Pledge Now!

Restore the Passion is a capital campaign of Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center and the Passionist Fathers of Connecticut which will provide a foundation for the next 60 years of ministry by funding necessary physical improvements to the Center and enhancing Holy Family’s endowment.

Restore the Passion is designed to raise $3.5 million in gifts, during a three-year pledge period. This $3.5 million goal will help secure the future of Holy Family in four essential areas:

1. Repairing and renovating the dining room
2. Increasing the efficiency of the physical plant
3. Growing the endowment
4. Continuing to welcome those who cannot afford retreats.
 

 Three Phases in Three Years

Phase I: 2011
Dining Room Renovation - $750,000

The first year of the campaign will be devoted to raising funds to renovate the dining room. The entire space will be reconfigured to allow greater ease of access to the dining room for everyone, including senior citizens and the physically disabled, and to enable greater ease of movement around the room for guests as well as food servers. The renovation will include energy saving features as part of Holy Family’s effort to reduce energy consumption and operate more efficiently. In short, a newly designed dining room will enable Holy Family to maintain and improve upon its tradition of providing delicious food and hospitality.

Open Door Fund I- $250,000
The Open Door fund ensures that Holy Family will continue its charitable tradition of opening our doors to those who cannot afford to attend retreats. This operating support raised over three years would cover programs such as youth ministry, our outreach to people in recovery from drug and alcohol abuse and general retreat scholarships for those in need of assistance.

When I come to Holy Family, I feel the presence of God fill my heart. When I drive up the driveway, I feel a sense of calm and well-being, knowing that I am going to be taken care of physically and spiritually. Holy Family is so special because I canfeel God’s love and embrace.

-Maria Ettienne-Modeste, Bloomfield, CT

 

Phase II: 2012
Energy Saving Renovations - $1, 000,000

The second year and second half of the campaign will focus on securing gifts to fund renovations which will increase the efficiency of Holy Family’s physical plant. The retreat center will undergo an energy audit to determine which projects will yield the greatest energy savings. Such projects could include replacing the original, 60-year-old boiler, upgrading the electrical infrastructure, and installing solar panels on the roofs. These renovations would dramatically diminish Holy Family’s reliance on fossil fuels, reduce energy consumption, and allow the center to operate more efficiently. Moreover, the renovations would demonstrate Holy Family’s commitment to caring for all of God’s creation.

We have been called to care for one another and for God’s creation. We must do everything in our power to live more responsibly and in deeper harmony with the earth. - Fr. David Cinquegrani, C.P., Retreat Director

 

Open Door Fund II- $250,000

Phase III, 2013
Growing the Endowment - $1,000,000

The final six to nine months of the campaign will concentrate on strengthening Holy Family’s endowment in order to ensure its future financial stability. While the General Endowmentsupports overall annual operating expenses, such as grounds, utilities, and salaries, three new endowment funds have been created:

1. Endowed Directorship of Youth Ministry: supporting the salary of the Youth Ministry Director, who is responsible for bringing and overseeing 2,000 teens and young adults on retreat each year.

2. Endowed Scholarships: supporting scholarships for retreatants and groups who cannot afford to come on retreat so that no one is denied the opportunity to experience Holy Family. This scholarship support will be especially important to maintain the vibrancy of the Drug and Alcohol Recovery Ministry at Holy Family.

3. Mary Cinquegrani Music Ministry Endowment: supporting ministries involving Holy Family’s choir, chamber choir, children’s choir, handbell choir, instrumentalists, and soloists. Funds will be used to buy music, instruments, hold concerts, and maintain the chapel sound system.

Open Door Fund III- $250,000

I’ve always felt like Holy Family is the place where I am most able to be with myself, to be with my faith, and to be with my God. You don’t see many young people getting involved in faith. But after a weekend together at the Christian Leadership Retreat, it’s great to look around and everyone is singing, happy to be there, and the teenager next to you is just as excited to be there as you are. It’s an amazing experience to see so manykids sharing their faith together. I have so many memories of this place, and I’m only eighteen!

- Catherine Matta, East Hartford, CT

 

 Campaign Naming Opportunities  

Renovated Dining Room: $500,000

Dining Room Patio: $100,000

Retreat Conference Room: $50,000

Dining Room Sound and Audio Visual System: $30,000

Public Chapel: $25,000

Labyrinth (outdoors): $25,000

Dining Room Entryway $15,000

Dining Room Bathrooms (two; includes tilework and fixtures): $15,000 each

Dining Room Table Sponsorship (includes table, eight chairs, tableware and linens): $5,000 each

Dining Room Coatroom: $5,000

Dining Room Windows (includes windows and window treatments): $1,500 each

Dining Room Lighting Fixtures: $500 each
 

Recognition Categories 

St. Paul of the Cross: $250,000 or more

St. Gabriel: $100,000 - $249,999

St. Vincent Strambi: $50,000 – $99,999

Provincial Circle: $25,000 - $49,999

Patron: $10,000 - $24,999

Benefactor: $1,000 - $9,999

Friend: $1 - $999

Click here for pdf of  Pledge Form.