I’m Chris Schroeder and I’ve been married to Brian for 18 years. We have 3 children: Allison (16), Jordan (14), and Noah (11). Although Brian and I were born and raised Catholic (I even attended a Catholic grade school) and have always been practicing Catholics, our personal relationship with Christ probably didn’t really start until we attended a WWME (Worldwide Marriage Encounter) weekend in 2006 when I was expecting our youngest son Noah. We always felt strongly about raising our kids in the Catholic faith, but it was this weekend that prompted us to begin inviting Christ more into our daily lives as husband and wife and a family. Brian and I became involved in a number of parish/community faith ministries after our WWME weekend, but I still longed for and even slightly “envied” those with a strong devotion to our Blessed Mother. For some reason, I just didn’t know how or where to begin. During this time, a friend of mine introduced me to SoulCore after hearing about it on Catholic radio. As an occupational therapist, with a strong personal and professional interest in health and wellness, I immediately fell in love with the program and ordered all the DVDs so I could “practice” and follow along at home. For the next few years, I would often wonder about going on a Leader Retreat but the timing never seemed quite “right”. That was until earlier this year. Since attending the retreat in March, I not only have completed the consecration to Mary and practiced leading a few sessions in my home with close family and friends, but I have also found myself turning to Mary more often for guidance as a mother and in parenting my (teenage) children. Although I realize I still am (and will always be) growing in my spiritual journey, I am very thankful for SoulCore and for the opportunity it has given me to draw a little closer to Mary and I am looking forward to hopefully being able to do the same for others in my parish/area.
A Few of Chris’ Favorite Scripture Verses:
Phil 4:13; Matthew 19:26; Prov 3:5-6; Phil 4:6-7; Prov 17:17; Prov 3:5; Jeremiah 29:11