The Pat and Barb Verly family and their 5 children, in laws and grandkids along with many prayer warriors have been drawn together by John's cancer... sharing daily for 8 months started this blog- Family Soul Story - Our faith, family, farm and now our cancer journey called HEALING have colored and deepened our world. WE continue to share and depend on the support of our prayer warrior community, that has lowered us into the Lord's presence for His healing!
Day of JOY! Maria and Major Joseph 15 years and John and Bobbi 4 years/ Nancy - Catholic Sprouts 0 to 7 million in 4 years!
I know not how to begin this day with so very much filling me with total JOY and Thanksgiving! Looking back 2 years when my father, Deacon Robert Cross was living with me on the farm for the last 6 months of his life! This picture of my dad on Birdie's Baptism on Pentecost Sunday surrounded by 13 of our then 19 grandchildren - June 1st. We have since added 3 new to reach 22.
John and Bobbi are celebrating their 4th anniversary today! Highlights of their day celebrated in St Elois in Ghent. It was the Vigil of Corpus Christi Feast, so they had their wedding at 4p and used the readings from Corpus Christi Sunday. "We don't want anyone to sin thinking that since they went to our wedding on Saturday afternoon that they don't need to go to mass on Sunday." Fr Craig Timmerman officiated and preached so powerfully on the Eucharist!
Then Bobbi shared with the 250 attending her amazing story of waiting and praying for John for 10 years after the Holy Spirit revealed to her that she would marry John Verly - through brain cancer, seminary and all the ups and downs - truly a story to be shared of Faith and persevering no matter the pain and disappointments!
Today is the 15th Anniversay of Maria and Major Joseph at Church of St Mark in St Paul, MN. Maria's wedding dress and Bride's maid dresses for her 3 sisters were made by her dear Aunt Angela!
Hallel was her Maid of Honor, and entered the Community of the Lamb a year later. Maria had discerned a call to the Poor Clares and Joseph had looked into the priesthood. After 5 months Maria returned home from the enclosure - "I was disappointed that the Lord did not call me to be a nun, now what?" Then she met Joseph! He called her dad, Pat, while under a tractor fixing to ask if he could court his daughter." "Is this a joke?"
A highlight of their wedding - the many priests that celebrated -4 and my dad as Deacon! The many young people that responded in Latin during the mass. It very much impressed my Deacon father and he wanted to learn more after that. Also the wonderful roast beef dinner we had catered from Marshall by Barb Devos! It was scrumptious!
My dad with 3 of the priests including Fr Sam from Guatamela and also Fr Germain Louwagie a cousin of my mother-in-law, from Belgium - a missionary priest who was in the U.S. at times!
Bobbi with her bouquet of peonies thanks to Pat's sister Mary!
It was special reading the prayer books my mother and father left behind for me today! Mom mentioned that it was John and Bobbi's anniversary - I know they were hugely disappointed at not making it due to an injury of mom's foot. Pope Benedict speaks so powerfully about Baptism! Also dad's man, Brother Victor, talks about the beautiful peonies - "Pentecost Roses" on the eve of Pentecost that year. This year it will be this Sunday - June 5th!
Mom and Pope Benedict XVI today... How many other couples at our Engagement Encounter 44 years ago said that the world was too terrible to have a big family - only 2 or less kids? All of them! We were the only ones that said we wanted to have a big family. It even made me question if we were being selfish. Pats' answered guided by the Holy Spirit -"The world needs lights!" Yes! Our family motto continues to be as The Church asks of us - "Open to LIFE and raising LIGHTS!"
Baptism is in fact much more than a ritual conferring membership in a community... It is a process of birth, through which a new dimention of life opens out. Pope Benedict XVI
My dad 2 years ago at Birdie Barbara's Baptism on Pentecost Sunday with 3 of the 5 of my children that he Baptized as a Permanent Deacon in the Church for 44 years! How I am overwhelmed by the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives as the 13 in our family including my dad, who had been a Protestant minister for all my life, came into The Church . Swimming against the tide after Vatican 2!
Mom rarely writes in her prayer book - I know their not being able to come last minute was a big disappointment to them and our family.
Such a sweet sharing by dad's man, Brother Victor! It made me smile with great JOY recalling how there were perfectly blossomed peonies gathered around town for Pat's sister, Mary and her daughter Ida to make the glorious flowers for the wedding. "Pentecost Roses!"
You will show me the path to life, fullness of joys in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever. Psalm 16 today!
My snowball bush is ready for snowball fights - fun for the grandkids!
