Ss. Philip and James Parish supports marriage and family ministry

Ss. Philip and James in Homewood is known as a university parish, serving Johns Hopkins faculty and staff, as well as undergraduate and graduate students. With a large contingent of young people, Dominican Father Michael Weibley knew the parish needed to support them.

“As our young people transition into a new stage in life with marriage and families, there is a gap,” said Father Weibley, who has been the parish’s pastor for a little over two years. “We had nothing specific to offer married couples and families. The challenge is, how can they live the faith in their homes?”  

Father Weibley had heard of Trinity House Community, a Catholic ministry that supports and encourages married couples and families to live the faith. He enlisted parishioners Chelsea and Derek McAllister to research the program and run with it, and in fall 2023, Ss. Philip and James started its own married couples and family ministry.

The McAllisters, who married in April 2023, live in Charles Village and have been parishioners of Ss. Philip and James for about two years. They have Derek’s son, Oliver, 10, from a previous marriage, on weekends.

“As a newlywed couple, we wanted to be a part of a community, to build a holy life for ourselves rooted in the Trinity,” said Chelsea McAllister. “Because there was nothing in place, we had to be the solution to our own problem.”

According to Chelsea McAllister, Catholic home life is a communion of persons, just like the Holy Trinity. The married couples and family ministry at Ss. Philip and James aims to help couples mirror that communion and to grow in holiness in marriage and family.

The group meets five times a year. During the meetings, the families first gather for a meal. Child care is provided while the adults watch a 12-minute video clip, which is followed by a discussion. Later, the children are brought back in to enjoy dessert and fellowship.

“It’s like a date night, family night and Bible study all rolled into one,” said Derek McAllister, an adjunct professor of philosophy at nearby Loyola University Maryland and Towson University. “We get to hang out with other couples in an intentional way and bounce ideas off each other.”

Based on the Trinity House model, the program inspires families “to make home a taste of heaven for the renewal of faith and culture.” Founded by Soren and Ever Johnson in 2006 in Washington, D.C.-area parishes, Trinity House provides the videos, discussion questions and other resources.

Some discussion topics include finances, children, having intentional time for family meals and prayer, and how to handle chores and organize bills.

“We talk about how to live among the distractions of the world – modern secular influences like cell phones, the internet and pop culture – that take us away from our family core values,” said Chelsea McAllister, who works for the federal government. “We have frank, open discussions and share insights and solutions. Couples come away with practical and easy-to-apply adjustments.”

By only meeting every other month and providing a meal and child care, the parish wants to ensure the ministry is not a burden to young families. About 12-15 couples, ranging in age from their 20s to 40s, attend. Chelsea McAllister said they plan to explore adding to the Trinity House model for the needs of their group.

While it is a lay-run ministry, Father Weibley attends the meetings and provides support and prayer.

“One of the real takeaways is the encouragement they get from other couples and families to live the faith,” he said. “They talk things out in a communal way and then put things into practice at home. It helps them become great husbands and wives and great mothers and fathers.”

Married Couples and Family Ministry

Ss. Philip and James Catholic Church

All Trinity House gatherings take place at 5:30 p.m. in the Ss. Philip and James Church hall:

• April 27 – family culture
• June 1 – hospitality and service

For more information and to contact Derek and Chelsea McAllister, visit philipandjames.org/young-families.

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