During the 2009 summer there was one week long camp program June 28-July 4, 2009.  See photos on our blog at: http://holyfamilyalabarecamp.blogspot.com 

During the 2008 summer there was one week long camp program June 29- July 5, 2008.  See the past 2008 PHOTOS & COMMENTS, click here.     Also see a VIDEO of  2007 camp.  And, the same video in a higher disk size version .  (Both are here thanks to Jennifer MacLeod.) 

Family, Faith & Good Times at Camp

Holy Family Ministries offers families a unique opportunity to grow together in faith and the love of God. An outdoor setting and recreational atmosphere, along with spiritual inspiration, provide a profound contrast to the hectic city life and a welcome haven for families. “Alabare” family camp depends entirely on volunteers like you to help bring hope to the families we serve.

Goals

· Stimulate spiritual growth for individuals and the family.
· Help family members grow closer by improving interpersonal relationships.
· Provide summer fun and recreation while building Christian community.
· Grow in our own faith and love by serving God’s people.
· Help build the Kingdom of God and proclaim the Gospel.
· Catch a few fish… build a sandcastle…ride on a pontoon boat.

The Program

Each year, we welcome families at little or no cost to a week of “Alabare”. Participants arrive at camp via bus or their own transportation.  We all stay in rustic cabins or our own tents.

 The day begins with breakfast and Open Camp Activities, arts & crafts and archery.

Circle Time, a spiritual reflection with music and prayer, gathers the entire camp community together. 

 Preschoolers through adult seniors join in Peer Groups for team building activities and sharing. 

Lunch and a brief rest time will prepare campers for an afternoon at the waterfront with a refreshing water park and boating. 

Families are actively involved in the celebration of daily Mass which draws our afternoon to a close. 

Supper, served family style, offers the opportunity for each family to relate with another family. The fun continues with Family Session in which each “camp family” plans activities specific to their unique needs. Later, everyone has a choice of joining a sports event, going fishing or simply relaxing.  Evening events may include: a campfire, board games, or a night hike.  Special activities are also scheduled for teens and young adults.

One evening we gather to pray the rosary together with a candlelight procession.  The power of God’s forgiveness is evident on our day of Reconciliation with confession and a prayer service for healing. We celebrate our final evening together with songs, skits and lots of laughter at Fiesta.

History

 “Alabare” was launched during a pontoon boat ride with the Stein and Leonard families and Fr. Tom Helfrich at Camp De Sales in Brooklyn, Michigan in 1994. The program is based on the long-established model of Camp Trinita in Connecticut. The prayers and guidance of former Trinita families have been instrumental in the success of Holy Family Ministries’ Family Camp. Father Tom, an Oblate of St. Francis de Sales, continues to play a leading role in the program.

Each year God gathers 100 of us from all the places where we have been scattered: New York City, Michigan and Ohio.

To Get More Information

Families, college students, adults….,all are welcome! Volunteers should plan to arrive on Saturday, June 26, 2010, a day before the guests, for camp set-up, orientation and spiritual preparation for a rewarding week of Family Camp.
For more information, contact:
Karen Stein
E-mail:                 ;  Phone: (734-677-6659) 

Pepe Zuniga
E-mail:                 ; Phone:  (734-528-2022)  (Spanish)
           Familia, Fe & Mucha Diversión en Alabaré

Holy Family Ministries
C/O Tom 7 Deb Leonard
     4643 Shoreview Dr.
     Canton, MI  48188

Website:  http://www.stfrancisa2.com/holyfamilycamp/