"We feel we've really found our community with the Eastside Family and the Commission of St. Louis and Zelie, and we are grateful for all the friendships we've made through this ministry, especially since our families don't live close by..."
-Grant and Nicole Hagedorn
"Serve God first. Together."
What a gift it is that in marriage God gives us the opportunity to encounter Him, love Him, and serve Him so immediately through the person of our spouse! Very much like in our faith, some days this may be easy and a joy to our hearts. Other days, it may require much more effort and allow us insights into our Lord's patience and mercy. But, through both the Kodak moments of life and those days we're glad we only have to live once, our hearts can rest in God's peace if we remain committed to keeping Him at the center of our marriages and our families.
But how do we accomplish this in the modern world, when our calendars are chalked full, the culture offers us little wisdom on creating a faith-filled family and home, and the rise in divorce has created deep-rooted fear in human hearts? It might also seem like there is no one else on that quest for Heaven with us. No one there in the boat next to us or no well-seasoned captain to show us how to keep the vessel afloat.
As it is said 365 times in the Bible, "Be not afraid." In this ministry, we seek to come together in intentional community to pursue what our patrons, Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin, made their most uncompromising goal: sainthood for themselves and their children through the witness of a holy marriage. We do this through gathering in structured small groups, composed of four couples, on a monthly basis. We share a meal, share conversation surrounding a specific book we read as a group, and then share time one-on-one with our partners diving deeper into the wisdom that our authors impart after decades of marital battlescars and bliss. Finally, we integrate experienced married couples from our own community to provide mentorship and support and pay forward the advice they received years ago.
Join us as we strive to love God, our spouses, our families, and each other well, paving the pathway to holiness and our heavenly home!