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.

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.