About this Event
The Saint John Paul II National Shrine invites all married couples to a FREE virtual Domestic Church Date Night series to increase their faith, hope, love, and joy in their marriages! The date nights will take place virtually once a month, September to November, in the evening after the kids are (hopefully) asleep!
Speakers and Topics
Thursday, September 9 - Colleen Duggan speaking on “Overcoming Perfectionism and Embracing God’s Expectations of Parenting”
Bio: Colleen Duggan desires to assist people of all ages in how to effectively hear God’s voice. Using Christ centered prayer tools, Duggan also instructs parents on emotional and spiritual healing principles derived from the Gospel to bringing freedom to wounded families. She is the author of Good Enough Is Good Enough: Confessions of An Imperfect Mom and her work has appeared in many Catholic outlets such as America Magazine, Catholic Digest, Creative Catechist, CatholicMom.com, and Aleteia. Find her on the web at www.colleenmurphyduggan.com.
Thursday, October 14 - Michael and Alicia Hernon on "Saint John Paul II and Building a Family Culture"
Bio: Michael and Alicia Hernon are on a mission to empower parents to embrace their sacred calling which they believe is the key to the renewal of the Church and our society. Their ministry, The Messy Family Project, began as a podcast and has grown into a multi-media platform that provides free resources to couples to help them nurture their marriage as well as build a Catholic culture within their home. Although the podcast reaches over 25,000 families every month, the Hernons also travel throughout the United States inspiring husbands and wives to have deeper conversations and giving them the insight, inspiration, and practical tools to do so. They reside in Steubenville, OH, and are parents to ten children and grandparents to five. Learn more about them & their ministry at www.messyfamilyproject.org.
Wednesday, November 11- Mary and Jeff Lenaburg on "Being Brave in the Scared as a Married Couple"
Bio of Mary: Mary grew up in a large Catholic family with 6 brothers and a sister and had her own football helmet in the 3rd grade. She always wanted to be a wife and mother, and pictured her children in the perfect Catholic plaid uniform. Upon meeting her husband on her first and only blind date, she was confident she was on her way. But God had a different plan. She gave birth to her son Jonathan in 1989 and her daughter Courtney arrived August 1992. On September 27, 1992, while being baptized, Courtney had the first of many grand-mal seizures. Going from the church to the emergency room, Mary’s world changed forever.For the next twenty-two years Mary and her family took a spiritual journey that led them to Lourdes, France, numerous hospitals and specialists with their daughter and finally to home-based hospice. Courtney took her last breath this side of heaven on December 27, 2014, the feast of St. John the Beloved, while in her mother’s arms. She is now her parents and big brothers most powerful intercessor.
In the Fall of 2016 life took an unexpected turn when Mary felt the call to begin a new ministry. She now travels the country speaking to all age groups about God’s Redeeming love, encouraging audiences to embrace the story God is writing with their lives, trusting Him with the outcome, having hope in times of desolation while learning to be brave in the scared and to know that faith is the courage to want what God wants for us, even if we cannot see where the path leads.
Her first book “Be Brave in the Scared: How I Learned to Trust God During My Most Difficult Days of My Life” is available wherever books are sold.
Mary lives in Northern Virginia with her husband Jeff of 31 years and her grown son.
Format for Each Virtual Meeting
8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.* (This is only the portion together online; there is a couple’s portion of time that goes beyond 9:30 p.m. – see below).
Schedule:
8:30 – 8:40 p.m. Opening prayer and introduction to the topic for the evening
8:40 – 9:10 p.m. Presentation*
9:10 – 9:30 p.m. Q & A (feel free to bring your favorite beverage or food)
On your own at home: 9:30 – 10:00 p.m. Couple Conversation/Spousal Prayer
*Each presentation will offer practical talks drawing from the experiences of the presenting married couples and the Church’s wisdom in Saint John Paul II’s and Pope Francis’ writings on marriage and family.
Questions
If you have any questions, then please email us at [email protected] .
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Saint John Paul II National Shrine, 3900 Harewood Road Northeast, Washington, United States
USD 0.00