Testimonies

Being a part of TOOL has been fruitful in several respects. The most important impact has been the forming of a close social network with the other couples and families involved in our group. At meetings, there is much sharing that happens between couples. During these times, couples often seek guidance from others on how to progress spiritually as individuals, couples, and families. We have benefited from many of the ideas and insights shared by others as well as from engaging in discussions about how to deal with issues and challenges we all face in raising families in this current culture. The couples in our group frequently meet outside of scheduled meeting times to socialize and support each other in our faith journeys.

Ryan has benefited greatly from associating with other young, faithful, Catholic men. For whatever reason, young men are not highly visible in the Church today, so finding a community of solid Catholic men has been a real blessing. Similarly, Linda has benefited from the gathering together of the women and the women & children on occasion. The association with other Catholic mothers has proved invaluable and a great blessing indeed.

As we anticipated the birth of our second son, Dominic, we braced ourselves for some expected action-packed days ahead: juggling night-time feedings, outings with our toddler, my stay-home job, and the everyday chores around the home, all timed between power naps as we knew we would be sleep-deprived and completely exhausted. On top of this, we have an active schedule in our parish (we are both lectors, leaders of the youth pilgrimage group, and a couple for a youth movement) which involves fundraising activities, group meetings and just a lot of organization. We knew we were headed for a bumpy ride, so we turned to the only source of strength that could keep us going: GOD. Through our endeavours provided by TOOL we indulge in marital dialogue with our Lord on a constant basis (especially through our scripture reflection and prayer) because we know that it’s the only thing that keeps us going.

And our TOOL team is our back-up of prayer and support that we know we can always rely on. Monthly meetings are naturally part of our lifestyle – we go to the meetings because we need the meetings, we need to share our reflections and we need to pray together with our team. Overall, you can basically say that we love TOOL, as its structure and constant reminder to keep in touch with the Lord keeps us going and gives us the wisdom to prevail all of the daily difficulties that lie ahead of us each day. It’s a matter of committing to what makes sense in your life.

(Patrick) There is very little to say except that we feel challenged in TOOL and that is a great sign for us. The couples we know and have come to love in this group challenge us to be holy; and that is precisely what we need.

(Kyla) Teams of our Lady has helped me grow in my role as a spouse, mother and friend. I cannot remember having so many dependable and sincere friends in my life. My husband and I like to talk about the strengths of each couple and how we can emulate them, whether it is the emphasis prayer takes in a particular family, or the willingness of a family to show hospitality to others. At times, I feel like St. Anthony the desert father, learning virtue from fellow hermits.

Though I most often find myself looking to what others do better than myself, I am also surprised to hear from some of our team members how they learn things from our family. Though I would much rather say “Can’t Aaron speak for me?”, teams has shown me that God chose reluctant Moses to lead for His own reasons, and that you never know who is looking to you as an example of what it means to be Christian.

By joining TOOL we have become blessed with new friends who are extraordinary because they connect with us through the language of our faith. These couples inspire us to be better people, better spouses and parents; they are living examples of their faith, and share with us their struggles, successes, as well as failures on their way to holiness. Since our group formed, we have seen our marriage and family grow, strengthen and mature in a way we could never imagine. We look forward to our monthly meetings after which we leave inspired and lifted. We recently had our retreat during which we found a priest for our team, a totally unexpected blessing which we all have been praying for, and a retreat experience that has brought us even closer together and most importantly to Christ. We feel very fortunate and blessed to be part of this Movement and are very excited to continue to grow in faith with our friends for years to come.

TOOL is one of the best things that has ever happened to us as a married couple. TOOL has helped us to learn how to practice married spirituality, as well as challenged us to grow spiritually individually. Being a part of TOOL has also taught us how important it is to live out our vocation fully on a daily basis as mother, father, husband and wife and to create a beautiful domestic church within our home to help pass the faith onto our children. We love the experiences, friendship and love that our team members share with one another.

Our team members are all incredible and have helped to create a very supportive and loving community. The readings, meetings, sit downs and our team members inspire us to become better people and to strive for what really matters – Heaven and Christ! TOOL is an incredible gift and blessing; we wish all married couples could experience this unique and life-changing movement!