THE RIGHT OF A CHILD SPRING 2016
"Marriage is a sacred institution created by God. Both the role of a mother and father are both equally and vitally important. Children need both a mother and a father and each child deserves that." - MATT AND ADRIANNA BIRK
"PRAY, HOPE AND DON'T WORRY" - St. Padre Pio
THE ALEXANDER HOUSE WWW.THEALEXANDERHOUSE.ORG
"Where most men work for degrees after their names, we work for one before our names: 'St.' " - Mother Angelica
How Mother Angelica inspired The Alexander House to be what it is today: Our three children were sharing one room with a single bed, and we were sleeping on an air mattress on the floor
of a friend's home when we had nowhere else to go.
We had just taken the big leap of faith (or crazy jump off the
edge of normal) and decided to respond to God's call to develop The Alexander House full-time.
About a month into this decision nothing seemed to be working. One morning as I walked down stairs my stomach
sank as
I found Greg thumbing through the want ads looking for a job.
Building a nonprofit appeared to be harder
than we imagined, and it didn't help that others thought we were crazy for doing this as well.
rash of thoughts went through my mind.
What is he thinking?
As I looked at Greg, a
Did we come this far just to give up?
we sold all of our belongings and sacrificed dearly to do this work, and now you are looking for a job?
At this point,
Needless to say,
it appeared that Greg had lost all hope.
We had an appointment that morning with an incredible priest. From the beginning, he was very supportive both
prayerfully and financially.
We arranged this meeting to share with Monsignor our decision to work full-time
helping other couples discover God’s plan for marriage.
reaction we received.
As we shared with him our plans, I did not expect the
Tears rolled down his face, and he stood up to embrace us both like an excited father.
Msgr.
Holtman reassured us of our decision to do this great work and said, “ I have never seen a couple with so much faith!”
Unsure of our next steps we arrived back at our temporary living quarters and had a message on our phone from
EWTN.
They wanted to know if we would be guests on Life on the Rock to share our thought on marriage prep. Are
you kidding me?
Just like that When we arrived on set for the live show Fr. Francis wanted some history on us.
Greg gave a brief summary of our life, and what got us here and in an instant plans changed.
have to tell your story!"
So, we did.
Fr. Francis said, "We
The fruit of that sharing turned into three series on marriage with Fr. James
Dean, and Marriage Works in Christ became the foundational piece of Covenant of Love marriage enrichment
program.
At the passing of Mother Angelica, we were reminded of the incredible faith of this simple, spirit-filled and
determined woman.
If it were not for EWTN, our ministry to couples would have halted a long time ago.
still get referrals from EWTN for couples who are in need.
that she is a saint.
In fact, we
We are eternally grateful for Mother Angelica and believe
So many people have shared the thousands of stories of how her words or the programs brought
people back to the Church.
We were humbled and honored to be able to attend her Mass of Christian Burial and spent a few moments with
her before the Mass began.
been called to do.
Greg and I prayed for Mother’s intercession for the spreading of this mission that we've
Greg often quotes, “There are not mistakes in the providence of God”.
We believe that our being
present was clearly providential, and we are anxious to share the new direction of our work.
With our experience of having EWTN as such a pivotal piece of our catechesis, we understand the importance of
the internet and social media.
We are keenly aware of the negative aspects of being on social media but realize we
must give people what they so desperately need, as we continue to help couples have a Strong Catholic Marriage.
Visit us at gregnjulie.org and tell others about what we are doing!
- Greg and Julie Alexander
Welcome to The Alexander House: Hello, I am Sr. Grace! I am from Kerala, India. While studying here in San Antonio, Texas at St. Mary's for Marriage and Family Therapy I feel God intervened through my professor and through the head sister at my convent as they began to tell me about The Alexander House. They both mentioned The Alexander House would be a great and inspiring place to work for my internship. After hearing God's voice...TWICE, I ran into Angel Estrada who is the Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist for The Alexander House and knew right then that this is where I needed to be! When meeting with Greg I became even more inspired by what him and Julie accomplished through The Alexander House by helping couples and families understand God's plan for marriage. I am amazed that while being a sister of christ that I am able to have to opportunity to work in such a place and can feel safe while spreading the Truth to our world. We need Catholic Teaching and if it were not for The Alexander house, these families would not be getting healed through the mercy of God!
