Since 1975, the Apostolate for Family Consecration has offered resources for Catholic families “to grow in holiness, grow in truth, and grow together so that they can become fully alive in Christ.”
The apostolate (AFC) was founded in the 1970s by a couple, Jerry and Gwen Coniker; Gwen has an open cause for canonization.
Servant of God Gwen Coniker
Five years later, the bishop of Steubenville agreed to a cause for canonization. The initial investigation, into whether she showed "heroic virtue," began September 2007.
Jerry died in 2018.
Founders Jerry and Servant of God Gwen Coniker, desiring to protect and form their own family in the faith under Mary’s protection, moved with their children to Fatima in 1971. Two years later, they felt God called them back to the United States to strengthen other families as well.
Thirty years ago the AFC founded Catholic FamilyLand as a vacation destination in Ohio where Catholic families can rest and renew, surrounded by other families. The site provides prayer and program opportunities. For 2026, there are seven week-long “Holy Family Fest” offerings, all with limited openings based on desired lodging.
Stephen Young, National Events Manager for AFC, told Aleteia that after 35 years of events at Catholic FamilyLand, leaders of the apostolate wondered, “How do we take this message out to people across the country who can’t come to us?”
What is the message of Family Consecration?
As their website explains, the consecration is a “practical way to intentionally live your baptismal promises and grow in union with God, as a family.”
“Consecration is not about parents taking on another responsibility, it's about handing the responsibility over, entrusting your family to the care of the Holy Family who knows what it means to live ordinary life with extraordinary grace."
Having clear that Family Consecration is the core of their message, AFC came up with a simple parish workshop that brings the concept and framework to parishes and communities.
“We send the speakers and materials, but it’s in a relatable way in their own familiar surroundings,” Young explained. They offer the opportunity to experience the Apostolate and Family Consecration for those who haven’t been or are unable to visit an event onsite in Ohio.
Heading out
Launched in 2025, the first parish workshop was offered last October. They have now completed six workshops, with eight more scheduled and others in the planning stage.
Young's hope is to introduce this workshop to wider audiences. Workshops are hosted by individuals, couples, or families who want to bring Family Consecration closer to home, with the events often taking place at a local parish. Customizable to each host’s needs, these workshops “help the whole family sanctify their home through the graces of the Holy Family."
Lasting about two hours, workshops feature AFC materials and are facilitated by one of their trained speakers. Materials include the 7-day preparation for the Consecration itself and benefits are shared about how other families and the Church as a whole have received graces through the consecration.
They share how you make the initial act of consecration, and how that is lived out in daily life. Young pointed out, for example, “the intentional choices you make as a family that is consecrated to Jesus, through Mary, in union with St. Joseph.”
"Discovery Calls" are offered to talk about customizable options and what the host group/parish commits to provide.
Young acknowledged that their target workshop host is a parish that has a lot of young families with kids still at home. “We know parents always have spiritual authority over their family — that’s how God designed it,” he said.
But even if kids are already grown, and parents have less direct influence over adult children, “there’s still a beauty to Family Consecration.”
A lens, not a program
Life has challenges that need God’s guidance and grace at every stage. “Trusting your family to the protection” is powerful, Young assured. “We have received a lot of positive feedback. The DREs and pastors that have been present have been really excited about what they’re seeing and the families’ engagement.”
Three-quarters of families that participate in workshops commit to the Consecration process, which for Young, is “a fantastic rate of participation.” He hopes most then spread and share the message with other families and friends.
“Family Consecration is beautiful because it’s not a program. It’s a lens through which you can see the many good things and discern or filter priorities as a family,” Young reflected. “There’s a ton of good content out there; there’s also a ton of not-so-good content.”
Knowing how busy life is, he encourages parents, “It’s not overwhelming. This is meant to be a good core and base for being a God-centered family.” He also notes that living family life within the consecration “will look a little different from one family to another.”
“We all need that positive encouragement. We know that prayer life and the sacraments are important, that we’re supposed to serve God in the Church in others, but there’s so much in society that bombards us.”
Consecration offers parents and spouses the confidence that “the Holy Family is watching over us, protecting us. That they’re in our corner and helping us discern priorities, our identity as a family. What do we need to be doing? What’s best for our family in this particular season?”
He noted that the definition of a “good or successful parent” according to the secular world differs greatly from God’s plan for families. “Often we hear messages from the world louder than those from the Church”
Young added, “A beautiful thing about the Family Consecration is that there’s a format that presents what the Church wants us to focus on and helps us put that in the right order.”
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This article is brought to you with the support of the Apostolate for Family Consecration.
