Frequently Asked Questions
Trinita Summer Volunteer Service

What is this Summer Mission at Trinita?

  • An opportunity for lay Catholics to do volunteer mission work at a Catholic summer program in rural Connecticut.
  • Volunteers serve children and families who come to Trinita for faith formation and outdoor summer activities.

Who coordinates the Mission?

  • The Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity (Catholic Sisters) own and operate Trinita Retreat Center. Trinita’s lay staff members and other local volunteers in CT work with MSBT sisters in planning and coordinating the summer program.
  • Volunteers apply and are selected through Missionary Cenacle Volunteers, which is a Catholic mission organization sponsored by the MSBT sisters. MCV Staff interview potential volunteers, provide them with information on the program, and work with the sisters and Trinita staff to lead Orientation for new volunteers.

Who should apply to serve at Trinita?

  • We are seeking emotionally mature individuals who can put others’ needs before their own during mission service. You must be 18 years or older by June 25, 2023 to apply, and there is no upper age limit. Applicants do not need to be Catholic, but should be open to living and working in a Catholic environment.
  • Many of our volunteers are school teachers who dedicate two or more weeks of their summer breaks to service. Other volunteers are college students, retirees and working professionals who use their vacation time to serve.
  • Parents are welcome to apply with their adult children, however we cannot accommodate volunteer families with children under 18. Married couples are also welcome to apply, but will be housed separately in the single-gender volunteer cabins.

What do volunteers do at Trinita?

  • Work with other volunteers, the sisters, local volunteers and Trinita staff to carry out all activities of the summer program.
  • Interact with families through both structured activities and free time. For example: lead groups of children and adults in age-appropriate activities during “peer group time”; read stories, facilitate prayer and reflection, and play games one-on-one with a family during “family blanket time”; share meals and conversation with families; organize and supervise sports and games with the children; teach arts and crafts; lead hikes.
  • Behind-the-scenes tasks may include: kitchen and bathroom clean-up; safety monitoring at the swimming pool; supervising playground time; organizing craft materials, preparing and serving afternoon snack, washing dishes after meals and building a camp fire.
  • Some duties are assigned on a schedule. At other times volunteers are free to see where they can help or just spend time with the families.

What is the daily/weekly schedule?

  • A typical day at Trinita includes most of the following: Morning and evening prayer, meals, daily Catholic mass or a communion service, peer groups, pool time, craft time, family blanket time, an evening lesson led by our staff, game time inside the lodge at night.
  • The same program content and activities repeat each week as different families attend. Special activities like campfire, bingo and a talent show happen once each week.

Where is Trinita? How do volunteers get there?

  • In the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains near the small town of New Hartford, Connecticut.
  • Trinita retreat center includes over 100 acres of open grassy areas for games, wooded hiking trails, a pool, a main building for meals and meetings, cabins for volunteers and families, a rustic chapel, and a lodge for indoor games.
  • Trinita is about a 45 minute drive from the Bradley Hartford International Airport in Hartford, Connecticut. Our staff will drive you from the airport to Trinita.
  • Volunteers purchase their airfare, train or bus passage to Connecticut, and are met at the airport, train or bus station by a sister or staff member from Trinita. Volunteers may also choose to arrive directly to Trinita by car.

What are living accommodations like?

  • Volunteers live in community with each other in single-gender cabins.
  • Cabins are simple, but comfortable with hot water, electricity and fans. There is no air conditioning.
  • There is no cost to volunteers for meals and housing.

When is the Summer 2023 Program?

  • June 25 – July 1: Mandatory Orientation Week for new volunteers
  • July 2: First group of Families arrive for the Family Life Development Program
  • July 29: Last group of Families complete the Family Life Development Program
  • Volunteers can choose to serve anywhere between 2-5 weeks over the Summer

What other important information should I know?

  • Volunteers will have limited access to internet and cell phone service at Trinita due to the rural location and also as an invitation to simple living and being present to those around them while on mission.
  • Many of the families are bilingual, speaking Spanish and English. A few speak only Spanish. Volunteers do not need to speak Spanish, but should come prepared to be patient and understanding as they discover new ways to communicate with speakers of another language. This is a great opportunity to practice Spanish if you are learning it!
  • Volunteers do not need to be Catholic to serve, but should be open to living and working in a Catholic environment.
  • Volunteer mission work is an opportunity to serve others by putting their needs before your own. Personal comfort, privacy, and free time may be sacrificed while on mission.

How do I apply?

  • Submit an initial online application. You can CLICK HERE to begin the application.
  • You will then be contacted by MCV staff and provided with additional forms to complete.
  • You will also be given 2 recommendation forms for your references to fill out.
  • Complete phone interviews with MCV staff.

If you have any questions about the application process or our Summer Program, please contact Maureen Masterson Carr at [email protected] or call (216) 926-2152.

How and when are volunteers selected?

  • Applications are currently being accepted for Summer 2023.
  • Priority placements before April; applications accepted until all openings are filled.
  • The sooner you complete all steps of the process, the better your chance of being selected!
Trinita Retreat Center
595 Town Hill Road
New Hartford, CT 06057