Soren and Ever Johnson have a mission — “to inspire families to make their homes a little taste of heaven for the renewal of faith and culture.” The hub of that mission is the Trinity House Café, their kid-friendly coffeehouse in downtown Leesburg that sells lattes, sandwiches and pastries, often named in honor of a saint or Christian thinker, as well as religious books, art and trinkets. Their ministry, Trinity House Community, hosts “Heaven in Your Home” workshops and gatherings to encourage families to put their ideals into action. On top of all that, the couple has five children.
This summer, Soren and Ever, parishioners of St. John the Apostle Church in Leesburg, will share what they’ve learned about family life with a global audience at the Tenth World Meeting of Families in Rome. In 1994, during the United Nations “International Year of the Family,” Pope John Paul II instituted the first World Meeting of Families. The Johnsons are two of the nearly 50 delegates for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops who will join delegates from bishops’ conferences all around the world at the June 22-26 meeting. “Besides delving into pastoral issues, it’s also about celebrating the family,” said Ever.
When Pope Francis visited the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia in 2015, Soren and some of their children traveled there hoping to see the pontiff. “By the time we got to the front, (the pope) had left and my kids have never forgotten,” Soren said with a laugh. This time, Soren, Ever and their five kids, ages 10-19, will get to see Pope Francis and experience the meeting. Ever and Soren, who is a Catholic Herald columnist, also will give a talk, titled, “Discernment in daily family life.”
“Discerning is all about being attentive to God’s voice amid the chaos and joy of family life,” said Ever. “Each family is a communion of persons, an image of the Trinity, so the heart of discernment is to follow the Lord’s voice into an ever-deepening communion with him and between the family members. As part of a good atmosphere for discernment, we’ll be pointing to a vibrant faith life, healthy relationships, shared work in the household, a rich family culture, and an outward-focused hospitality and service.”
The couple is grateful for this family-focused gathering. “It’s so important to have a moment when the world church recognizes what Pope John Paul II said — the future of humanity passes by way of the family — and that’s true for the church as well,” said Ever.
“Opportunities like the world meeting are able to refocus the church on the family as a distinct path to holiness,” said Soren. “We’re proud to be part of this vibrant Diocese of Arlington and we (hope) to represent the dynamism of our diocese and also share anything we learn with the diocese and others.”
