I have one more question. I have invited people to this place before, but I really don't know if anyone here has ever been there. I went there. It is called Catholic Familyland. Has anyone ever been there or has anyone ever checked out their website: www.catholicfamilyland.org ? When I went there it made a huge difference in my life. I will share it with you, but only if you would like, because what I really want to know is, if it has done the same for anyone else.

-- Sonya (johnsonya2003@hotmail.com), March 27, 2004

Answers

BUMP

-- ZAROVE (ZAROFF3@JUNO.COM), March 27, 2004.

Sonya,

Are you talking about the Get-away Marriage weekend at www.familyland.org? I checked the site out from one of your previous posts. Looks like it offers a lot of great support for the family. Someone raised the question recently in our Bible Study group as to why the Church offered a lot of programs for men, and women, and children, but not for families to do together. This seems like an answer to that. What a novel idea! I'd like to do one of those sometime, but it may take some convincing to get my wife to go. She's always so busy!

-- Andy (aszmere@earthlink.net), March 28, 2004.

Sonja, please DO share your story!

Gail

-- Gail (rothfarms@socket.net), March 28, 2004.

Yes I am talking about the marriage get away, but also the family fests and the totus tuus conferences and so much more. I went up there in 1998 and since then all I've wanted to do was to go back, but I think that the devil put so many obstacles in my way and I really didn't think of it at the time. Now I am finally going back for a family fest this summer, with my husband and child. It will be a week long. This is my husbands first time going.

I went up there because I was single at the time and one of the women from the Apostolate's Catholic Corps invited me to come and see if I had a vocation in the Women's Cathoic Corps. I stayed for a weekend and saw so much. We figured out that I didn't have a vocation up there, but I was invited back to a family fest or just to visit.

Before I tell you what I saw, I want to tell you that I found out about them from the Catholic station EWTN. They used to come on there before they got their own station familyland, which is the only Catholic Station that comes on the Sky Angel Satellite. There are ways to get it on cable too, but it is good to call them and find out how at 1-800-FOR-MARY. When I saw their commercial on EWTN, I called that number and was invited. Before I went up there, I met the founder Jerry Conniker and the chaplain Father Kevin Barret. He was giving a workshop, I think, in Denver at the time. I didn't get to meet the co-founder, his wife, and it is too bad that I never will. She died, not too long ago. She was a holy wife, mother of 13, and grandmother. Her name was Gwen Conniker.

When I did go up there, I got to see their studio, the Catholic Corps, some of the very green (600 or 900, I can't remember)acres of land, some of the animals, and a little bit of what they do. I couldn't see everything in only 3 days though. They work making videos and cassette tapes for Catholic evangelization. They have been Vatican Approved. The Holy Father and Mother Teresa have endorsed their programs. They have recorded tapes of teachings from the Holy Father, the Holy See, Mother Teresa, Sister Lucia, and so many more holy teachers. It is amazing.

Not only that, but they have a two groups of Catholic Corps up there, consecrated singles who have made private vows of chastity, obedience and poverty. They have a men's home and a women's home. These singles help with the recordings, the videos, the shows themselves, the conferences, the fests, etc.

They have a television station, that is not competing with EWTN, but focuse on showing family shows and series. They have shows and movies such as "The Scarlet Pimpernel", "Make Room for Daddy", "Ozzie and Harriet",'Little Women", and so much more which are edited for language, excessive violence, disrespect to parental authority and other edits such as these to make the shows for the whole family. Their other shows include spiritual programs such as 'Marie, Al, and Dom's'; which is a show that is for the "Destiny Generation (ages 13 through 19 or around there)", where special guests are interviewed. Some include: Jason Evert, the Catholic singer Angelina, and Father Stan Fortuna. Other spiritual shows are the "Be Not Afraid Family Hours" which are suppose to eventually be showed to groups in Parishes around the world, in the presence of Our Lord Jesus in the Eucharist. To take as many families to visit Our Lord in Adoration in the Eucharist for an hour a week, was Mother Teresa's idea. She said that if enough families will go together and do this, it will bring an end to abortion. There are so many other programs that you need to check out. I have the station and I haven't even checked them all out.

