Why I Started Abounding Joy Ministry

CatholicDivorceHelp.com When my marriage of thirty years tragically ended in divorce, I found myself standing in the ashes of a life I had built with love, sacrifice, and faith. The pain was overwhelming. As a child of divorce myself, I knew the wounds it left behind, but I never imagined I would be facing them again so deeply as an adult.

In the darkest season of my life, God met me there. Through prayer, spiritual direction, and years of deep inner work, I began to experience His healing in ways I never thought possible. What had been broken and shattered slowly became transformed. My heart was restored, my faith deepened, and I discovered that even in suffering, God brings new life.

That transformation lit a fire in me. I couldn’t keep it to myself. I knew there were countless men and women sitting in the pews — hurting, ashamed, and isolated by marital struggles, separation, or divorce — with nowhere to turn. Many felt forgotten by the Church or unsure of how they fit anymore. My heart ached for them, because I had been there too.

Abounding Joy Ministry was born out of that ache — and that hope to provide Catholic divorce help. It exists to:

• Support Catholics who are navigating marital stress, separation, or divorce.

• Provide healing, coaching, and community for the whole person: spiritual, emotional, relational, and parental.

• Offer the truth of Catholic teaching while extending compassion and practical tools for rebuilding lives.

• Help the Church respond to divorce with greater wisdom, training, and love.
  

The name Abounding Joy comes from John 15:11, where Jesus says, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” I believe God wants us not just to survive life’s hardest storms, but to discover a deeper joy in Him — even in places we never thought joy could be found.

My mission is simple: to walk alongside others in pain, to remind them they are never alone, and to help them encounter the healing love of Christ that can bring light into the darkest valleys.

If you are struggling in your marriage, separation, or divorce, know this: you are seen, you are loved, and there is hope. Abounding Joy Ministry is here for you.