Sr. Grace - The Alexander House Marriage and Family Therapy Intern
MARRIAGE DISCIPLES
"We live in a society that teaches us to give up and let go when marriage gets too difficult or when the feelings fade; that maybe two people weren't meant to be married because they are no longer getting along, and that it's all about "ME and what I'm getting out of the marriage?". This way of thinking could never build a solid foundation for a lifelong commitment and this is why so many couples, at some point in their marriage, see divorce as their only option. Through Marriage Disciples, we not only show couples that their marriage can be joyfilled, beautiful and full of love for a lifetime, but we teach them practical ways to make it happen."
- Robin Zamora The Alexander House Director of Marriage Disciples
Tomas and Ivonne The Alexander House Marriage Disciples - Spanish
"My Own Marriage Experience" My story is a story of hope... especially for those people who do not believe in miracles… because “MY” story is a miracle! It is with great joy that I share it with you to give honor to God. A few years ago, I had to literally step into hell to learn to appreciate the treasure that I had at home and that I had taken for granted. I left my husband. At the beginning it was only days, or so I thought, but the days turned into weeks and the weeks into years as my husband continued to wait for my return on the sidelines faithful to the love that he had professed to me before God the day we were married. Even after the pain that I went through in this separation and a failed relationship in the process (thanks be to God) among many other mistakes I made, my heart was still blind and I refused to go back to my husband out of fear. God, however, was there all along present in the Catholic faith I had had since childhood helping me discover His will for us. I encourage you, out there, you who think everything is lost, you who are afraid, you who think there is no way out, to never stop praying for a miracle. God rescued my marriage and therefore my family through the grace we received in the Sacrament of Marriage. Persevere…like I did, praying every day with all your heart: “Lord, show me what it is that I have not yet learned to surrender to You, and give me what I need to be able to do so. Take from me, oh Lord, anything that separates me from You and do not ever let any human affections take me away from You”. I will tell you right now, the more you love God, the better spouse you will be. God is faithful in His covenants and after passing through that painful experience He rewarded us with a merger of not only two hearts but now two souls: my husband Tomas and I, together again, writing a new story of love, those two teenagers who had met, loved each other, gotten married, had kids and been very happy, had also experienced divorce and hatred but now God was bringing us back together more mature, solid and stronger to rebuild our marriage on a new foundation: HIS. Today I want to proclaim it joyfully to the ends of the earth: we restarted our relationship on a clean slate, no hard feelings, no resentments, no darkness, because it was all healed by God as we allowed ourselves to cooperate with the Holy Spirit working in us through the graces we had received in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. After we got back together, I promised Tomas that every tear, pain and suffering I had caused him, I now would remove from his heart with my unconditional love, care, respect, loyalty and fidelity. Today, I love him in a more complete and mature way. Love is a decision not just a feeling. I love him for the person that he is, for the example of fidelity he gave me all these years, for the loving father that he is to our children, for the strong man of God that he continues to become day after day. I now understand that I want him by my side in this great adventure of marriage so we can arrive one day to the finish line: heaven. I know that the grace of God through the sacrament is sufficient for us, insofar as we cooperate with the transforming grace of the Holy Spirit. I am a witness of this.
I thank him because he never stopped believing in this love, this holy sacrament. He and I, rescued from the ashes now transformed. This is a true miracle and testimony to the power of faith, prayer, and the Sacrament. To God the Father all thanksgiving and praise for removing the blindfold that once covered my eyes and heart. To the Holy Spirit all gratitude for fanning that tiny flame that remained in my heart. To Jesus, thank you for being always there present through it all with me. To my beautiful children my heartfelt apologies for the pain I caused them but mostly my gratitude for understanding that everything that happens in life is an opportunity to grow and that everyone deserves forgiveness and a second chance. How you came to know about The Alexander House: I found out about TAHA fifteen years ago while watching EWTN. I remember listening to Greg and Julie’s beautiful testimony and how they founded their apostolate. I clearly remember what I was thinking at the time: “I will never be needing their services” Big mistake, never say never! Ten years later I was in need of them… Thanks God TAHA’s name got engraved in my heart, mind and soul at the time. TAHA was the last link that God used to secure our marriage and to help us to start living for the first time according to His plan. Why you feel God has called you to be part of this mission: We believe in marriage. We believe in family… A quote from T. Bodett says: “The difference between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson.” And this is exactly how God works… When He entrusts a mission into your hands, it’s as if He sends you to study first allowing you to live the experience firsthand, and then when you learned the lesson He prepared for you, He equips you with everything you need to be his best worker and He sends you to work for Him. You can help others much better when you have experienced it yourself because then you can be speaking from the heart not the head. Becoming part of TAHA is the result of a lot of prayer and discernment. We asked God to show us where He needed us. TAHA is unlike any other job, is more than a job, is a Godgiven vocation and more importantly, our path to sanctity. We feel so proud that God has chosen us, sinners, to support other couples to rediscover the person of Jesus in their marriages, covenants of love. Marriage is and will always be a beautiful and a wonderful adventure ONLY if you live it according to God’s original plan. We want to help more and more couples to be as happy as they could be by enjoying and supporting each other. Marriage rocks!
