“My dwelling place will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (Ez 37:27)
It was one of countless days like it. The older kids were at school, my husband Soren was at work at the chancery in Arlington, and I was on my way in, preschooler in tow, to Trinity House Café + Market, our non-profit’s outpost of the new evangelization in Leesburg, Virginia.
Our Pope John Paul II-inspired ministry had hosted events in parishes for many years before preaching to the choir had gotten stale enough to launch us out onto the streets. And in the early years of fallout from our over-reaching idealism, before the café systems were solidly in place and Soren and I were able to work together every day, I would truly need to steel myself as we approached the blue door, our hand-hewn portal into another world.
[Read the entire piece here, at the Humanum Review of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family.]
> Just two days into Advent, it’s not too late to develop your family’s game-plan for this sacred season. If you missed it, check out our “Advent Challenge to Families” here.
> From the Diocese of Arlington, here is the first “Prepare the Way” weekly Advent challenge video (with reflection questions), featuring Fr. David Dufresne.
> Looking for a great Christmas gift? Trinity House Cafe is featured in a chapter of Alexandra Greeley’s newly published Catholics in the Kitchen: Nurturing the Bond between Faith and Food (here on Amazon).
> Do some Christmas shopping with us at Trinity House Cafe + Market! Pick up Advent candles, Advent calendars (in stock while supplies last), and hand-made Christmas cards by artist Betsy Farr! We carry new children’s books, an ever-changing selection of used books, original art (current exhibit is 20% off through December), prints, candles, soap, faith-inspired jewelry, stationery, and of course gift cards (here’s the link for our e-gift cards) that the recipient can use for anything in the Café or Market.
“I support the work that Ever and Soren are doing because of the greatness of the cause: the family.”
– Steve Petullo, Monthly Supporter
