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.

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.