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Honoring Mary by Following Her Example

During May, we celebrate all of our earthly mothers and mother figures, thanking them for the limitless love and sacrifices poured into their children. It is only natural, then, that we also take time to venerate our Heavenly Mother in a special way, whether it is through an increased devotion to praying the Rosary, reading Scripture passages about Mary, or simply displaying an image of the Blessed Mother somewhere in the home. For the many mothers in our parish, honoring Mary may also take the form of following her example by raising and nurturing their own children in the faith.

Parishioner Lori Vranjes was raised in a Catholic home here in Quincy with a family that provided her with many strong models of an active faith life. Her parents, Al and Sue Kapp, as well as her maternal grandparents and great-grandparents, were all married here at St. Francis Solanus. In turn, Lori also received the Sacrament of Matrimony in our parish. When she and her husband, Sam, had children of their own — daughters Allie, 14, and Mia, 11 — there was no question that they would raise them in the faith.

“As everyone always says, motherhood is the best and hardest job you’ll ever have,” Lori says. “We can all find inspiration in Mary’s strength and patience. None of us is perfect, but she is that role model that we can all draw on, remembering her acceptance of God’s will from the very beginning.”

Passing on the gift of faith to her daughters has always been a priority for Lori.

“Sam and I both grew up going to church and attending Catholic schools, so it was important for us to bring up our kids that way,” she says. “We wanted them to learn about the faith not just on Sundays, but every day — to talk about it and learn its importance. We hope that the girls carry the faith forward with them when they go to college, that they keep it at the forefront when they grow up and move out so that it will be an important part of their lives with their future families if that is their vocation.”

Inspired by her own mother’s faith in St. Mary, Lori has often turned to the Blessed Mother for her intercession as she experiences both the blessings and challenges of motherhood.

“My mom has always hada statue of Mary on her dresser,” she says. “So now I have one — one of the statues from the people who carve them from the wood in the Holy Land — and I love having it because my mom always had one as well. Being a mother, and even just being a woman, you pray to God and Jesus, but you also pray through Mary. It’s very special.”

Following in the footsteps of their mother and grandmother before them, both of Lori’s daughters live active discipleship. Allie and Mia are students at our parish school, participate in Mass as altar servers, and volunteer with their mom at the food pantry.

Allie is thankful for the strong role that Lori has played in her faith life.

“My mom has shown me what it’s like to be a Catholic and mother and wife, and she is there whenever I need her,” Allie says. “She is kind of like my best friend. All of our service activities, like helping at the food pantry, are better when we are together.”

If she is one day called to the vocation of family life, Allie hopes to keep building on the tradition of faith that has been passed down through the generations.

“Not only is it how I was raised, but I feel that the Catholic faith is everything I know,” she says. “It’s who I am and how I want to raise my kids. My parents did such a good job, and I want to continue that on.”

Especially in May, it is fitting to take a moment to recognize how blessed we are by the many faithful mothers and mother figures in our parish, and how thankful we can all be — this month and always — for the truly amazing gift we have in our Blessed Mother!

“As everyone always says, motherhood is the best and hardest job you’ll ever have,” Lori says. “We can all find inspiration in Mary’s strength and patience. None of us is perfect, but she is that role model that we can all draw on, remembering her acceptance of God’s will from the very beginning.”

Lori Vranjes (right) with her daughters Allie (center) and Mia (left).
Lori Vranjes (right) with her daughters Allie (center) and Mia (left).
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Quincy, IL 62301

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