“God among Us,” a ministry that focuses on the integral development of Hispanic families, has been strengthened by its alliance with Bella Natural Women’s Care and Areté, a Catholic psychology center.
Jorge and Viviana Paredes, founders of “Dios entre Nosotros” (Spanish for “God among Us”) established the ministry and formed alliances with these institutions specializing in evangelization, education, psychology and health.
“When Jorge and Viviana shared with me their interest to provide the necessary resources to marriages, to those serving in the area of sex education, fertility, natural methods and especially for Latinas, I was glad to know that Bella could serve them,” said Dede Chism, nurse practioner and director of Bella.
She said the mission of Bella is to “recognize the dignity of women by promoting health and wellness through a natural and scientific approach with sincere compassion for life,” which she said is similar to God among Us, whose mission is the welfare of families and building strong and lasting marriages.
Viviana said it’s important to partner with specialists to better serve the family.
“An organization flourishes when all members unfold their talents with love and commitment to a common mission, it is also important to recognize that there are specific areas in family ministry that require a specialist’s knowledge to properly serve our community,” Viviana said. “That is why we see the importance of serving as instructors sometimes, but other times as facilitators working together with the institutions that support us.”
God among Us also offer retreats focusing on sexuality and Theology of the Body.
“When we teach the topics of human sexuality and Theology of the Body during Dios entre Nosotros retreats, we realize that most couples open their eyes to a completely unknown reality for them,” Jorge said. “They realize the consequences of using contraception and the importance of human sexuality in marriage according to God’s plan. When couples fill out a survey at the end of the retreat with great joy we received testimonials like these: ‘I realized that some things I thought were fine in marriage life were actually wrong! I learned that I have to start changing some things with my wife especially now that we have a new member, God.’”
He and his wife needed to provide concrete resources so these couples can live the Gospel, and Bella came to their minds to make this a reality, he said.
Another important alliance made by God among Us is with Arete, a Catholic Psychology Center in Medellin, Colombia, which promotes a comprehensive view of human as children of God.
God among Us has earned the support of the Archdiocese of Denver. Its chancellor, David Uebbing, said, “It’s a blessing to have Jorge and Viviana, and to have their desire to put their talents and efforts in the service of the Church.”
In order to serve Latinas more effectively, Bella has a bilingual staff. To learn more about God among Us and the marriage preparation programs, as well as family enrichment, visit the website www.diosentrenosotros.com.
Bella’s office is located in Englewood. For more information visit their website www.BellaNWC.org.
Upcoming God Among Us retreats
6:30 p.m.-9 p.m. July 17 and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. July 18
St. John Paul II Center, Room 125, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver
6:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Aug. 14 and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 15
Our Lady of Loreto Parish, Rectory Garden Room, 18000 E. Arapahoe Rd., Foxfield
6:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Sept. 4 and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 5
St. John Paul II Center, Room 125, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver
