love of God and the transcendent purpose that exists in our
faith and at Holy Family now and into the future.
With gratitude and the utmost appreciation for your kindness,
Rev. David Cinquegrani, C.P.
Retreat Director
Resilience Fund Donor Impact Report holyfamilyretreat.org 1

“Serenity overtakes you as you pull into the driveway
at Holy Family.” ~ Bill L.
How YOU help Bill and
others like him in recovery . . .
My parents were salt of the earth Catholics.
Although Dad was a professional football player and entrepreneur, he never missed
his annual retreat at Our Mother of Sorrows Passionist Retreat Center in West
Springfield, Massachusetts. Mom was also deeply devoted to her faith. She raised
three children and taught at a parochial grammar school for many years.
My siblings and I were blessed to be raised by the parents we had.
But I got away from my religion due to alcoholism.
Although I was a successful attorney with a wonderful wife and family, my
disease overtook so much of my life — including my spiritual life. The road
to recovery was an arduous one, but eventually, I joined my wife for Mass
one Sunday on vacation in Maine. That was a key turning point on my
journey back to living fully in faith.
In 2001, while still practicing law and with newfound faith in God’s plan for
my life, I founded Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, a non-profit organization
that helps members of the Connecticut legal community overcome
personal, mental health and addiction problems.
With God’s strength, I used my name
publicly and openly in acknowledging the
disease of alcoholism and encouraging as
many people as I could to step out of the
shade of shame and into the light of recovery.
Led by others in recovery, the retreat
workshops and AA meetings are restorative.
Fr. David and Fr. Terry do an outstanding
job of welcoming ALL (and I mean ALL)
to enjoy Masses, beautiful music, and time
to rest and reflect. The “miracles” you see
around the room continue to nourish my
soul and inspire me!
Holy Family’s Matt Talbot
Retreat program is specially
designed for those in recovery.
The time I have spent on retreat
has enriched and sustained
me for eleven years — even
bringing me home to two
sacraments, Reconciliation
and the Eucharist, in a most
loving way.”
My life has come full circle, and I understand
in the deepest way why Dad never missed a
retreat. I don’t intend to miss one either. I am happy to have supported the
Resilience Fund and am grateful to everyone who is praying for and helping
Holy Family during the pandemic.
Thanks to donors like you, members of this community have found
strength to persevere through online programming during the pandemic.
Matt Talbot Recovery Retreats are open to all people, from all
backgrounds, regardless of whether or not they are a member of a church.
2 holyfamilyretreat.org Resilience Fund Donor Impact Report
Resilience Fund Donor Impact Report holyfamilyretreat.org 3

Navigating the Challenge of Change
Through Faith
Pictured left to right: Megan, Christine, Caitlin, Matthew, Mike, and Connor
Christine and Mike Farrell
share their story.
Church has always been at the center of our lives and our relationship.
Mike and I met in church at college, and throughout all of the joy, trials, and
tribulations of raising a family, church has been a cornerstone of our lives.
Holy Family has been church for us in many ways before the pandemic. We have
a group of friends we met through church, and we have had endless good times
together.
One of our traditions is to attend Holy Family’s Valentine’s Mass and dinner. As is
typical for our group, it became a raucous affair (after Mass, of course), but like most
things at Holy Family it brought all of the aspects of church together — spirituality,
joy, friendship, and rejuvenation.
I also attended the Women’s retreat many times, and after each time I felt
refreshed. This is what the church (meaning all of the people we walk with on this
journey) and Holy Family mean to us. It not only nourishes our spirituality but
feeds our need for community, and it is a place that brings joy to our lives.
During the lockdown and pandemic there were so many challenges, but we
turned to Holy Family for weekly Mass and were filled with the joy of the Holy
Family community.
In March 2020, two of our four children were working in cities, another was
away at college, and our youngest was finishing up high school at home. We
were busy working and tending to family life, such as it was. But things changed
quickly when the pandemic hit. Like so many others, our (almost) empty nest
became full once again when our adult children returned home. Working
remotely and attending classes virtually became the norm. And we all had to find
a new equilibrium — including how to celebrate Mass.
We are a family of music lovers, and Holy
Family’s music is just outstanding. One of our
daughters even took out her hymnal at home
during Mass and sang along with the Holy
Family choir. For her, “music is her prayer.” It
was a beautiful moment for all of us and one
we will cherish.
We found joy in the common bonds of our
faith. I am not so sure we could have
survived the pandemic without the spiritual
nourishment our family found in connecting
with Holy Family. It really kept us tethered to
our faith.
With that experience to build on, our family
continues to connect with Holy Family for
Sunday Mass — including an 84-year-old
uncle who joins us from Brooklyn, NY.
The virtual Masses at Holy
Family offered a unique
opportunity for our family
to come together as adults to
celebrate our faith in a new way.”
We are looking forward to becoming even more involved in Holy Family after
the pandemic and are committed to supporting them to ensure their vitality.
4 holyfamilyretreat.org Resilience Fund Donor Impact Report
Resilience Fund Donor Impact Report holyfamilyretreat.org 5