BECOME INSPIRED TO PARTNER: "As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes our world in which we live!” - Pope John Paul II
The Alexander House Apostolate is first and foremost, a family! The founders, Julie and Greg Alexander say “yes” every day to God that their marriage and their family may model the example of the Holy Family to the world. They seek first God’s will in their lives to bring the Beauty, Goodness and Truth of God’s plan for marriage to all who come to them. God desires not for us to be perfect but to be perfected through Him. The Alexander House Apostolate provides tools and support helping couples grow closer to Jesus through Mary, and the fruit of these encounters is couples experiencing healing, growing closer together and being perfected through Him! Greg and Julie were called by God to devote the rest of their lives wholly to this ministry, and God is calling the rest of us to support them financially and prayerfully. Our future depends on the continued desire for couples to marry and remain married till death do them part. As married couples, we all need love and support, not just at the altar when we say I do, but all the times after when we do not ‘feel’ like saying “yes” to our spouse and above all saying “yes’ to our God in loving and sacrificing for our beloved. The heart was designed and wired by God himself. He placed in our hearts a desire to love, honor and serve Him above all other things, and to love our spouse as our self. The many temptations in our world today draw us away from serving God and entice us to serve ourselves. We have a throw-away mentality; if something is too difficult to deal with, or is not working the way we want it to, just throw it away and try something new.” Therefore, our society views marriage as a disposable commodity instead of the indispensable foundation God created it to be!
My husband Mike and I have been married 26 years and have been volunteers with The Alexander House Apostolate (TAHA) for five years. The fruitfulness of our volunteering with TAHA is the desire to sacrifice and grow our marriage every day, thanks be to God! One can never outdo God in generosity, and He has blessed us beyond measure simply by allowing us to know and work with Greg, Julie and all the people who support TAHA through their ministerial work. The beautiful Christian example of everyone involved in this ministry has been impactful in our marriage relationship, in our prayer life, in our family life and in our community life. Loving God by saying, “yes” to Him each day is both a decision and a sacrifice we desire to make in order that all couples may be provided the opportunity to experience God’s joy and purpose in their marriage. We ask you to join us in saying “yes” to God by supporting The Alexander House Apostolate in sharing His Plan for marriage to all those in need of hearing His Truth and experiencing His Healing through the resources The Alexander House generously provides. In love and thanksgiving for The Alexander House Apostolate,
- Michael & Janet Smith
Spread the word and go to: www.thealexanderhouse.org to DONATE!
The Alexander House 1st Annual Marriage Conference Join The Alexander House on June 11, 2016
SIGN
UP!
for the first annual marriage conference:
"MADE FOR EACH OTHER"
Come and be inspired by great people who have said "YES" to what God has called them to do, help bring more souls to Christ. Our guest speakers such as Deacon Dom and Teresa Tomeo-Pastore, Matt and Adrianna Birk, Curtis and Michaelann Martin, Fr. Clay, Fr. Anthony SOLT and Greg and Julie Alexander will give you the wisdom, faith and hope that you can reclaim your marriage and family with Christ as the center!
Do not miss out and REGISTER TODAY at:
WWW.TAHAMARRIAGECONFERENCE.ORG
YOU ARE YOUR CHILD'S FUTURE! SHOW THEM TRUE LOVE, COMMITMENT, FAITHFULNESS AND MOST OF ALL, CHRIST IN YOUR MARRIAGE! THE ALEXANDER HOUSE 4414 Centerview Drive #205 San Antonio, Texas 78228 210-858-6195 | info@thealexanderhouse.org