The Family Room
Airing Wednesdays at 11 a.m. ET

The Family Room is a local show created to inspire, support, and equip families and marriages to face today’s real issues.

Join co-hosts Mari Cleveland from St. Jude the Apostle and John Gordon and Craig Wesemeyer from St. Peter Chanel as they speak with authors, theologians, and local priests and lay leaders to provide your family encouragement, resources, and hope. Enjoy heartfelt stories and engaging conversations with Catholics who are excited to share their life experiences and acquired wisdom to help your family continue to live out your faith with joy.

The Family Room debuted on September 8, 2021, with special guest Dr. Edward Sri, well-known Catholic speaker, theologian, and author of The Art of Living: The Cardinal Virtues and the Freedom to Love. Dr. Sri shared personal examples of the three ways we grow in virtue to live and love well in our marriages and families. 

Guest information of the inaugural episodes:

      • Fr. Daniel Ketter, Judicial Vicar for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, discusses “How to Keep Your Marriage out of the Tribunal.” Aired Sept. 15, 2021
      • Melissa Foley, national speaker, retreat leader, and prayer/healing minister whose passion is to lead people to an awareness and experience of the transformative power of God’s love. She’s the founder of the healing ministry Loved Already and the author of Connected, a resource for parents who want to protect their children online. Melissa discusses how our identity in Christ equips us for relationships and conversation tools for restoring relationships. Aired Sept. 29 and Oct. 6, 2021
      • Dr. Bob Schuchts, founder of the John Paul II Healing Center, who spent more than 30 years as a therapist while also teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in marriage and family relationships, human development, applied psychology, and marriage and family therapy. His latest book, Be Devoted: Restoring Friendship, Passion and Communion in your Marriage, is about unity and healing in marriage. Aired Oct. 20, 2021
      • John Martignoni, founder of the Bible Christian Society, an apostolate dedicated to explaining and defending the Scriptural foundations of the Catholic faith. John is also Director of the Office of the New Evangelization for the Diocese of Birmingham and host of EWTN Open Line Monday, a call-in radio program of Bible apologetics. Aired Nov. 17, 2021
      • Dr. William K. Thierfelder, President of Belmont Abbey College whose mission is to educate students, guided by the Catholic intellectual tradition, so that in all things God may be glorified. Aired Nov. 24, 2021

God’s Kingdom Begins at Home

Jesus tells us in John 10:10 that He came that we “might have life and have it more abundantly!” We believe that God’s kingdom begins at home, and our prayer is that The Family Room will encourage listeners to live more joyful and abundant lives in families where God’s kingdom is alive and being shared with the world. 

      • Gain encouragement and a practical, faith-based perspective on topics focused on family and marriage such as praying for prodigals, men as spiritual leaders, teaching virtues, encouraging your husband/blessing your wife, date night ideas for married couples, what to do if your child tells you that they don’t believe in God anymore, and more.
      • Grow in faith together as a family to continue to live joy-filled lives where God is first.
      • Be enriched and renewed by new ways to shine Christ’s light even brighter and share the Gospel with others.
      • Hear ideas to help your family’s faith continue to thrive in the midst of challenges.

Meet the Co-Hosts

 

Mari Cleveland

Mari enjoys leading retreats and giving talks across the Atlanta archdiocese and has served as a Stephen Minister, Bible study leader, and spiritual director for a Christ Renews His Parish team. Mari was blessed to grow up on Guam, a 98% Catholic island where every village has its own patron saint and what Mari describes as “the most generous people in the world!” Mari and her husband, George, are parents of two college-aged children, John and Lilly, both graduates of Blessed Trinity Catholic High School. The Clevelands are parishioners at Saint Jude the Apostle and have been active in various ministries including Parish School of Religion (PSR), Edge, Alpha, Ministry to the Sick, and St. Vincent de Paul. Mari was recognized as Saint Jude the Apostle’s 2017 Woman of the Year. Mari hosted Shelter in Peace, a local show that began airing on The Quest in April 2020 in the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic as a way to offer listeners encouragement and prayers. That show grew from “an idea for one or two episodes to pray for our listeners” to become a weekly show offering support, hope, and opportunities to grow in faith on a variety of topics. Mari has 30+ years business experience in human resources, sales, and training and provides leadership training for Fortune 500 companies.

