We look forward to welcoming you to the 2025 Northeast Region Retreat at the peaceful Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center in West Hartford, CT. Our sincerest prayer for you is that you find time to retreat from your daily responsibilities to spend time with Him and your Sisters in Christ. We invite you to be still and let the true presence of our Lord guide your journey this weekend and beyond.
Throughout our weekend we will have many opportunities to enhance our faith journeys by way of liturgy, fellowship and catechesis of the true presence of our Lord at Mass, in ourselves and in what way to go forth and show others how to live a truly Eucharistic life. We are delighted to walk with you this weekend.
In His Service,
The MCCW Northeast Region Team
Retreat Location Description
The Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center is located in a bucolic suburb of West Hartford, Connecticut. The expansive forty-eight acres of mostly wooded grounds offer a refuge from the bustle to visitors as well as the people in the community. Trails meander through the forest, and visitors can appreciate thoughtful landscaping and features that include the stations of the cross, a labyrinth, and various statues of saints and Christ. One particularly striking feature on the property is a beautiful Marian Grotto located on a clearing in the forest.
The former monastery and college is still operated by the Passionists. The Passionists are an organization of Priests, Brothers, Passionist Women, and lay people that perform charitable work throughout the world. The Passionists were founded in 1720 by St. Paul of the Cross in order to teach people how to pray and are open to all who seek to deepen their relationship with God and one another. Consistent with their tradition, the retreat center is a community that values spiritual development, the holy Word, and the Sacred in our world.
Recommended Packing List
Layers: The April weather in Connecticut can be unpredictable. The retreat center and chapel are heated, but a stroll on the grounds, a hike on the nearby trails or for the Illuminated Rosary in the Marian Garden on Friday evening may be quite chilly.
Personal Hygiene: The retreat center has liquid soap in all guest restrooms and showers. We recommend you bring your own shampoo, conditioner, lotion, feminine products, medications, shower shoes, and a hair dryer. Towels and washcloths are provided.
Spiritual Items: Bring your bible, rosary, Mass/prayer journal, and veil if you wish. We will have some bibles and rosaries available to borrow if you happen to leave yours at home.
Forms of Payment: There will be opportunities to visit the giftshop, purchase raffle tickets for chances to win amazing trinkets, bid in the basket auction, tithe during Mass, and donate to the AMS Seminarian Fund. Forms of payment accepted are cash, debit card, check, or PayPal.
Prayer Sisters: The focus of the Prayer Sister Program is to support one another through prayer. In the past, some Prayer Sisters have brought small religious gifts or treats to share with their Prayer Sisters, however, in order to keep the focus on prayer, MCCW highly encourages the exchange of small notes of encouragement or prayer cards only. Greeting cards and decorative paper will be available at the Prayer Sister registration table.
Additional items: Please bring a reusable water bottle and a coffee or tea mug. You may want to bring a personal padded kneeler because the chapel does not have traditional kneelers.
Contact Info
For general support with retreat registration and tickets, please contact the Northeast Communications Coordinator. For information on scholarships or invoicing, please email the MCCW-Worldwide Director of Finance.
If you are a female, 18 and older, AND affiliated with the military (all branches – active, guard, reserve, dependent, retired, veteran, DoDEA, contractor) – we would be honored to have you attend this retreat!
Please note: You do not need to be a leader in your community, involved in a CWOC, live near a military installation, or even Catholic – just respectful and open to learning. We are excited to welcome women from across the Northeast Region and beyond.
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NOTE – PLEASE CHECK TO SEE IF YOUR CHAPEL WILL FUND YOUR RETREAT BEFORE YOU PROCESS A PERSONAL PAYMENT. IF ANY PORTION OF YOUR REGISTRATION WILL BE PAID WITH CHAPEL FUNDS, PLEASE CHECK THE “INVOICE” PAYMENT OPTION. NO REFUNDS TO PERSONAL CREDIT CARDS WILL BE ISSUED AFTER PAYMENT HAS BEEN PROCESSED.
- Choose “INVOICE” if your CHAPEL is paying any or all of the registration or lodging. If your Chapel is paying, the POC needs to email the MCCW-Worldwide Director of Finance and Registrar to advise the following and receive an invoice:
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- Chapel Name (Base/Post)
- POC: Parish Coordinator and/or CWOC President (Please include emails and or phone numbers.)
- Names (& contact info) of registrants receiving a subsidy
- Amount of subsidy per person being paid
- An invoice with instructions on how to make payment will be provided once we receive your email with the information.
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The Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center offers a variety of modest room accommodations ranging from private room/private bath, private room/shared bath, shared room/shared bath, and handicap accessible (please indicate on the registration form if a handicap accessible room is required). All rooms have a small desk and bed/bath linens. Rooms do not include a television or a hair dryer. Private and shared bathrooms provide hand and body soap, but we recommend you bring your own personal toiletries.
The dining halls are spacious with round-table seating and buffet serving. Dietary restrictions are considered on a case-by-case request. The conference room will be situated with chairs only; table seating is not an option with groups as large as ours. There are 3 chapels on site: the main chapel where we will celebrate our group Masses, a community chapel and a small monastic chapel for personal reflection.
The Catholic Gift Shop on site and will be open throughout our retreat. Wi-Fi is available in all areas of the retreat center. There is ample parking in both the front and side parking lots.
Additional areas for personal reflection and/or fellowship are several sun porches, several reading nooks, an expansive library, an outdoor patio, koi pond, labyrinth, a Marian Grotto, a Marian Garden, walking/running trails, the Monastery Gallery of Art, outdoor Stations of the Cross, sports playing fields, and much more.
*Retreat center grounds, to include all rooms, are non-smoking.
Visit their website to find out more information about the retreat center.
