The Hanobeck family, parishioners of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Bethlehem, went from being occasional Mass goers to frequenters of the Sacraments after reading the devotional book “33 Days to Eucharistic Glory” by Matthew Kelly as a family.
“Our family was introduced to [the book] through Sister Lisa Valentini at our five-year-old daughter's preschool, Notre Dame [of Bethlehem],” said Ian Hanobeck. “Sister Lisa sent the book home for families to read together while [our daughter] Lia worked through her own age-appropriate lessons in the classroom.”
Ian and his wife Christina thought reading the book together would be a “fun activity” to incorporate into the homeschooling of their older children, Jack and Adalyn.
“What began as a simple assignment became the turning point of our family's spiritual life. Little did we know where it would lead when we began this book,” said Ian.
At the time, Ian would have described himself as a “lukewarm Catholic, maybe even less than that,” and Christina, while further along in her faith journey, also claimed that she “had not yet experienced the deep, personal devotion to the Eucharist that we both have today.”
The couple only attended Mass occasionally and confirmed that the Eucharistic Consecration was the impetus they needed.
“After finishing the consecration, we immediately knew we had to go to Confession,” Christina explained, “but I hadn’t gone since before we were married. It had been 16 years. We were ashamed, scared, and felt unworthy. But God gently kept urging, until we decided we just needed to go.
“When we finally went, it was a Saturday evening, and the Confession time was for 45 minutes. I think that, between the two of us, we took up 40 minutes of the time!”
“We’ve been on fire since then,” said Ian. “And it’s been a year and a half or more.”
Not only did the Hanobecks return to the Sacrament of Confession, but they also seek Jesus in the Holy Eucharist “daily, or whenever our schedules allow.”
“And our kids are more reverent at Mass,” Christina added. “At the end of Mass, they’ve started asking us to kneel down and pray with them.”
Christina and Ian were able to list several specific lessons from the book that had impacted their family.
“The book taught me that the Eucharist is the true Body and Blood of Christ,” Ian said. “That’s something I had really struggled with before.”
Kelly’s book inspired him to research Eucharistic miracles, as well as reflect on how he can imitate the Blessed Mother’s difficult “yes” to God in his own life.
Christina was moved by Kelly’s distinction between Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) and Joy of Missing Out (JOMO).
"Like so many parents, our lives often revolve around schedules, sports, activities, and making sure our children never miss an opportunity,” Christina said. “We spend so much time rushing from one thing to the next that we rarely stop to ask whether all that busyness is bringing us closer to God or closer to one another.
“The Eucharist helped us realize that our children don't need parents who do everything; they need parents who show them that Christ comes first. In a world that constantly tells us to do more, the book gave us permission to do less — and to do what matters most."
The Hanobecks decided to enroll all their children at St. Francis Classical Catholic Academy, Bally, to further their theological education.
“But they were coming home from school,” Christina said, “and they asked ‘can we still attend religious education at Our Lady of Perpetual Help?’ And we were like, ‘absolutely!’”
“They wanted the double dose,” Ian joked.
“Their faith and knowledge is incredible,” Christina said. “They come home and teach us things we didn’t know.”
To say the life of the family had truly changed is not an exaggeration.
“Our friend group has changed. Our life. Our priorities have changed. God is number one in our lives. I never used to think about God before. Now daily — hourly — I think about Him,” Ian said. “And our marriage — it’s strengthened every day.”
The couple has been thankful every day since completing the consecration, and feel as though their devotion has steadily grown, rather than tapered off, after the initial enthusiasm.
“We finally feel that our parental baptismal promises on raising the children in the faith are being kept,” Ian said.
“We share our story with the Diocese in the hope that it might encourage other families to make the same 33-day journey, and perhaps experience the same grace and love from the Lord that we have received.”
Interested in reading the book yourself? Ask your parish if they have remaining copies of “33 Days to Eucharistic Glory,” or search for the book on Amazon.com or DynamicCatholic.com.
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