"Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind."
Romans 12:2
“For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."
This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the church.
Ephesians 5:31-32
We know that marriage and the family are under attack. However, do we know and understand how to effectively combat these battles from within our own marriages and families?
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Our mission is to empower marriages and families to live in holiness and be able to stand against the attacks that seek to destroy them. As Christian spouses we have been given a high calling: to reflect the love of Christ to the world. Our society desperately needs to encounter this love, and it is through our marriages and families that we can fulfill God's calling to bring His light to a world in desperate need of Him. Transformed Marriages invites couples to enter into a transformative process so they can understand who they truly are and what God calls them to become, a city on a hill. Together we discover how to apply God's word in a functional way , bringing our Catholic Faith to a practical application in our daily lives.
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"Family, Become What You Are."
St. John Paul II
About Transformed Marriages
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Transformed Marriages is an integrative ministry for marriages and families rooted in a Christ-centered living and in the teachings of the Catholic Church. We connect our family daily interactions with Sacred Scripture and Tradition, finding in them instruction and guidance for our journeys.
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We seek to gradually renew our minds to conform to God's word and ultimately learn to live in His perfect will. One moment at a time, we learn how to identify God's presence in each aspect of our personal and family lives. Through practical steps and daily prayer, we seek the power to acknowledge and change the patterns and thoughts that are contrary to the obedience of Christ and that are, most likely, breaking apart our marriages and families.
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Through bi-monthly encounters, together we gradually discover God's plan for our marriages and families; and by practical integrative steps we learn how to apply this plan in our daily marriage and family interactions.
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We firmly believe that permanent and real transformation that leads to true conversion can only come from being in God's presence, the source of all strength and security; therefore, a sacramental Christ-centered life is at the root of all Transformed Marriages encounters and practices.
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"As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live."
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St. John Paul II
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Marriage is a Divine Institution that cannot survive solely through human efforts.
Through the sacrament of marriage God gives us the grace not just survive, but to thrive in our marriages, enabling us to love one another with God's own love; therefore only one thing is needed, to remain in Him.
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Remain In Me
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John 15:5
About Us
Karla and Jorge began their marriage in 1999. They now live in Ave María, Florida and have two sons.
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For the last fifteen years, Jorge and Karla have been dedicated to educating their children through homeschooling. As well, they have been foster parents and have dedicated themselves to mentoring individuals and marriages.
Having experienced the pain of divorce in their homes of origin, and having each gone through their own seasons of crisis that took them to the brink of divorce, Jorge and Karla describe their marriage and family as the fruit of the grace of God and His miraculous intervention.
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Transformed Marriages is the fruit of their passionate calling to bring the love of Christ to the world. Through this ministry they walk with individuals, couples, and families toward a deeper encounter with Jesus Christ and with the beauty and treasures of the Catholic Faith. By helping couples to recognize acquired habits and cultural misbeliefs about marriage, Transformed Marriages leads them to find Christ's love and plan for their marriages and families.
Jorge and Karla's passion is to spread this message, especially those who are suffering, either from ignorance of the divine plan for their lives, or from acquired habits and misbeliefs about the vocation of marriage due to a lack of good models in their own families of origin, or due to the lies instilled by our current culture.
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"God only needs one willing heart," Karla and Jorge say as they invite you to open up your heart and come and see the wonders that Christ can work in your marriage and family.
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Transformed Marriages is currently the Marriage Program of Ave Maria Parish in Ave Maria, Fl, where Karla and Jorge lead the Marriage and Family Ministry and the Marriage Preparation Program.
Encounters 2022-2023
We prefer to call our meetings Encounters as we truly encounter God's revelation and transformative power though our each sessions
Meetings
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Donahue Academy Ave Maria Fl.
Meetings 2022-2023
An Invitation to Transform
Christian life is all about truly pursuing a life of internal transformation by surrendering to an ongoing process of change from the inside out and becoming a transformed soul in the image of Christ. The church calls it sanctification, a life-long process of becoming more like Christ. This should be the purpose of our practices and traditions.
"To live is to change, but to become perfect, to become like Christ, to be whom we are called to be is to change often."
St John Newman
Come and See
Encounters 2023-2024
We prefer to call our meetings Encounters as we truly encounter God's revelation and transformative power in each session.
Transformed Marriages is currently the Marriage Program of Ave Maria Parish in Ave Maria, FL.
Donahue Academy, Ave Maria Fl.
Spanish:11:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m./
English: 4:00- 6:30 p.m.
Childcare Available: $5.00 per child
HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US FOR THIS SPECIAL NIGHT!
FEW SPACES LEFT!
Register Today at:
https://giving.parishsoft.com/App/Form/f0b257f0-258f-453d-8265-cbe1433fcb05
" Marriage and the Eucharist"
Rekindle your love for the Eucharist and
for each other.
“The marital act is nothing but a fragile and shadowy image of Communion in which, after having offered ourselves under the appearance of bread and wine and having died to our lower self, we now begin to enjoy that ecstatic union with Christ in Holy Communion-a oneness which is, in the language of Thompson, ‘a passionless passion, a wild tranquility.’ This is the moment when the hungry heart communes with the Bread of Life.”
Venerable Fulton Sheen
March 2023 Retreat
Testimonials
Luisa & James Cabrera
St. Edward's Parish, 2010
Transformed Marriages was the answer to our prayer as a couple together with other couples asking God for a ministry that, in the light of the gospels and the teachings of the church (Catechism), will help us grow, live and face all the challenges in the different stages and areas that carry Marriage, children, Family and Extended Family. Transformed marriages helped us to put in order areas of our lives as spouses and parents, especially in communication. We received tools to work in the different areas of our family relationship and our relationship as spouses was strengthened. We thank God for all the blessings we received through Jorge & Karla and that we have been able to bring to other couples. God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I can not change, Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference.. In our prayers, James & Luisa Cabrera
Suzette & Jose Montañez
Ave Maria Parish, 2022
Once married, we really did not have much support, or great examples, on how to live our marriage as our faith intends. Fast forward almost 17 years, we were being called to move to Ave Maria. Now it is clear to us, it was so we could join Transformed Marriages. Life, the world, external factors were really starting to take a toll in our marriage. Once in Ave, we joined the Transformed Marriages group. Week by Week, by practicing what we had learned there, we saw how our marriage, and our faith, were mended. We thank God for the blessings we received through the Transformed Marriages ministry.
Jane & Bob Popik
Ave Maria Parish, 2023
Very fruitful ministry! It brings healing, joy, and improvement to marriages... and is so much fun, you don't realize you are actually working on your marriage! "Come to me, all who are heavily laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matt. 11:28-30
Morelba & Freddy García
St.John XXIII Parish, 2012
For us, it was a blessing to have been in Transformed Marriages, it really was a great support for our relationship as a couple and in our pilgrimage together on the path of our Lord. A true support to our marriage relationship and with the Church. Thank you very much Jorge and Karla for so much love.
Joly Mendes & Gil Villasmil
St. John XXIII, Ft. Mayers, 2022
We want to share with you how wonderful it has been to be part of Transformed Marriages. We find in this group a space where love and connection with God flourish in our married lives. As we move forward in our relationship, sometimes facing challenges, we discover that marriage is more than just a coming together of two people; it is a sacred path that leads us towards holiness. In Transformed Marriages, we have had the opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to God and to each other. The teachings shared by other members have constantly reminded us that love and mutual respect are the foundation of a blessed marriage. As we share our experiences and learnings with other couples, we realize that we are not alone on this journey. Each encounter inspires us to renew our promise of love, to value the little things that make our relationship special, and to find beauty in everyday moments. Through prayer and reflection, we have understood that our marriage is a blessing that we must care for and cultivate. We are grateful for Transformed Marriages, a place where God's love is manifested through our stories and where we realize that together, as couples, we can transform and grow in holiness. We encourage all couples, both those who are about to get married and those who have been together for years, to join this beautiful path of love, spiritual growth and constant renewal. With love and gratitude, Joly Mendes y Gil Villasmil
Esperanza & Jose Bolaños
St Edward Parish, 2011
It was a blessing for us to have attended the Ministry of Transformed Marriages as participants and later as servers. There were many tools that we used according to each topic discussed, this allowed us to discover great gaps that did not allow peace and harmony in our home. It is an invaluable gift that has strengthened our union by putting Christ at the center of our lives. Esperanza and Jose