Family Life, a Christian ministry offering faith-based resources to marriages, suggests the premise that if a married couple is not on an intentional journey toward “oneness” in Christ, they might in fact be just existing (“just married”). These couples are likely on a journey toward isolation. Yet, regardless of where a couple might find themselves on this spectrum, through faith and purposeful/intentional engagement, they can pursue restoration and realignment in their relationship.
The Marriage Ministry at ND has been active for well over 10 years. For most of that time, it was faithfully shepherded by Mike & Pat Guarino and Ralph & Diana Thomas. These two couples hosted countless evenings of marriage enrichment, mostly at their homes, which helped develop and nourish a small community of regular participants. As the Thomases and Guarinos stepped down earlier in 2017, Debby & Eric Kispert felt called to step up to lead the ministry:
“We joined the marriage enrichment group 7 years ago when we started to attend Notre Dame. For many years, we enjoyed the generosity of the members and partook of the their support. We also appreciated the love and hospitality that The Guarinos and Thomases provided to us in their homes. Last year, as a couple, we wanted to "give back" to the ministry. The Guarinos and we talked at length over the summer about ways to expand the group and move to a broader ministry. The Lord has allowed us to share with others the bounty we had been privileged to receive over the years.”
With great enthusiasm and dedication, the Kisperts have been taking on the challenge of bringing the ministry into closer alignment with our renewed mission and vision of missionary discipleship. As such, the ministry has expanded on the types of opportunities and discipleship settings it offers, and also has expanded its outreach to the community beyond the walls of our parish. Following are some of the opportunities available through the ministry and through its extended arm with Family Life ministry.
- Evenings of Marriage Enrichment—About 6 evenings hosted throughout the ministry year in couples’ homes. There is opportunity for socialization, a theme-based presentation or witness talk, followed by discussion.
- The Art of Marriage – A Family Life six-week series focused on both the challenges and the beauty of God’s design for marriage. It weaves together DVD-based expert teaching, real-life stories, humorous vignettes, and small group discussion. The series has been offered three times at ND and over 25 couples have journeyed through it.
- Marriage Oneness—A Family Life eight-week DVD-based series offering practical help in the areas of communication, money, sexual intimacy, relationships, conflict resolution, spiritual beliefs, and roles and responsibilities. It is currently being offered for the first time with 9 couples participating as part of their Lenten journey.
- Annual Winter Retreat— A key event for the ministry. This year’s retreat held in February was a great success, with over 70 participants coming together for an insightful and interactive session in the Parish Hall.
- A Weekend to Remember— A getaway retreat offered by Family Life touching upon topics such as threats to marriage, obstacles to communication, realizing God’s plan for marriage, how to handle conflict, as well as intimacy from God’s perspective. Seven couples have participated in the past two years and have affirmed how they have been blessed and renewed by the experience.
- Social Gatherings—Couples are invited to participate in two events (Christmas and post-Easter) with the sole purpose of welcoming new participants, fostering friendship and community-building.
In terms of their vision and hopes for the ministry, the Kisperts expressed:
“Our vision for the future is to continue to empower couples to have ownership of the ministry through more opportunities for both leadership and collaboration. Our prayer is to have younger couples who are newer to marriage participate at greater rates. We also would like to support these couples with a mentor program. We want to work more closely with leaders of other ministries, in particular Pre-Cana and Faith Formation. Lastly, we want to draw others from outside the walls of Notre Dame. An example of this was our recent retreat that attracted 30 individuals from other parishes.”
It is important for married couples to welcome and embrace the mission of missionary discipleship through the vocation of marriage; the sacrament calls couples to bring each other closer to Christ and to witness to the Good News through their marriage and their families.
“Ministry leadership has served to strengthen our marriage and draw us closer together, and closer to the Lord. More of our free time is spent planning, coordinating or participating in the ministry; we would have it no other way! We have been blessed to connect more deeply with so many couples as a result of our role. The generosity of other couples who have opened their homes and provided support is humbling. We have always known that it was better to give than to receive; this experience has confirmed it.”
Debby & Eric Kispert
March 12, 2018Family Life, a Christian ministry offering faith-based resources to marriages, suggests the premise that if a married couple is not on an intentional journey toward “oneness” in Christ, they might in fact be just existing (“just married”). These couples are likely on a journey toward isolation. Yet, regardless of where a couple might find themselves on this spectrum, through faith and purposeful/intentional engagement, they can pursue restoration and realignment in their relationship.