Marriage Day of Reflection September 20, 2025

On September 20, 2025 twenty couples from Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky gathered at St. Maximilian Kolbe parish in Liberty Township, OH to celebrate a day of marriage.
The purpose of the day was to renew couples in their vocation to married life and support the marriage efforts in the Greater Cincinnati area.
We hope the fruits are a better understanding of the vocation to marriage, the sacrament of matrimony; inspire couples to become mentors to younger marrieds or engaged (ensure they are vetted and prepared); encourage couples to hold a smaller-scale marriage event (evening or half-day); connect the marriage apostolates already underway.
The day consisted of two main talks. Courtney Brown from Ruah Woods gave a talk on givenness as explained by St. John Paul II. Jeff and Donna Garrett’s talk focused on marriage as a partnership where spouses learn to support each other's individual spiritual growth through prayer and the sacraments.
Dr. Jeanne von Erden led the couples through a caring days exercise where couples identified to each other the ways the can show that they care about you.
The final talk was a testimony by Brendan Shea who helped us to reflect on what God is calling us to do as a couple.
The day also included a holy hour where couples could receive a blessing and a renewal of their marriage commitment.
The day was capped off by a reception after the vigil mass with cake and champagne to celebrate and share.
This is the beginning of an RC apostolate to help marriage and family in our area. Our goal is to one yearly event and ensure there is collaboration and coordination among all the various marriage apostolates in the Greater Cincinnati area.
If you want to get involved, please contact John Carter at [email protected].