 

John Gordon

John is a member of St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church in Roswell, GA, where he and his wife of 40 years, Barbara, facilitate adult education and Bible studies. John engages weekly with a small encounter group affiliated with Regnum Christi and the related Morning of Reflection at St. Peter Chanel. He works in the home improvement industry and is active in its affiliations and associations. John also hosts a home improvement radio show that has aired for 26 years and volunteers in a program, Toolbox, in Fulton County elementary schools that introduces young boys and girls to the construction trades and trade skills. He is also an active member of The Woodstock Business Conference. John is blessed with 17 years of Roman Catholic education from kindergarten through college. John and Barbara have three grown children and two grandchildren. John seeks to bring the principles and disciplines of business development and market growth to the Church so as to build the Kingdom of God.

 

Craig Wesemeyer

Craig is a member of Saint Peter Chanel where he volunteers in the lector and extraordinary ministers ministries. He and his wife, Kellie, have been married 31 years and live in Marietta with their two children, Gabrielle, who is attending Life Universities Chiropractic School, and Christian, who is a senior at Blessed Trinity. Craig is a cradle Catholic who grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, attending Catholic school for 12 years. He started his career in retail commercial real estate 26 years ago. Over the years he has worked in youth ministry, men’s retreats ministry, and charismatic renewal. Craig is a member of Regnum Christi and is studying at Divine Mercy University to be certified in spiritual direction.

Why This Show

The traditional family unit and marriage are under attack, which is no surprise given the importance of each in God’s plan of salvation. The family needs encouragement, resources, and application-based information – grounded in Biblical truth and Catholic teaching – to fulfill its role as domestic church and be equipped to fight for and live out the sanctity of marriage and traditional family values.

A powerful army of prayer warriors, known as “Family Keepers,” are participating in a continuous novena to pray for The Quest radio, The Family Room show, and one another. Join us in prayer to ask our Heavenly Father to equip, encourage, and strengthen all families and marriages to live Christ-centered lives and build up His Kingdom, starting in our own homes.

The Family Room Novena

Heavenly Father, Divine Jesus, All Powerful Holy Spirit, we thank and praise You, as the Giver of life and the Creator of all marriages and families.

Blessed Trinity, You model holy, life-giving, agape love for us to emulate. We love because You first loved us with this perfect love (1 John 4:19). We surrender ourselves and our extended families to You and seek a hedge of spiritual protection around these families, our homes, and especially our family rooms where God’s Kingdom begins and is nurtured!

Blessed Trinity, bless AM 1160 The Quest – Atlanta Catholic Radio, its leadership, volunteers, supporters, and each listener. Use The Quest and all its offerings to pour out Your spirit of love and draw souls closer to You. We surrender all Family Keepers, the show The Family Room, the hosts, and guests and ask for guidance and protection over all. Provide us all with the perseverance to follow Your will in all things and to desire that You alone would be glorified.

Father God, equip, encourage, and strengthen the Family Keepers and all marriages and families to be able to live Christ-centered lives with the ability to discern holy decisions, the courage to boldly proclaim the healing power of Your love, the power to expose the darkness with the bright light of Your truth, and the weapons to defeat evil, fear, and despair, replacing them with peace, hope, and joy! We ask for heavenly protection over ALL marriages and families which we know are being attacked from all sides. Gently call us into Your safe harbor so that we may learn to depend solely on Your guidance – minute by minute. We thank You for the gift of Your sacraments and sacramentals to aid us in this battle for our souls and the souls of our family members, both living and deceased.

Sweet Jesus, help us to build up Your Kingdom, starting in our own homes, in our own family rooms – creating space and time to bring our loved ones together each day for family prayer and praise. Grant us the holy boldness to live as kingdom people, loving and serving others as Your hands and feet. Give us the words to say to our loved ones as we share the Good News that You are love and mercy. Let Your light shine in us so that all those around us may see Your good works and give glory to You. Sprinkle YOUR words throughout our day like salt to enhance and flavor our prayers and actions as we proclaim Your message of hope and salvation to a dark and hurting world (Matthew 5:13-16).

Ever Present Holy Spirit, we thank You for each family and for their desire to nurture and protect marriages and families. Awaken the fruits of Your Spirit in each Family Keeper: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Please grant all of us the courage to use these fruits and the additional gifts of Your Spirit to build up Your kingdom on earth.

Holy Family, we thank You for the gift of Your example and Your intercession for our marriages and families. Blessed Mother, cover us with your motherly mantle of love and protection; St. Joseph, encourage humble and courageous leadership; and Jesus Christ, please continue to guide us to salvation through Your sacrifice on the cross and constant invitation to eternal life with YOU!

Powerful Guardian Angels, we call upon you and all the choirs of holy angels in spiritual warfare for our marriages and families as we offer our prayers and rosaries as weapons for the battle.

Saint Pope John Paul II the Great, Pray for us.
Saint Joseph, Terror of Demons, Pray for us.

Amen!