Hello/introductions

[Patrick Sharkey]

Hello all, there wasn’t an introductions forum started yet so I thought I would kick one off.

my name is Patrick Sharkey and I am so excited to begin learning with you. I live in puyallup Washington (just south of Seattle). I am a life long Catholic and seeker of truth. I grew up on in a small country town in Eastern Washington where I was blessed to attend Catholic schools. I always say that the Holy Spirit gave me the gift of Faith. God and faith have always been important to me. That faith journey lead me to doing my undergrad and MBA at Franciscan University of Steubenville. While there, I met my wife, who, praise God, was also from Washington! We now have four young children. I am blessed to get to work for a local Catholic parish helping with the temporal administration.In my free time I enjoy reading, spending time with my family, and visiting extended family. Some of my favorite patron saints include, St Patrick, St George, Archbishop Fulton Sheen, St Ignatius, St Theresa of Avila, St Francis of Assisi, and Sts Peter & Paul. What i am most looking forward to about Heart of Christ is learning more spiritual theology and gaining tools to help others grow in holiness.

[Julie Zaar]

Thanks for getting us started Patrick.
I’m headed to Ann Arbor from Australia. The Lord is full of wonderful surprises and keeps me on my toes! I also grew up in a Catholic family, took a bit of a detour in my late teens but the Lord drew me back into himself soon after. I am married to a wonderful husband who nudged me along the path to consider this course. We have 2 adult sons who completely inspire me with their faith. I am a catechist and formation leader with Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, do a bit of classroom teaching of young children and also work for Aid to the Church in Need. I am in awe at the way the Lord works in people’s lives, (including little people). Some saints that have captured me of late are St John the Baptist, St Elizabeth (his Mum), St John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila and St Edith Stein. St Camillus de Lellis has a cool sounding name and a story to match, so he is always a fun one to throw into the mix. I enjoy hanging out in the outdoors and am excited to find out more about the plants and animals (and people) that live in the Ann Arbor area when I get a chance to have a peak outside on our breaks. Anyone up for a lunch time walk?

[Melanie Marcordes]

Hello! Julie- WELCOME – I am ALWAYS up for a walk-break!!!
I was born and raised Catholic and have been an active participant in my faith for most of my life. I began living my Cursillo in 2016 and have developed a beautiful set of friends that group regularly and provide spiritual guidance to one another. I am a catechist and am active in several church book and Bible studies and am always seeking to deepen my faith. I was introduced to the Avila Institute and Heart of Christ by my pastor/ spiritual director after I told him that I was feeling called to become a spiritual director. I’m hoping that through this journey, I can better focus on my mental prayer and to just know and love God more fully. I work in local government and have been blessed to work at the same place for the past 25+ years. In December, I received my Masters in Public Administration at the same time that my son received a double Bachelors in Finance and Accounting. St. Francis de Sales has been my go-to saint for the past few months. I’m currently reading his Introduction to the Devout Life through a book study and recently attended a retreat focused on his life. I’m very much looking forward to this coming retreat and can’t wait to meet everyone!

[Julie Zaar]

Thanks for the intro Melanie. A walking partner sounds good as long as you can cope with me ooing and aahing like a 3 year old at the things that look different from where I am from! Congrats on your Masters, what an effort and how lovely to graduate at the same time as your son! I love St Francis de Sales, it was my parish and school growing up. We named our second son Francis, mainly after St Francis of Assisi but there’s no shortage of great Francis saints! See you soon.

[Mary Becker]

Greetings in Christ! My name is Mary Z. Becker. I spent most of my life in the south suburbs of Chicago. Seven years ago we moved to Crown Point, IN. For the past month we have been living in Ft. Wayne, IN caring for my father in law, John Becker. I attended Catholic grade school, public high school and Loyola University in Chicago for my accounting degree. My faith has always been important to me, and thankfully to my husband as well. We did foster care, adopted 5 boys, and currently have four granddaughters, and a grandson on the way. I was blessed to attend several Father John Hardon retreats, and take his Marian Catechist classes. While on retreat he recommended the Legion of Christ priests in my area as solid priests. That began my relationship with the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi. ‘Back in the day” there was much apostolate, zeal for souls, desire for spiritual growth and encouragement to grow in love for Christ, Mary, people, the church, the Pope and our vocation. Yearly Spiritual Exercises, monthly mornings of reflection, weekly adoration, daily: morning offering, meditation, Mass, Angelus, rosary, gospel reflection, night prayers and examine. I loved having a group of women who were on the same page as me spiritually; wanting to grow closer to Christ and feeling like we had been given a ‘map’. Our “Program of Life” is what I called my map. It was through Regnum Christi that I received my first Spiritual Direction and continue to this day. It has helped me so much, and I would like to make that available to others. If I sound confident, I am not. In no area am I perfect, these are goals, and things I strive to do. I am taking this one day at a time, praying that God will guide me to do His Will alone. I love plants, walks, art, music, dogs (we have a beagle), and any opportunities to be with my family.

