Praise and thanks be to God, after three years we were able to once again host our Annual Diocesan-Wide Supper & Substance at good ole’ Rock ’N’ Bowl! We are so thankful for our sponsors and patrons, John & Deborah Blancher for providing the band, the volunteers, our speaker couple – Kate & David Dawson Jr., and of course all those who joined in on the fun! With delicious food, great people, live music, dancing, bowling, and an inspiring presentation from the Dawsons, it was another fun faith-filled event! And while it would be difficult to go into detail concerning everything from the night, I would like to share three major “take aways”.
The first major “take away” was being reminded how good it is to be together! Many times we can take that for granted or we can forget how much of a blessing that is. We are made for communion and we thrive in community. See couples dancing, bowling together, conversing with other couples, enjoying a meal with everyone, and doing all of that at an event dedicated to enriching the Sacrament of Matrimony, was a truly wonderful sight to see. I hope that at some point everyone there was able to sit back and reflect on the beauty and importance of good fellowship and how healthy it is for us to do that often.
The second major “take away” from the night was the witness from Kate & David. They shared with us the importance of being on the same page spiritually as your spouse and to take the time to foster that unity together. They stressed the priority of putting your marriage ahead of being a parent which will in turn make you a better mom and dad. They also shared the importance of fathers taking on their role as the spiritual head of the family and the tremendous impact that it has on children holding on to their faith into adulthood. But with all that they said, it was their example that spoke the loudest, that they live by faith and not by sight, trusting in the Lord and that He cares for us and He will provide.
The third major “take away” from the night was an invitation to couples to start, restart, or continue offering Supper & Substance at their Church Parish. One of the main reasons why we started the Diocesan-Wide Supper & Substance was to reignite the vibrant Supper & Substance program that Hurricane Katrina put a huge damper on. What better way to promote it than to offer one across the Archdiocese and show how fruitful it can be. Our hope is that couples will return back to their parish and ask their Pastors how they can assist in offering this simple and effective marriage enrichment event at their Parish.
In closing, I just want to again, give thanks, praise, honor and glory to God for allowing the 13th Annual Diocesan-Wide Supper & Substance to be such a success and for all the amazing blessings that came from it. We are all so grateful for all our donors and supports as well as everyone who was able to attend. Special thanks to Kate & David Dawson Jr for all the amazing insights they shared with us and if you are interested in bringing Supper & Substance to your Parish, please call me (504) 830-3716, email jason@FaithandMarriage.org, or visit FaithAndMarriage.org.