Catholic Familyland, also called the Apostolate for Family Consecration, welcomed Auxiliary Bishop Michael Woost for a visit during the first of its seven Holy Family Fests.
Accompanied by Father Joe Menkhaus, he traveled about 2 hours and 15 minutes southeast of Cleveland to rural Clinton County in the Diocese of Steubenville to experience Catholic Familyland. Father Menkhaus is familiar with the ministry since his father, Joseph, is executive vice president and a member of the AFC Board of Directors. His father and mother (Christy) also have been AFC Disciple Life Members since 2001.
(See above for a photo gallery from the bishop’s AFC visit.)
Randy Christensen, AFC president and CEO, and his wife Diane welcomed the bishop on June 21 and gave him a tour of some of the focal points of the property.
Catholic Familyland sits on more than 800 acres and formerly was home to the Steubenville Diocese’s now-closed seminary. After the property was unused for several years, AFC founders the late Jerry Coniker and his wife, Servant of God Gwen Coniker, moved their ministry – and their family of 13 children -- from Kenosha, Wisconsin to the Ohio property in 1990. They founded AFC in 1975 to help families grow in the faith and to live good Catholic lives.
During the weeklong summer vacation Holy Family Fests, families can enjoy the activities and features of Catholic Familyland while also being immersed in a faith-filled experience. There is daily Mass, prayer including the rosary, opportunities for adoration and penance.
Over the years, it has grown to include the newly opened St. Joseph Auditorium/Welcome Center, where the bishop celebrated Mass, 72 cabins providing housing for families attending the summer events and retreats, a concession stand, gift shop, volleyball courts, baseball fields, soccer facilities, a pool, shelter, picnic areas, chapels, housing for staff, volunteers and clergy and more.
Mass was celebrated in the brand-new St. Joseph Auditorium. Parents with restless children could step outside of the auditorium but still watch the liturgy on monitors placed around the building, which can accommodate about 1,200 guests.
After Mass, the congregation split into groups assigned by age and moved to their assigned areas for the day’s programming.
Bishop Woost met with a group of college-age young adults and spent about an hour sharing thoughts on the Eucharist with them.
“I’m giving you the whole of my body to give you new life,” he told the group. “In the gift of the Eucharist, we receive the whole of God’s life. That’s how God does things.”
The bishop shared a sheet of quotes about the Eucharist with the young people, encouraging them to read the comments and ponder them. The quotes were from a diverse group of people including St. Augustine, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Catherine of Siena, Pope St. John Paul II, St. Edith Stein and St. Faustina Kowalska.
One of his favorite quotes is from St. Therese of Lisieux, who described herself as “a living monstrance” when she receives the Eucharist. This helps to explain how Jesus truly becomes a part of us. “Keep in mind that our life is joined to the life of Christ,” he told the group.
“One of the amazing things about the Eucharist is that it is the only food we receive or consume that changes us into Christ,” he said, adding that we “carry the presence of God within us.”
God is always with us as a constant companion to guide us. The sacrament of the Eucharist may disappear when we consume, it, but the presence remains with us, the bishop said, urging the young people to use the quotes in their daily prayers. “Hear God, let him reveal his presence inside out. He’s already present in you.”
One of the focal points of the property is the chapel at the St. John Vianney Center, which served the seminary during its years of operation. In a place of honor behind the altar are the graves of the Conikers and information about them. The couple had numerous encounters with Pope John Paul II and served on the Pontifical Council for the Family.
Gwen Coniker died in June 2002 and was named a servant of God by Steubenville Bishop Daniel Conlon in 2007. Jerry Coniker died in 2018.
The Christensens gave the bishop a driving tour of the sprawling property, visiting Holy Family Park, which includes sports facilities/fields, a pool, cabins, and utility connections for those with campers. He also learned about the new St. Joseph Auditorium and stopped for lunch before heading back to Cleveland.
Learn more about Catholic Familyland and AFC here.