[Fr. Jeff Hopper]

Greetings to all, I am excited to be a part of such a diverse group of brothers and sisters in Christ. My name is Fr. Jeff Hopper. I grew up in the Evangelical world (Separate Baptist in Christ, a part of the free-will tradition). In 1976, my wife and I were married right out of high school. It will be 47 years in August, with 2 kids and 8 grandkids. I also joined the Navy after high school and served in the submarine service for 8 years. During that time, I finished my college degree.

In our mid-twenties, we became Episcopalians, and I went to seminary after leaving active duty. I was ordained as an Episcopal minister in 1988. After three years in a parish, I returned to active duty and served as an Army Chaplain until retirement in 2003. I then converted to the Catholic faith, a journey long in the making. After teaching in high school and then middle school, I was ordained through the Pastoral Provision program as a Catholic Deacon in 2005 and as a Priest in 2006 for the Archdiocese of Louisville (Kentucky).

I am the pastor of two parishes in the Archdiocese of Louisville (Kentucky): St. Martin of Tours, a rural parish in Flaherty, KY and St. Christopher, in Radcliff, KY (near the Army base Fort Knox). I also provide coverage for a local hospital and two nursing homes. In addition to taking courses at the Avila Institute, I am a member of Apostoli Viae and am very much looking forward to this upcoming week.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 2 months ago by Fr. Jeff Hopper.

[Catherine Thooft]

Hello Everyone!
Cathy Thooft
I hail from St. Paul, Minnesota. I am currently doing some pastoral ministry in a community here. My husband and I met when we served with NET Ministries 40 years ago! We have 5 children, one granddaughter, and one soon to arrive in August 2023.
I enjoy random encounters with other people and the Lord! it is a joy to see Him draw others to Himself.
I enjoyed our classes and meeting everyone in June. I hope to continue to grow in my walk with the Lord and help others to do so as we learn about spiritual direction. I was grateful for all of our teachers and the presentations.

[Diane Roe]

Hello everyone! Wow the summer is coming to a close and I look forward to cooler weather as I am from Rockwall, TX- 25 miles east of Dallas. It has been very hot and dry this summer, but this is normal for us. It was so great to meet everyone in June and I am looking forward to our meetings each week. As we begin my heart and soul is open to receive whatever the Lord desires to place there. Of course my weak human nature brings me to second guessing but we have to swat those negative thoughts aside and say “get behind me Satan”. God is so good for as He lets these temptations to doubt come forth, He also provides a way forward. For me He gave me a phone call soon after prayer yesterday morning that lifted my spirits for it was a person who was seeking to share and needed a listening ear and advice from someone more familiar with the path. I realized afterward that this lifted my spirit and energized me. I’m only sharing this so that we all may watch for these little gifts and encounters from God, through others He sends to us, that confirm are “yes” to follow His plan. It is only in Christ and through the Holy Spirit that I remain open and docile.
As I find myself in a new state in life as a widow, I see that I am being better prepared to serve God and my brothers and sisters in the Kingdom, according to His good pleasure, despite my flaws.

May the Holy Spirit come powerfully upon all of us as we begin this new endeavor and help us to encourage one another on this journey. Thank you all for your “yes” and most especially for Tesa and Jeannette for their huge Yes to be our instructors. See you soon!

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by Diane Roe.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by Diane Roe. Reason: spelling error

[Mary Becker]

Since posting, we have moved to Ft. Wayne, IN to be closer to my 90 year old father in law. We are working on selling a house in Crown Point, IN and renovating a house in Ft. Wayne, IN. My son, his wife and their two year old daughter have joined us here. A wonderful blessing, yet adding to the busyness. Ft. Wayne is a wonderful place, with 24/7 adoration chapel, our local parish has 3 Masses a day, confession every day, and many families and activities.

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