Dennis and Rose Wingfield, Our Lady of Good Counsel
When we love each other freely, totally, faithfully and fruitfully as husband and wife, our love is a powerful witness; it attracts others. Our greatest desire is to help other married couples love in this way. Through the Marriage Coaching Ministry, we accompany couples who are struggling. Just as Jesus did not immediately instruct the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, we listen to them and allow them to share their hopes and disappointments. We meet them where they are in their faith and help them go further. By sharing how Christ has worked in and through us, we help couples see that a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the key to a joy-filled marriage. When we put Christ at the center of our marriage, we look for ways to serve each other and to help each other get to heaven. This is what we are made for, to image the love of Christ to a world desperately searching for lasting happiness.
Mark and Colleen Pressprich, St. Paul on the Lake, Grosse Pointe Farms
We try to take every decision we need to make as a family to prayer, trusting in God’s providence. We pray as a couple and as individuals and discuss what we hear God saying. For us, some of the biggest and best examples of choosing to follow God have come in the people around us. When I felt like God was asking us to move Gram in with us years ago, Mark jumped right on board, trusting my discernment and trusting in the goodness of God’s plan. When we both felt like we were ready for another child, we said yes to being open to life, even though it meant a pregnancy during Mark’s third year of medical school. And God has provided for us in an abundance of graces every single time we’ve said yes.
Aaron Wilkerson, St. Michael Parish, Livonia
In my life, I choose to follow God daily by surrounding myself with reminders of how much of a gift it is to be alive. My vocations as a husband and father provide me with numerous opportunities daily to be a witness of God’s love. My children remind me constantly of how much joy there is in life and that there is beauty in simplicity. My spouse provides me with an opportunity to sacrifice daily and strive toward her well-being. It’s interesting to think about how God had this awesome life in mind for me all along and I get to discover day by day his divine plan and explore the many levels of it. My prayer life isn’t perfectly structured, but I find ways throughout the day to show God appreciation for the grace he has provided to me freely, and I try my hardest to show that I am deserving of that love.