February 4, 2024 
SS. Isidore and Maria Parish proudly announces that parishioners Marian and Rob Gingras have been named recipients of the 2024 St. Joseph Medal from the Archdiocese of Hartford.
Since 2020, Marian and Rob have been volunteers, supporting Father Mark Suslenko and the parish deacons by counseling couples preparing to be married in the Catholic faith. This counseling is part of Pre-Cana, a reference to the Gospel of John, where Jesus turns water into wine at a wedding feast in Cana, Galilee.
Marian and Rob are among the first people to meet with couples intending to be married in the Catholic faith at SS. Isidore and Maria Parish. The engaged couples are asked to individually complete a confidential assessment of their views on their relationship, communication styles, problem-solving approaches, religious beliefs, finances, and approaches to parenting. Marian and Rob use the results of that assessment to develop a customized couple’s curriculum to discuss critical areas where they are aligned – and where they may be misaligned.
“As we work with couples, we have conversations,” Rob said. “We understand what’s driving them, what’s going well, what’s not going well, where there are opportunities to maybe strengthen the relationships. We cover a lot of things that can get a little challenging to talk about, but it’s more important to have (those conversations) before they’re married than realize that they’re misaligned after they’re married.”
Marian and Rob meet with each couple in their home for 4-8 counseling sessions, each lasting between 90 minutes and two hours.
“We enjoy it because we can see directly the benefits it brings to the couples. We’ll literally sit in a session, and you can see their eyes light up.” Rob said. “It’s really kind of interesting to see the light bulb go off in their minds as the pieces start to come together.”
Rob and Marian Gingas will receive the St. Joseph Medal from Hartford Archbishop Leonard Blair on Sun., Mar. 10, at the Cathedral of St Joseph in Hartford.
Established by former Archbishop Daniel A. Cronin in 2003, the St. Joseph Medal honors those who have gone above and beyond to serve their parish.
