The Diocese of St. Cloud will host the second annual Festival of Families on Sunday, Feb. 2, at St. Francis Xavier Church in Sartell. The focus of the day-long celebration is to give families the opportunity to get to know each other, share their faith and have fun in the process.
“The overwhelmingly positive reactions to last year’s event made it impossible not to plan another one,” said Christine Pinto, director of faith formation for the diocese and the festival’s organizer. “The joy, laughter, and togetherness were beautiful to see. The day, to me, represented who we are called to be as Church, accepting one another and celebrating our faith as the family of God.”
One of the reasons for planning the inaugural Festival of Families, Pinto said, was that according to research, the two things that have the biggest impact on the faith lives of children are seeing their parents living and celebrating their faith and having child-centered conversations about faith at home. This festival aims to help make those things happen.
“My hope is that parents/caregivers and their children create (or strengthen) a bond of faith that becomes a starting point for further faith conversations in their daily lives,” Pinto said. “I think the Festival of Families is a great way for families to see that their struggles and joys are similar to others’ and that they are not alone.”
The day will include opportunities to celebrate the faith in English and Spanish, including a free carnival, breakout sessions for children, teens and parents, lunch, service projects, bingo and concluding with a bilingual Mass.
“This kind of festival provides an opportunity for families to meet each other,” said Benedictine Father John Klassen, who will celebrate the Mass. “It’s all about building trust through personal relationships and friendships. It is one of the few effective tools for harmony and peace in the face of cultural stereotypes.”
This year’s event includes a few changes to the program. For example, organizers have added in more time between activities so parents can drop off their children and still have time to get to their own sessions before they start.
“We even added a 15-minute ‘Cookie Break’ for adults between their sessions so they can grab a cup of coffee, chat with an exhibitor or another adult and still get to the next session on time,” Pinto said.
Break-out sessions for parents include financial planning for families and Love and Logic Parenting. For teens, a fast-paced “Castaway”-style session will be offered and the children’s session will use a Vacation Bible School model where children will rotate through activities (Bible story, snack, music, crafts, games, etc.).
Being at a Mass where everyone understands the challenges of attending and participating with children was one of her favorite parts of the event last year, Pinto said.
“I will never forget the loving and accepting community that gathered at the end of a beautiful, but long, day. It was my first time at a Mass with lots of families that the cry room was empty. The whole church was the cry room,” she said. “The community gathered that afternoon completely understood what it is like to bring your family to church. There was no judgement.”
Speakers and session facilitators are still being lined-up and more information will be available soon. Watch for more at: https://stcdio.org/event/2025-festival-of-families/
If you go:
What: 2025 Festival of Families
Where: St. Francis Xavier Church, Sartell
When: Feb. 2, 2025 — 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: $25/family, scholarships available
Registration deadline: Jan. 27