Working with marriages, families and those who serve them, empowering them to become beacons of God's love and mercy in the world.  

We place our work under the careful gaze of Mary,  Jesus' loving mother, affectionately called Stella Maris by seafarers and those adrift in the tumultuous sea of family life. 

Mother Mary, Stella Maris, Mother of Jesus and mother of  wayward souls, be our guiding star. Pray for us, pray for our marriages, pray for our children both young and adult, pray for our parents and those who raised us, pray for holy priests and religious, and especially pray for and hold close to your heart all people who come to you seeking refuge from the storms of life. Help all those who sincerely seek your Son, our Brother and our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, find Him through your intercession.
AMEN

by Tere Johnson, MA, PS, CMF
Family Life Minister

To believe in Divine Providence means believing the Holy Spirit inspires and moves people.  I believe it. The story of Stella Maris Center began 20 years ago in a local newsroom in Houston, where I worked.  I was about 5 years into one of those reversion experiences you sometimes hear about.  As I grew closer to God, the bad news I was writing about, the death and criminal mayhem we put on display, became more and more difficult, painful even.  I regularly complained to God about it.

I fondly remember the conversation I had with a newsroom colleague that changed my life.  Monique was a reporter, and a wonderful Pentecostal Christian woman with whom I ocassionally shared faith stories with.  One day, I told her that I thought God was messing with me. I said to her, "I feel like God has popped my head open and is stirring my brain up." That was literally how it felt.  I told her it felt like God wanted me to leave the news business and do something else.  Monique looked at me with big alarmed eyes and exclaimed, "if the Lord is telling you to leave, you better get outta' here!"  Some people are just more attuned to the Holy Spirit (those Pentacostals!) so I listened to God and Monique and I left.  Not knowing what God wanted me to do, I decided to go to graduate school to figure it out.  Three years and a master's degree later,  I still wasn't sure what God's plans were. 

Over the next 20 years God was faithful and provided me with numerous parish and ministry opportunities including an amazing almost 11 year run serving Him in professional full time Family Life Ministry.   As it turned out, I finally discovered that sharing the Good News about Marriage and Family, was my occupational vocation and a part of God's plan for me!  But just like God had moved in my life, I discovered a whole beautiful group of people, both locally and nationally, who were also called to serve God by serving marriage and family! 

For those of us who make up the founding group of Stella Maris Center, the life journey that got us here is very different, but our roads led us to the same place.  Our group is made up of 2 former engineers, a former dentist, a former college professor,  a social worker, a writer and homemaker, and a former journalist.   We are not perfect, but we are convinced that God can and does use imperfect people to carry on His work in the world.   We like to work for God and fight for marriage and family with people who get it. 

This ministry is named after the Blessed Mother, Our Lady Star of the Sea, Stella Maris,  under whose protection we place this Center and all who will work here and come here for guidance and support. My prayer is that Stella Maris Center will be a beacon of light and of hope for Catholics and all people of good will who believe in the uniqueness and necesity of marriage and a holy and healthy family life.  With Our Lady's help may our little efforts, bring more souls to Jesus Christ and his Holy Catholic Church.

The rest of the Stella Maris Center story is still to come and hopefully, it will include you too! I have come to believe that sharing the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ IS the REAL news business!   It's the best news business of all!

Our founders are experienced and passionate Marriage and Family Life Ministers. Click here to get to know them better!

FOUNDERS