“One of the most important aspects of Holy Family’s
ministry is hosting retreats. Being immersed in a
spiritual environment for such a long period of time
has the largest and most long-standing impact.” ~ Jon K.
Coming home at Holy Family
weekend retreats . . .
When I was just a boy, I remember being struck by how different my
dad seemed after his retreat weekends at Holy Family. I would almost
say he was on a spiritual high for a while.
During my senior year in college, Dad
invited me to join him for a weekend
at Holy Family. You can only imagine
my 20-something self thinking “Am
I to give up a fun-filled weekend
with friends to go to Holy Family for
the whole weekend?” Much to my
surprise, I said “yes.” And the rest, as
they say, is history. Going on retreat at
Holy Family was a turning point for
me. Since then, I have not missed a
retreat in over twenty years.
When my boys are old
enough, I will encourage
them to continue our family’s
legacy at Holy Family. I can
think of no greater gift than
that of our faith.”
As the father of three young boys, my time on retreat affords me an
opportunity to unplug and step back from life for a while. Being in a
spiritual and meditative environment for a whole weekend is really
what I need.
I have a deep sense of coming home on Holy Family retreat weekends.
The themes are so relevant to me personally and often to what is
happening in the world. I recall one particular time in my life when I
was uncertain about what I wanted to do. The Courage to Hope theme
helped me rest in God’s embrace. I came away with the feeling that all
would be okay.
It is clear to me that great care is taken in developing retreat weekends.
They are so thoughtful, the presenters are top-notch, and the music is
great. The last talk on Sunday offers very practical ways to take what I
discovered on retreat and live the experience.
I am proud to call Holy Family my spiritual home and will continue to
support it any way I can.
6 holyfamilyretreat.org Resilience Fund Donor Impact Report
Resilience Fund Donor Impact Report holyfamilyretreat.org 7

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
on Revenue & Expenses
Snapshot Summary
Lost Retreat and Event Revenue, March 2020-December 2020 ($1,100,000)
Unincurred Expenses, March 2020-December 2020 $600,000
Net loss in Retreat and Event Revenue and Expenses ($500,000)
Salaries for Core Staff, IT, Building Modification Expenses ($400,000)
Total Loss Due to Pandemic $900,000
Total Holy Family Resilience Fund Revenue $746,724
“The Great Pause” by The Numbers
(March 2020-December 2020)
100% of Resilience Fund donations go toward creating virtual and
modified experiences at Holy Family during the pandemic.
44,500 total views
of virtual Sunday Masses
with an average of over
600 views per Mass.
21,200 Mass cards
provided comfort with
the gift of prayer to folks
across the country in this
year of great suffering.
14,750 folks were
uplifted by our virtual
Messages of Hope series.
10,000 visitors
sought peace and
tranquility on our
campus.
3,100 people gathered
at Holy Family this
summer for outdoor
Masses.
1,000 people
participated in online day
and evening programs.
800 views of our
virtual Christmas
Concert.
360 folks attended
Mass at Holy Family with
distancing.
225 people attended
the outdoor concert.
120 folks have
participated in our
Contemplative programs
through Contemplative
Christian Experience.
150 people in
recovery attended Matt
Talbot programs as
well as Centering and
Welcoming Prayer
offered virtually.
8 virtual exhibits were
offered by the Monastery
Gallery of Art.
What is the Future of Holy Family?
As we celebrate 70 years, we are encouraged by the outpouring of engagement and
support from our beloved community. As we move through 2021, we anticipate ongoing
financial challenges, but we will continue to walk through this great unknown with you.
We are so grateful that in the face of a global pandemic, calls for racial justice, and
mounting divides across the nation, Holy Family provides a place of inspiration, respite,
and spiritual nourishment for you.
These times have demanded a great deal
of our strength and have pointed to how
much we truly need one another.
We at Holy Family are profoundly
humbled by the opportunity
to continue serving you and
emboldened to move into the
future with ever more faith in how
important our ministry is to you.
8 holyfamilyretreat.org Resilience Fund Donor Impact Report
Resilience Fund Donor Impact Report holyfamilyretreat.org 9

Questions?
Please contact our Development Office at
860-760-9716
303 Tunxis Road
West Hartford, CT 06107-3119
860.521.0440
www.holyfamilyretreat.org