Parish Mothers Find Joy In Raising Their Children And Following Mary's Example

As St. Therese of Lisieux once said, “The loveliest masterpiece of the heart of God is the heart of a mother.” In this month of May, we celebrate the masterpiece of motherhood. It’s a time when we celebrate Mary, our mother in heaven, and our earthly mothers, living and deceased. Here at Ascension, we want to celebrate the gift that mothers are to our parish. Mothers care for the domestic church, and we all know faith is taught and modeled in our homes. So, this month, we checked in with three parish mothers to hear their stories of motherhood.

For longtime parishioner Karen Breitbach and her husband, Rod, family is everything. The couple’s three grown children and their spouses and families all live in Bismarck. They are also proud grandparents to six grandchildren.

Karen gives thanks every day for the blessing of her family.

“Being a mother and loving a child has always been important to me,” she says. “Motherhood has given me great joy over the years and the gift of grandchildren brings happiness to my heart.”

Karen takes her role as a family anchor seriously. Whether it’s with her immediate family or extended family, she works to bring everyone together. Also, she has always strived to be an example in prayer and to reflect and teach God’s love. She calls faith “a journey” — she and Rod laid the groundwork of faith within their own family through the sacraments and modeling the Catholic faith in their words and actions.

“The church teaches our children to serve others, pray and love one another as a community, and this outpouring of faith makes the world a better place,” Karen says. “I see our children do this every day in their professions and am so proud of them. We set an example as parents and they see the love of God through our eyes.”

Karen also believes in the importance and graces of praying the Rosary. It was modeled to her by her mother and grandmother. Rod’s mother, Detta, has made more than 30,000 rosaries that can be found all over the world.

“Our big Catholic family knows the spiritual importance of the Rosary and the power of Grandma Detta’s beads,” Karen says. “Teaching our children to pray the Rosary is to know the life and mission of Jesus.”

Aprille Luger and her husband, Matthew, are just getting started on their parenting journey with 2-year-old Madeline and a new baby girl in June. Motherhood has always felt like a calling to Aprille, and she feels so blessed to be living her vocation of marriage and motherhood.

“Being a mother has changed me,” she says. “Dying to self is not an easy process, but the result, growing in holiness, is very beautiful.”

Having entered into the Catholic faith about six years ago, Aprille says what really drove her conversion was “ordinary, devoted Catholic people living their lives with such peace and joy, showing true kindness and Jesus-like compassion towards others.” For Aprille, St. Teresa of Calcutta’s quote, “do ordinary things with extraordinary love,” serves as a motto.

Aprille loves raising Madeline in the faith. She believes her children are a gift from God and she is instructed to raise them in the Catholic faith so they know Jesus and, hopefully, become saints. She also wants to continue to teach respect and love for Mary. In fact, Mary is her Confirmation saint from the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults process.

Katie Wald, too, has always felt called to be a mother. She enjoys raising her daughters, Zander, 11, and Paisley, 9, in the faith. Katie is grateful to her own mom for being an example and a support for her. And, being a part of the Ascension family is important to Katie.

“I want my girls to know that there is always a place that they can go and people they can turn to no matter what happens in life,” she says. “God will be there for them, and there will be an army of people standing with them.”

Devotion to Mary is also important to Katie’s faith life, as our Blessed Mother serves as a model of true motherhood. It’s a model that Katie strives to follow and emulate in her own life as a mother. She enjoys watching her girls learn and grow, every step of the way.

“It’s amazing to see your kids learn and love,” she says. “It’s amazing to be a part of someone’s foundation.”

Katie makes prayer, compassion, and forgiveness a part of everyday life. She knows these are important concepts as her girls grow.

In this month of Mary, we say “thank you” and “God bless” to all parish mothers near and far! Mary, our Mother, pray for us!

Karen Breitbach with her husband, children and their spouses, and grandchildren

Aprille Luger with her husband, Matthew, and daughter, Madeline