Our Locations
West Hartford, CT
Copper Beech offers drop in meditation groups, courses, day programs, and overnight retreats on the idyllic campus of Holy Family Retreat & Conference Center, which has been a refuge for those seeking quiet, contemplation and peace for more than 60 years. Operating independently from the historic Catholic retreat center, we rent space within the facility where we are able to enjoy handicap-accessible spaces and access to the campus’ stunning grounds.
Copper Beech Institute is located at 303 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT on the beautiful campus of Holy Family Passionist Monastery and Retreat Center, a Catholic monastery. When you arrive for a program, we will welcome you at Entrance 5, the Copper Beech main entrance. Because we are located within a large facility, there is considerable navigation and wayfinding required within the building. It is important to note that Copper Beech Institute is not religiously affiliated in any way and we welcome people from countless spiritual backgrounds along with people with no particular spiritual affiliation. Through a lease agreement with the monastery, in-person Copper Beech programming is held in spaces where Christian art and iconography is displayed. Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions.
The campus features lovingly maintained perennial gardens, sculpture gardens, labyrinth and wooded trails. We are just a 25-minute ride from Bradley International Airport, and 15 minutes from Union Station, Hartford's Train and Bus Station.
Madison, CT
Copper Beech Institute offers retreats on the Connecticut shoreline through a partnership with our friends at the gorgeous Mercy by the Sea in Madison. Overlooking Long Island Sound, Mercy Center’s 33 acres of breathtaking waterfront property are graced with more than 45 different species of trees, including the copper beech. Amenities include a beautiful private beach, outdoor gardens and a seaside meditation room.
Land Acknowledgment
Copper Beech Institute acknowledges that indigenous peoples and nations, including Mohegan, Mashantucket Pequot, Eastern Pequot, Schaghticoke, Golden Hill Paugussett, Niantic, and the Quinnipiac, along with other Algonquian-speaking peoples, have stewarded through generations the lands and waterways of what is now Connecticut. The Tunxis, a sub-tribe of the Saukiog, established a seasonal village on the un-ceded land where Copper Beech Institute resides. Copper Beech Institute pays tribute to the Tunxis and other native Connecticut communities.
We invite you to consider the land on which you live and work by reflecting on the various legacies that brought you to be where you are. Some tools to help with this are the Native Land Map and the Honor Native Land Guide.
For more information about our organization's healing and justice initiatives, please visit our related webpage.
The Significance of the Copper Beech Tree
The copper beech tree is an ancient symbol of wisdom, revered throughout the centuries for its unique beauty. Used by the Romans to craft paper, the copper beech came to represent preserving and entrusting revered wisdom to the next generation. This majestic tree creates a dense shade with its distinctive copper leaves, providing a place of solitude and sanctuary for all who slip beneath its branches. In parts of Europe, it was customary to plant beeches at crossroads, making the copper beech a symbol of intersection and decision.
The copper beech is also an image of mindfulness practice, with the tree’s growth expanding outward even as it sinks roots downward. In Autumn, this slow growing tree sends out new growth as it surrenders its leaves—a reminder that life and death are constantly commingled. Four copper beech trees were planted on the grounds of Holy Family Retreat Center and Monastery, the home of the Copper Beech Institute, in 1951 where they continue to flourish today.
The Labyrinth
Nestled in the woods at our West Hartford location an ancient symbol of wholeness and a metaphor for life’s journey. At the center of the labyrinth is a circular sculpture created by master stonemason Dan Sieracki. The empty circle at the labyrinth’s center reminds us that in emptying ourselves of illusion we can know ourselves as full of compassion, love and peace. Open daily to the public and accessible by wheelchair, it is a place of quiet and contemplation, where visitors can be reflective and at peace.
Learn More About The Labyrinth>