TMIY – Lent is a Time to Invite Others on the Journey

Lent is a time to quiet our hearts and our lives and to return to what is essential – our relationship with the Lord.

Journeying with brothers throughout Lent has always been a highlight of the TMIY program. During this holy season of Lent, we want to ask you to invite other men, from your parish and beyond, to take this journey back to the Father’s heart with you.

Once men have experienced TMIY themselves, it’s natural that they will then want to keep coming or even bring TMIY to their home parish!

Who knows the impact that your one invitation can have on man, his family, and his parish?

TMIY registration for the Fall of 2024 opens on April 1st. 

Interested in starting TMIY at your parish? Contact us at: [email protected]

Live Filming & Veterans Visit with Fr. Mode

On February 15, Fr. Daniel Mode CHC (CAPT), USN, filmed a TMIY talk for the upcoming TMIY Year, Apostles of the New Springtime. Fr. Mode is the author of the book, The Grunt Padre, about the life of Servant of God, Fr. Vincent Capodanno. The message fits perfectly with the new year of TMIY’s section about modern-day apostles. Fr. Mode’s message on spiritual friendships and making friends with the saints and men and women of heroic virtue is sure to resonate with the men of That Man Is You.

Following the filming, Fr. Mode took the time to meet with local TMIY veterans who were able to view the filming live from a local conference room. Fr. Mode answered questions about Fr. Capodanno and his cause for canonization and shared more about his work as a chaplain. The meeting ended on a high note with Fr. Mode granting his challenge coin to the eldest veteran in the room, Deacon Dale Steffes.

You can learn more about the cause of canonization of Fr. Capodanno by going to the Guild website – https://www.capodannoguild.org/.

My Catholic Will

As a member of the Paradisus Dei family and community and through our partnership with My Catholic Will, you can use their FREE online tool to create a legal will in as little as 30 minutes by visiting MyCatholicWill.com

Planning a will protects your loved ones and provides you with the opportunity to leave a legacy of your values and faith for generations to come. Creating an estate plan helps to ensure that your intentions are clear and that your legacy endures. While it is not a condition for you to take advantage of this free service, we invite you to prayerfully consider leaving a gift to Paradisus Dei as part of your plans. Please remember to use the promo code PARADISUS20 when prompted to have their service fee waived.

TMIY Spring Appeal is Underway!

The TMIY Spring Appeal is now in full swing, and our goal is $1.1 million.

TWO NEW OPPORTUNITIES THIS YEAR!

Premium Gift Program

As part of our Lift the Spire! campaign, we will be providing special gifts to individuals who contribute at two different levels to any of our programs including TMIY Appeals. Learn more about Lift the Spire and our Premium Gift Program.

 

TMIY Group Challenge Gifts

In Session 21, our VP of Development, Len Bertolini, speaks about the idea of men stepping forward to offer challenge gifts to their TMIY groups for the Spring Appeal. This idea stems from a generous gentleman in California who promised to contribute $10,000 if the rest of his group contributed $10,000 to last fall’s appeal. It brought excitement and enthusiasm to their appeal’s fund drive and the group met the challenge! We understand that not every group has a person who is able to make a $10,000 challenge gift. Your group’s challenge can be at whatever level makes sense for a willing donor and his TMIY group.

If you would like to issue a challenge to your group, you can bring the idea forward to your core team leader. If you wish to issue a challenge but want to remain anonymous, please contact Len at [email protected] and he will be happy to assist in moving your group’s challenge forward while keeping your identity anonymous.

Let’s see how many challenges we can get going for the Spring Appeal!

Missionaries to the Family Half-day Retreats

St. John Paul II saw that living a moral Christian life in the current culture would take heroic effort and called for “families of families.” Now more than ever, we need to learn and share authentic Catholic family life to combat the challenges of our times. Join us in the great mission field of the family!

The Art of Catholic Family Life: Building a Holy Home

Our new half-day retreats take married and engaged couples into the mystery of Nazareth. Encounter practical ways to transform your house into a holy home, sacred ground, a place to profoundly encounter God, a place of joyful service and loving sacrifice, a refuge and respite in the chaos of the world.