This email came from Nancy today about her ministry of the last 4 years - Catholic Sprouts! Truly the work of The Holy Spirit is assisting Catholic parents to raise LIGHTS! I am sharing it here as it explains so much and continues to be so important - 7 million downloads!
Teaching my kids the Faith was MUCH harder than I thought it would be.
Two of my sisters had kids before I did so, of course, I went into motherhood thinking I knew it all.
Turns out, everything I thought I knew was completely wrong.
Before becoming a mom, I thought that teaching my kids the Faith would be natural and easy. I pictured us sitting at a picnic lunch in the park speaking about Jesus and doing fun, meaningful liturgical crafts everyday. No problem!
But the reality of raising Catholic Kids was much different.
Each time I tried to spontaneously teach the Faith, I would almost instantly be interrupted by a crying baby, a hungry toddler, or squabbling siblings.
Without fail..
Although I did try to deal with the interruption and get back on point, I’d often be interrupted again and at that point be in such a rotten mood it felt pointless to continue.
By the time our oldest was six, I was feeling like a failure.
Then, one day about four years ago, I had a crazy idea.
What if I created a DAILY podcast for my kids that shared the Catholic Faith, something we could listen to over breakfast or in the car. Something I could turn on, listen to with them, and if that was all we accomplished that day, I would still feel like I gave them something. Like I offered them one little seed of faith.
You read that right.
I was so desperate to teach my kids the Faith that I decided to start a daily podcast just for them.
My husband thought I was crazy. My sister thought it was impossible.
But I did it anyway, cause that’s just who I am.
In August of 2018, I started creating the Catholic Sprouts Podcast. I recorded those first episodes not sure if I would keep going and, almost on a whim, I shared the content publicly in case I wasn’t the only Catholic Parent struggling to teach my kids the faith.
That was almost four years ago.
And what’s happened since I published those first episodes is nothing short of miraculous.
To date, the Catholic Sprouts Podcast has been downloaded nearly SEVEN MILLION TIMES and we have produced over 1,000 episodes.
Families and classrooms have tuned in from every country on the planet and we have welcomed over twenty incredible guest hosts, one of which, Sir Roland, decided to stick around and host every Saturday.
Four years ago, when I opened up Garageband on my computer and hit record, there was no way I could have imagined the wild ride God had planned for this little podcast.
Although those podcast statistics are impressive, they mean very little compared to what I have seen happen in my home, and what I hear has happened in yours.
Through God’s grace, this podcast has had a real impact on families!
Each time I get a note like this one, from Dave and Maria and their three kids in Ohio, I know that this podcast is bigger than me.
“THANK YOU so much for all you have done to make this podcast as wonderful as it is! We have been listening since season 1 and my kids have a better understanding of our faith and also a better relationship with Jesus because of it. It’s not only something we listen to but also something that we discuss and and think about long after the podcast- a wonderful conversation starter! Please know of the huge impact you are making on my children. My husband and I monitor closely what we expose our children to and it is refreshing to know that your podcast is always solid, full of truth, and we know we can trust with our children’s attentive ears.❤️”
For me personally, one of the greatest gifts of the podcast has been learning that I wasn’t the only one struggling to teach the Faith at home. It’s hard to find the right way and time to teach the faith…and liturgical crafting can be a nightmare!
It turns out that hitting play on a short podcast, listening together, and maybe having a short chat about what you heard is sort of perfect.
As I reflect on the origin of the Catholic Sprouts Podcast I not only see God working in ways I couldn’t imagine, I also feel a deep desire to DO MORE, to REACH MORE, and to communicate the Faith we love BETTER.
It is my joy to pour my heart and soul into the Catholic Sprouts Podcast, but, let’s be honest, I am only one imperfect person. If we are going to have a real impact on the next generation of the Church, I need your help.
Yesterday we launched a partnership program where you can contribute directly to the mission of Catholic Sprouts.
We are asking partners to offer:
Prayers
Shares
Monthly Gifts.
We are determined to keep the podcast, as well as our new searchable archives, free to everyone so that there are no barriers for parents hoping to form their kids in the faith.
But, in order to offer these things and more, we need your help.
The Catholic Sprouts Podcast has demonstrated that God really can take our loaves and fishes and overwhelm us with blessings. This is something we have experienced, and we would love for you to become a Catholic Sprouts Podcast Partner and experience this miracle as well.
Jesus, we are ovewhelmed by your LOVE/LIGHT/LIFE that fills us as your Spirit dwells in us and we become your hands and feet! Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Hallelujah and Bless-bless, Barbara and the 51 - 34 here and 17 in heaven including our parents.
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