a deeper love marriage retreat

Jeff & Janet Bradford

Jeff and Janet Bradford, both born and raised in IL, met as a blind date in college marrying a few years later. Jeff served as an officer in the Air Force then acquired a PhD in Global Marketing, Business Strategy and Organizational Design. The latter eventually landed him as a Professor of Marketing at Drake University. Though now he is of retirement age, he has two jobs; one selling Health and Life Insurance with Futurity First Insurance Group and the other with Veteran Companions providing support for caretakers of Veterans. His personal hobbies include baking and genealogy.

Janet is a double Mastered pianist. She worked at Drake as a Professional Accompanist giving her a rich history of collaborating with professional musicians nationwide and from around the world. She also took up Jazz and voice spending a few years entertaining in the Des Moines area. She especially loves however playing for Mass and varying liturgies around the diocese. Her personal hobbies include gardening, writing and cooking.

Together they enjoy reading, movies, hiking, biking, wine tasting and the culinary scene.They are very into discovery everywhere they go uncovering whatever gems a continent, country, state, town or city has to offer. Their latest travel goal is to visit every one of our 50 United States.

They both share a deep love for their Catholic faith especially working with adults desiring to grow closer to Jesus. They are active and long time members at St Francis in West Des Moines. They have been married for 44 years and have a daughter Heather who also lives in the Des Moines area.

Brian & Michelle Werner

Brian and Michelle have been married since 2009 and live in Ankeny with their two daughters, Genevieve and Lillian. Their third daughter, Jane, is with Jesus in heaven. As lifelong Catholics, Brian and Michelle are active members of St. Luke the Evangelist parish, where they are involved in various ministries, including journeying with those preparing to enter the Church through OCIA.

Michelle enjoys reading and cultivating beauty in her home — whether through tending her many houseplants or leading a local chapter of the Well-Read Mom book club. She has a heart for contemplative prayer, and accompanying others on their walk with Christ.

When he's not at his job at EMC Insurance Companies, Brian enjoys running, serving in music ministry, and sharing his faith with others. Together, Brian and Michelle have a deep love for the sacraments, the Church's wisdom on marriage and family, and the daily adventure of growing in holiness as a couple.

They are grateful for the opportunity to share their journey of faith, marriage, and family life, and hope it will encourage and strengthen others in their vocation to love.

Deacon Kelly & Maureen Stone

Deacon Kelly and Maureen Stone, both farm kids from different parts of Iowa, met at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls in 1976. Kelly wooed Maureen by doing Looney Tune character vocalizations and memorizing the names of her 7 siblings at their very first meeting. Maureen wooed Kelly by understanding and laughing at his stupid jokes. From this silly beginning came their wedding in 1979 and home educating their 5 children. The family has grown to include 5 amazing in-laws and 15 grandchildren with 2 more on the way!

Deacon Kelly is currently serving at St. John the Apostle in Norwalk. Maureen has been a catechist most of their married life. Over 20 years ago, she became a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd catechist.

Matt & Stacy Halbach

Deacon Matt and Stacy Halbach have been married for 17 years, have eight children (two in heaven), both have degrees in theology, both have hearts for ministry. They consider themselves very imperfect, but perfect complimentary strengths to one another.

They have learned through trials and triumphs just how sacred and important the vocation of marriage is. Together, Matt and Stacy have keynoted at marriage retreats as well as led retreats for deacons and their wives.

Abby & Joey Hage

Abby and Joey are the kind of couple who thought they had a plan. A holy, responsible, spreadsheet-supported kind of plan. But after years of infertility, God finally answered their prayers—and then He really answered. They're now expecting baby #3 in three and a half years. That's right: three kids, three car seats, and approximately 19 hours of sleep since 2022.

Married since November 2019, Abby and Joey spent their newlywed bliss enduring a global pandemic, broken foot, derecho, and family crisis... Though the plan never transpired the way they expected, they have spent the last six years learning about the sacredness of suffering and the joy of surrendering control.

Paul & Darcie Tallman

We were married 23 years ago at St. Cecilia in Ames and are blessed with four children, ages 11 to 20. Like many of you, we're still learning and growing—daily—what it means to live out our vocation of marriage.

Over the years, we've been involved in marriage ministry as a mentor couple and through presenting on topics like Theology of the Body and Natural Family Planning at Pre-Cana weekends. More recently, God has been drawing us into a deeper life of prayer. We've been especially impacted by the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises and are currently enrolled in the Encounter School of Healing—an experience that's expanding our hearts and minds as we encounter the Holy Spirit in new ways.

We love spending time outdoors—hiking, biking, and exploring as a family. We definitely don't have all the answers, and we're far from perfect. But we're grateful for the chance to walk alongside you this weekend, and we hope to share some honest reflections, lessons from our failures, and encouragement for the road ahead.