When I was over there, I learned that the prayer life of the Apostolates Corps' members are at least 4 hours a day, which does include the mass the rosary, reception of the Eucharist (possibly twice a day at the most), adoration, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, confession (at least once a week if not more), and others. They also listen to spiritual programs and music, while working, with walk men cassette players. They read about the saints and read scripture and and other spiritual readings. They watch the videos whith the Be Not Afraid Family Hours and other spiritual shows. They also have time for fun games and movies together as a community of women. The men have there separate game and movie times. They have their own rooms and as I said before, separate buildings for men and women. They even have time for individual interests such as fishing, news, etc. There is time for exercise such as riding bikes, hiking, walking (it is great to just take a walk around the river) and other things. I can't tell you all of it, because I have already told you way too much. You probably think that I am crazy for writing so much.

The family fests include the members who are married, single (but not the consecrated singles), widowed; basically the laymen, and also bishops, brothers, sisters, priests, etc. come too. These fests I know have to be great. It is kind of like a huge camp out with bonfires at night, square dancing, puppet shows, a giant water slide, St. Don Bosco swimming pool (I heard that the rosarie is said while families are in the pool at times), St. John the Baptist river, theatrical performances, music, hiking, horse back riding and so much more. All the places that are on this land have a Saint's name, and I think they even have a Shroud of Turin exhibit. I really can't tell you how much, you just need to go.

A lot of families come here to, to make or renew the Consecration to Jesus through Mary, according the the formula of Saint Louis de Montfort. Of course this means on the last day of the Consecration, where the final prayer is said, but the Apostolate does have programs that families can watch and listen to, to help them make the entire consecration.

The Apostolate has a Family Cathechism with cross references to the Catechism of the Catholic Church and scripture and other spiritual books(I think). This was designed to use for the entire family to know their faith. I have a copy. It is awesome. A lot of families learn so much truth while over their, but they also have workshops to help you to evangelize your community using these materials.

I saw their studio and and print shop also. A lot of shows are taped there in Ohio, but they also have a group of the Catholic Corps Community in the Phillipines and one in Mexico.

Their spirituality is that of Pope John Paul II's, which is Marian. They are trying to help consecrate families and communities in the truth. What they do works, otherwise the place of Catholic Familyland would not exist, and I think it has been around since 1976 or around that time. Teenagers love it there, and when they get they, a lot of times they don't want to go back home. There is positive peer pressure there to wear scapulars, pray rosaries, have fun in a good way. I forgot to mention that there are sports too, on the family fests like soccer and frisbee(I think). Their Motto is All For The Sacred and Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, All Through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, All in Union with Saint Joseph. They are pro-life and help encourage other pro-life organizations.

I can't possibly tell you everything, please go. Don't be like me and wait years (that Devil really did try to stop me completely). God Bless you.

-- Sonya (johnsonya2003@hotmail.com), March 29, 2004.

I forgot to say that there are other members in the Apostolate who are of other religions and they are very welcome there too. Another thing is that they do encourage us to read the popes encyclicals, and discourage us to get so much into unapproved apparition messages ( the Devil can try to lure people to a place to keep them doing what God doesn't want using things like false apparitions- even saints were tricked into thinking that visions of theirs were real when they were of the Devil trying to decieve). I think Saint Catherine was one of these Saints.

The promise of Fatima of Peace in the world can happen with just enough people. The Annihilation of Nations doesn't have to happen, if we do something now. God can use the Apostolate to help bring the Peace.

-- Sonya (johnsonya2003@hotmail.com), March 29, 2004.

What a great testimony! Thanks Sonya.

-- Andy (aszmere@earthlink.net), March 30, 2004.