Bishop Edward Malesic made another trip to the Apostolate for Family Consecration, also known as Catholic Familyland, on June 9 during the first of its seven weeklong summer Holy Family Fests. Nearly 1,000 people registered for the family vacation/retreat at the facility in Bloomingdale, which is in rural Jefferson County in the Diocese of Steubenville. Several people from the Diocese of Cleveland were there.
The bishop’s visit took place on the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, a relatively new feast instituted in 2018 by the late Pope Francis. The feast, observed on the Monday after Pentecost – the birthday of the Church – celebrates Mary’s role as mother of the Church and recognizes her unique connection to Jesus and his followers.
“If we could see the number of saints and angels in this room today, we’d be overwhelmed,” the bishop said, scanning the spacious St. Joseph Auditorium.
(See photo gallery above.)
He told the faithful that Mary has been “the mother of the Church ever since Jesus gave her to us from the foot of the cross … We are the disciples he loves and like John, we should take her into our homes.”
Mary teaches us that life is a gift from God, from conception to natural death, the bishop said, noting that she was with Jesus through everything – until his natural death and again after his Resurrection.
“Trust me, today she’s asking Jesus to grant every need of her children – the Church – just like at the wedding at Cana,” he said. At that event, Mary told the servers to do whatever Jesus told them to do.
“Stay close to Mary. She’s close to Jesus and he has our back. Mary, mother of the Church, pray for us,” the bishop said.
After Mass, he spent time visiting with some of the dozens of boys who were altar servers, families attending the Mass, AFC staff members and others. Among the servers was Billy Reed, a seminarian at Cleveland’s Saint Mary Seminary. Deacon John Green from Holy Family Parish in Stow assisted at the altar and several priests concelebrated the liturgy. They posed for a group photo outside Redeemer Hall, which is one of the numerous buildings on the sprawling property. Many of the buildings have a chapel.
Bishop Malesic also chatted with Randy and Diane Christensen, originally from Omaha, Nebraska, who are full-time overseers of the apostolate and live in an apartment in Redeemer Hall. Randy Christensen serves as AFC president and CEO.
They updated the bishop on what’s happened at AFC since his last visit in 2022. Auxiliary Bishop Michael Woost visited in 2023.
AFC/Catholic Familyland, sits on about 900 acres of land, much of it undeveloped. It is a private association of Christ’s faithful, founded in 1975 by Jerry Coniker and his wife, Servant of God Gwen Coniker, whose cause for sainthood is under consideration. The apostolate attracts hundreds of families for the weekly Family Fests during the summer, in addition to retreats and a family conference. During the Family Fests, families can enjoy the activities and features of Catholic Familyland, including swimming, ball fields, picnic areas, other outdoor activities and a large playground, while being immersed in a faith-filled experience. There also is daily Mass, the rosary, speakers and opportunities for prayer, adoration and confession. Children are split into groups by age for activities, which allows parents time to spend in prayer, attend programs and listen to speakers, etc.
The welcome center/St. Joseph Auditorium has a new gift shop, concession area and a space devoted to an exhibit about the Eucharistic miracles organized by Blessed Carlo Acutis, who soon will be canonized. The property also includes campsites and cabins. Some families opt to rent or bring their own campers.
Previously, portions of the property served as the Diocese of Steubenville’s seminary from about 1950-1971, Randy Christensen said. The Conikers moved their ministry and their 13 children from Kenosha, Wisconsin to the site in 1990.
The Christensens said AFC is a unique apostolate and attracts people from across the United States. Among the license plates spotted in the parking lot were some from various counties in Ohio, Wisconsin, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Maryland. They said eventually, they would like to start a branch of AFC further west, perhaps in Arizona.
According to AFC, the power of family consecration is that “if enough souls live it, the ripple effect can be strong enough to crush Satan.” AFC officials said families can make an act of consecration together and live out their consecration daily.
Click here for additional information on AFC/Catholic Familyland.