Register for a virtual information night to learn more about Missionaries to the Family!
MAY 7 – 7:00 pm CT REGISTER HERE

Have questions? Reach out to us: [email protected]

 

 

Our Lady of Lourdes | February 11

The Apparition of Our Lady at Lourdes, France (1858)
Written by: Steve Bollman

Our Lady appeared to Bernadette Soubirous 18 times between February 11 and July 16, 1858. February 11th is now celebrated as the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, and July 16th is celebrated as the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

From a spiritual and practical perspective, Lourdes is big – very big. On the spiritual level, Pope Pius XII stated that Lourdes represented “a new and incomparable outpouring of the Redemption” (Le Pelerinage de Lourdes, 1957). On the practical level, it is the largest Marian shrine attracting up to 6 million people every year.

I would like to mention the hidden presence of the Holy Family at Lourdes:
– Our Lady is the only one who appeared. Her presence is still tangibly felt at the grotto and baths.
– Christ is present in the Eucharist – not only in the numerous Masses celebrated everyday in the countless chapels, but especially in the Eucharistic processions – which are themselves the source of numerous miraculous healings.
– St. Joseph loves to remain hidden. His statue is at the gate welcoming people to Lourdes. St. Joseph remains the guardian of the Holy Family.

As such, the Holy Family has, so to speak, taken up residence at Lourdes. It is a “little Nazareth.” Pope Pius XII stated that Mary “deigned to establish at Lourdes ‘the seat of her immense kindness'” (Le Pelerinage de Lourdes, 1957). It is for this reason that Paradisus Dei is so attached to Lourdes. Here families may encounter the Holy Family so that their family may find healing and experience something of the love, peace, and joy of the Holy Family.

Our Lady of Lourdes, Pray for us.

Missionaries to the Family Virtual Information Sessions

Do you desire to share the joy you’ve found in married life with
others? Do you want to study your faith as a couple and serve your
parish? Can you make a 2 hour per week commitment? Discover this
amazing invitation to discern, prepare, and accompany families in your
parish and community.

Register for one of our upcoming virtual information nights to learn more!
February 27, 2024 5 PST / 8 EST Register HERE
March 20, 2024 5 PST / 8 EST Register HERE
April 30, 2024 5 PST / 8 EST Register HERE

Learn more about Missionaries to the Family: https://paradisusdei.org/missionaries-to-the-family/

Seeking Help with Foundations

As you may know, there are many private foundations across the United States that provide financial support to a wide variety of organizations that they feel are making a difference in the world. We humbly believe that we are one such organization, and that there are foundations that would be excited about our mission and impact if they learned more about us. The greatest challenge is that these foundations are flooded with hundreds and sometimes even thousands of requests each year (and oftentimes you must be invited by the foundation to submit a letter of inquiry or a financial request). We would be grateful to anyone who may be able to provide us with an introduction to a foundation that supports Catholic non-profit organizations, particularly ones aimed at promoting marriage and family life.

Please contact Vice President of Development, Len Bertolini, at [email protected] for more information or if you may be able to provide assistance in this area. Thank you for your consideration!

Holy Family Legacy Society

Paradisus Dei established the Holy Family Legacy Society in 2023 to encourage our program participants to leave a legacy of their Catholic faith by including a gift to Paradisus Dei in their wills or estate plans. The growth of membership in this society has been rapid and is exceeding our initial expectations – we are deeply grateful!

If you have included a gift to Paradisus Dei in your will or estate plan, please let us know, mostly so that we can say thank you. We would also be pleased to welcome you as a member of the Holy Family Legacy Society.

Please take a moment to fill out this membership form by clicking HERE

If you have questions or would like to have a conversation about planned giving, please contact:

Vice President of Development
Len Bertolini | [email protected]

Senior Development Officers

Tom Lloyd | [email protected]
Al Juarez | [email protected]

TMIY Fall Appeal Results

We are proud and feel extraordinarily blessed to announce that the That Man Is You! 2023 Fall Appeal was the best in the TMIY program’s almost 20-year history and marked our fifth consecutive record TMIY appeal. The goal of the 2023 Fall Appeal was $1,400,000 and the total amount contributed concluded at $1,463,230. Once again, a HUGE thank you to so many of our TMIY men and their spouses for your very generous support of the 2023 TMIY Fall Appeal.

Through your partnership, you are enabling us to widen our reach and impact more lives than ever with the TMIY program. Praise Him!

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