Our Story

Our mission to empower families got its start in one family. Michael and Mary Therese Pfau were dedicated to raising their five children in the Church, and while they took all the right steps, it proved to be a challenge. Their children received the best Catholic education and they knew facts about God, scripture, and Church history, but as they grew older, they began to question the faith. Despite their best efforts, Michael and Mary experienced the frustration and heartbreak of watching their children wander away from the Lord.

With most of their children grown and having families of their own, Michael and Mary were on the brink of retirement from the business world. But after going on a parish retreat, Michael felt the Lord calling and inviting him to more. Realizing that other parents face similar struggles of feeling discouraged, ill-equipped, and exhausted, Michael felt the Lord’s call to build Ablaze Family Ministries, a non-profit to empower, equip, and accompany Catholic families as they embrace and live out the call to discipleship.