Join us for an inspiring evening and help thousands of parents discover their purpose, find connection, and live their faith.
Thursday, May 1, 2025
5:00pm Cocktail Hour
6:30pm Dinner and Program
Dessert and Social to Follow
The Club at Golden Valley
7001 Golden Valley Road
Golden Valley, MN 55427
Purchase Individual Tickets
Questions about the Banquet? Email [email protected].
By attending, you'll be:
- INSPIRED by riveting testimonies of hope for marriage and family transformation—recognizing that the family is needed now, more than ever.
- EDUCATED about the efforts of Cana Family Institute—building on a 30+ year history of strengthening Catholic marriages and families across the United States… and how 25,000+ marriages have been transformed.
- EQUIPPED and EMPOWERED to make an even greater impact on families—including your own children and grandchildren; what could be more rewarding than knowing you helped to transform a family for Christ?
- MOTIVATED to support this important work at this crucial time! All proceeds benefiting the mission to the family through Cana Family Institute.
- ...And you'll experience a joyful evening celebrating what's most important: FAITH and FAMILY!
Featuring:
We will honor Mark and Mary Berchem with this year's Cana 'Celebrating Marriage' Award. They are an inspirational witness to Catholic marriage, family life and missionary discipleship in our community. Submit a tribute for their keepsake book at the bottom of the page.
Hear from Cana Family Institute's Executive Director, Charley Bielejeski, about the vision for Cana and his passion and enthusiasm for our mission.
Event Sponsorships
Show your support and sponsor the Cana Banquet. Questions about Sponsorships? Contact Jeannine at [email protected].
How Can I Help?
There are many ways to help us make the Banquet a success! Thank you for your generosity in time, talent and treasure.
Can't attend, but would still like to support Strong Catholic Marriages and Families in the Greater Minneapolis/St. Paul area?
What is the Cana Award?
The wedding feast at Cana, where Jesus performed His first public miracle (John 2:1-10), marks the moment He revealed His divine mission (John 2:11). In choosing a marriage celebration as the setting for this profound event, Jesus honors the sanctity of marriage—between a man and a woman, surrounded by family and friends—within His redemptive plan of salvation.
Inspired by this sacred moment, the Cana Award honors married couples who embody the beauty of God's plan for marriage and family. These couples are not only a living reflection of the Sacrament of Marriage but also a source of strength and inspiration to others. Through their lives of faith and service, they uplift and encourage other married couples and families, offering a deeper sense of gratitude for the gift of marriage while actively contributing to stronger Catholic families.
As St. John Paul II wrote in Love and Responsibility: "Marriage is an act of will that signifies and involves a mutual gift, which unites the spouses and binds them to their eventual souls, with whom they make up a sole family–a domestic church." And in Familiaris Consortio, he further emphasized: "The family, which is founded and given life by love, is a community of persons: of husband and wife, of parents and children, of relatives... Without love, the family is not a community of persons, and in the same way, without love the family cannot grow and perfect itself as a community."
It is with great joy that we recognize Mark and Mary Berchem as this year’s recipients of the Cana Award. Their commitment to living out the Gospel, deeply inspired by the teachings of St. John Paul II, has made them a powerful witness of love and service, building up the Church by strengthening marriages and families.
If you'd like to offer your personal congratulations to Mark and Mary in a one-of-a-kind Keepsake Book, please submit your tribute to [email protected] by April 10.
Your support is critical as we work diligently to reach and form more parents and families. Thank you for your support!