Mary Frenz

I am the youngest of ten children and grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  My parents raised us in a strong Catholic family and sent us to Catholic schools.  Some of my fondest memories of childhood are learning from my mom to pray, and to go to daily Mass together.  I learned very early that Jesus loved me, and I remember having a deep love for Jesus and Mary.

My faith stayed with me through high school and into college.  As I grew older the Lord challenged me to be different from the crowd, to embrace strong morals, and to continue to grow in faith.

During my junior year at St. Thomas I was invited to join SPO.  SPO gave my faith new life.  It showed me that I was not alone in wanting to live my faith for Christ.  When I went to daily Mass or the chapel for prayer there was usually another SPO member already there.  Instead of being pushed into the drinking and party atmosphere, I was encouraged to pray more and grow in my convictions for the Christian life.  It opened me up to talk to my friends about who I really was and the faith I had found.  I became a much more joyful person with the constant support of SPO.

Upon graduating, I traveled for a year with the National Evangelization Teams.  I was able to spend an entire year talking with Catholic youth about how Jesus had changed my life and about His love for all of us.

After returning home, I started medical school at the U of MN.  It was a huge shock to go from the supportive atmosphere of NET and SPO to med school.  I continued to attend SPO events, and looking back, I’m not sure the Lord could have held on to me those first two years without SPO.

Through prayer meetings and women’s groups, the Lord continually pulls me back to Him.  He has shown me a future full of hope and I rejoice at all times in Him who strengthens me.  I also have great joy and gratitude to the Lord for using SPO to call me back to his feet constantly and give me the strength to continue loving God.

Mary Frenz was involved in SPO in 1991.