3 minute read
Marriage Mentors Ministry: Raising up Faithful Stewards of the Gift of Matrimony
As members of Holy Family Cathedral, we are truly blessed to belong to a parish that realizes the profound value of the Christian family, which is the basic cell of all of society, and the building block upon which Mother Church rests. This past January, our rector Fr. Kastl initiated a beautiful ministry to provide support for the Sacrament of Matrimony — the Marriage Mentors Ministry.
“Marriage is the biggest commitment most people will make in a lifetime,” Deacon J. Thomas says. “Holy Family Cathedral feels strongly that we have a duty to assist young couples to be well prepared to live out the commitment to the marital promises they are planning to make. Marriage Mentors are seasoned married couples who offer formation from their lived experience of the sacrament. Not only does this provide the engaged couple with formation that is rooted in reality, but it also allows for true community and care to emerge.”
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Fr. Kastl founded Marriage Mentors when he sensed that there was a need for uniformity and depth to our parish’s marriage preparation program, which previously only included an Engaged Encounter retreat, a Natural Family Planning course, the FOCCUS Inventory, and meetings with our parish priest.
Marriage Mentors meet with engaged parishioners preparing for marriage at least five times prior to their wedding. They help the couples come to a deeper appreciation of God, of themselves, and of their fiancé through topic-driven conversations. It is currently being coordinated by Deacon J. Thomas, who also serves as a mentor couple with his wife, Kelsie, our Faith Formation Coordinator.
Alondra and Phillip Griffith on their wedding day, July 31, 2021
“Fr. Kastl understands how important preparation is to the discernment of marriage and how valuable a solid foundation rooted in the Church is needed in our society today,” Deacon J. Thomas says. “In a sense, by offering this ministry, we are being stewards of the Sacrament of Matrimony. Mentoring engaged couples is a gift of our time.”
By meeting with the couples, the mentors help them comprehend God’s design for marriage and family life.
“The first meeting is a dinner in our home with our family,” Deacon J. Thomas says. “We want them to see us in our natural environment with our children and get a sense of where we are coming from. After that, the meetings vary in format, and each mentor couple does what works best for them. We want couples to understand what God intends for marriage — that its ultimate end is to help each other grow in holiness and become saints in heaven while showing the world the love of Christ.”
As stewards of this beautiful grace-filled sacrament, the mentors help establish a firm foundation for family life in our parish community.
“We hope and pray that the ministry demonstrates our support and love for the young people of the parish as they enter into marriage,” Deacon J. Thomas says. “We want to build community across generations. We pray we help the couple begin their marriage on a solid foundation of truth and honesty that translates to a long and happy marriage rooted in the Catholic faith. The family is the domestic church and the building block of society. We must do everything we can as Catholics to strengthen and support Catholic marriage and the family.”
Ultimately, those who help make this ministry a success find themselves abundantly blessed in return.
“Over the last 22 years of our marriage, we have seen that during the times we are volunteering to help with a marriage program, we witness our own marriage improve and grow the most,” Deacon J. Thomas says. “Personally, the mentoring program is a great blessing to us and our children. Our children not only see how important marriage is to us and the Church, but they also see how serious the process of discernment and preparation should be taken.”
Alondra and Phillip Griffith (center) with their Marriage Mentors, Erik and Meghan Grayless
