Holy Familyland Mini Fest

For several years, the Zimmerman family had it on their hearts to find a way to bring together and support Catholic families, finding a place where Catholic families could gather and have community. In May of 2022, Kimberly (Mrs. Zimmerman) was invited to go to a Mini Holy Family Fest retreat in Danville, Illinois. With encouragement from her husband, Neil, she packed up with their 5-week-old baby, and stepped out of her comfort zone to go away for a weekend of blessings. Little did she know the adventure that God had planned for her!

​

It didn't take long after arriving that she realized that this retreat was everything she and her husband had been searching for to bring Catholic families together. Excited but not sure where to begin in bringing something like this to Minnesota, God stepped in to help. After only the first speaker for the weekend, Kimberly found herself to be the last to leave with her baby sleeping in the stroller and ended up visiting with a couple who were also taking their time leaving the talk. Pouring out her excitement on God bringing her to this place and telling them that this is what they'd been searching for, for Minnesota families, she found out she was speaking with the president and his wife of Catholic Familyland!

 

Catholic Familyland which is the original, main event hosted in Steubenville, Ohio, and now the overseer of the Mini Family Fest in Minnesota, as well as the one in Danville. 

​

Zimmermans, with the help of Kay Kahler, Julie LaFlamme, and Cindy Loidolt, hosted the first Mini Holy Family Fest in August of 2022 at Belle Prairie with just a few families in attendance. By 2024, it grew to over 300 people! The largest Holy Family Mini Fest the AFC has on record in the United States!

​

The Holy Spirit is on the move!