Parishioner Feature - February 2024

From the beginning of one’s spiritual journey, Catholics are often surrounded by examples of holy men and women. Sometimes, these individuals are saints who did bold or remarkable things in their pursuit of loving the Lord. Other times, these individuals are our friends, family, or community members whose actions impact us in ways that shape our character. Their presence and actions shape how we choose to participate in a faith community.

The people that surround us impact our vocation, too. It’s easy to unintentionally talk about discernment and vocation as an individual journey as each person discovers who God is calling them to be. The reality is that we best discern how we’re called to live in community with others who help us grow. Being surrounded by men and women who care about who we are as people helps us reflect on the ways that God sees us. The witness and example of people who choose to pursue a relationship with Jesus allow us to recognize the plethora of ways we might be able to live holy lives ourselves.


Two individuals who have found their vocation while being formed alongside the support and guidance of a strong Catholic community are Hope Hogan and Jake Smaw. Today, they are currently engaged and planning a March wedding. For both of them, their journey to where they are now started at a very young age. They both grew up in families that prioritized faith early on.
“They [my parents] provided me with the building blocks to sustain a strong relationship with God,” said Jake. They weren’t shy about showing their faith outwardly, which gave me confidence to find my relationship with God.”

Another way that Jake and Hope have been formed is through the St. Timothy community they have encountered over the years. Learning about the Lord in our families, the domestic church, is a beautiful way for us to begin to discover who the Lord is and how He moves in our lives. As growing disciples, living the Christian life becomes more tangible when we see others outside our immediate family live as witnesses. Both Hope and Jake have been parishioners at St. Timothy from the very beginning. Jake attended Catechesis of the Good Shepherd here as a young child and was later involved in Edge and Life Teen. Hope also attended youth ministry, and the two met through Life Teen events, becoming high school sweethearts. Both young adults have served on the Edge core team, and Hope is currently a Life Teen core member. Together, they are now a part of the marriage preparation process. For them, this has been a fruitful process that has challenged them to continue to grow.

“Each day, we seem to learn something new and fun, and the marriage prep we are experiencing has allowed us to have even more beautiful conversations that we weren’t expecting,” Hope said. Their mentor couple, Dan and Judi Rotner, are two long-time parishioners who have known the couple for a long time. “Meeting with them has allowed us to gain wisdom from their experiences and show what a strong Catholic marriage looks like.”

Their involvement at Mass and ministries at St. Timothy helps contribute to an organically growing culture of life within our parish. Hope and Jake are formed by those that they have encountered. In return, they desire to pour into the St. Timothy community in whatever ways the Lord might call them. The beautiful thing about a community of faithful disciples is that this witness often happens naturally as faithful people strive to follow the Lord in their everyday lives. We don’t need to do anything fancy or special to change lives or help a young person or couple discover their vocation. Rather, it is the pursuit of ordinary moments of holiness, lived in community with others, that allow us to become pillars of support for each other.