Cana Ministry

Dedicated to Supporting and Enriching Marriages at Sacred Heart Parish

The Cana Ministry in named after the town in Galilee where Jesus began his ministry:

Jesus performed his first miracle at the Wedding at Cana (John 2; 1-11) where he turned water into wine.  In the scripture passage Jesus shows his respect for marriage by indicating that what takes place in a marriage is the essence of what he describes as the Kingdom of God.  Two single people come together and share their individualities.  They spend a lifetime together, growing as people and as a couple.  They may have children and grandchildren as their love transforms their world.   And all of this is a model of kingdom. (From the book, Writing in the Sand, by Thomas Moore)

The Cana Ministry is comprised of a group of couples that are committed to supporting marriages at Sacred Heart Parish.

  • Evening programs twice a year called Cana Community Nights consisting of outstanding presentations about marriage along with a delicious dinner, refreshments and an opportunity to socialize with other couples.  These informative and fun evenings are held after the 5:00 pm Mass on Saturday evening.
  • A parish weekend retreat for married couples called the Marriage Renewal Workshop that consists of a number of presentations by parish couples and our pastor, Fr. Pat Ritter, several liturgies, four wonderful meals and lots of opportunities to connect with people you know or to meet those you may not yet know.  The Sacred Heart Marriage Renewal Workshop is held at the beautiful facilities of the Sisters of St. Joseph called St. Mary-on-the Lake located just south of downtown Bellevue.
  • An opportunity to join a Marriage Support Group, which is a small Christian community for married couples focused on providing support for married couples in their relationship and their faith journey.  The Marriage Support Group model has proven wonderfully effective in strengthening marriages, nourishing married couple’s Christian faith and providing an experience of belonging to a close, caring community.

These programs are open to all married couples in the parish – newly married to long time married, couples with families and those without children.  To enable couples with young children to participate in these programs childcare is offered for all Cana Ministry Programs.   The programs are designed for any couple who want to continue growing in their relationship, to more fully live out the depth and breathe of their sacrament of matrimony in the Catholic Church and to belong more fully to the Sacred Heart Parish community.