Thérèse Bermpohl lights up as she talks about the people she’s encountered in her 21 years working for the diocesan Office of Marriage, Family and Respect Life.
Through her work, she helped all kinds of people, from couples getting married to women healing from the wound of abortion to everyday men and women looking to grow in their faith.
As director for 20 of those 21 years, she’s shaped the direction of the ministries from an administrative side. But she has especially loved the hands-on parts of her job — accompanying those who have benefited from the numerous programs, conferences and spiritual events she and her coworkers have hosted. “There are countless people who have been impacted by the ministries,” said Bermpohl. “(I had) the privilege of having a front row seat to their encounters with the living God.”
Though Bermpohl was raised Catholic, she didn’t always dream of working for the church. In her 20s, she stopped going to church, lived a party lifestyle and generally lacked direction, she said. That led to depression and an existential crisis. Eventually, she set out to discover if God was real, and if he was, to change her life. “That was the beginning of me going deeper into the meaning of life and whether or not the Catholic Church has the truth,” she said.
After that, Bermpohl earned an undergraduate degree in theology from Trinity College in Washington and a master’s in theology from the Dominican House of Studies in Washington. She taught at a Catholic school, worked for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and served in campus ministry before arriving at the diocese. “I was so happy to be somewhere where I would be accompanying people,” said Bermpohl, a parishioner of St. Veronica Church in Chantilly.
She’s enjoyed the variety of work in the ministries her office manages. There are retreats for engaged couples, annual men’s and women’s conferences, a divorced and separated ministry, holy hours, Gabriel Project, which supports families facing an unexpected pregnancy, and Project Rachel, which supports those hurting after abortion. In recent years, she’s proud they started offering the Life-Giving Wounds retreats for adult children of divorce, and support for parents who have lost a child, including an upcoming Mass Aug. 15 at St. Agnes Church in Arlington. She loves seeing the couples at the annual marriage jubilee Mass. “It’s still emotional to stand behind a couple that’s been married for 50 years and hear them say their vows,” she said.
Bermpohl can easily recall the numerous testimonies of those who have been impacted by the work of the family life office. One man stopped her after a men’s conference. “ ‘My neighbor asked me to come and I thought it was going to be a bunch of losers,’ ” he told her. “ ‘(But) it’s just normal men and they love God and they’re doing well because they love God. I did not know this was possible.’ ” And another who spoke to her at a Morning of Mercy for divorced Catholics. “ ‘Thank you for having this program because I really felt so alone and that the church was not for me anymore, but now I see that God is still there for me,’ ” Bermpohl shared. She treasures stories of the women who have come to a post-abortion retreat feeling unforgivable but end the weekend knowing they are loved by God.
Last year, Bermpohl was one of a few members of the diocese given the Benemerenti Medal, which is awarded by the pope to members of the clergy and laity for service to the Catholic Church. So it’s unsurprising that after a short break Bermpohl hopes to continue to work in ministry during her retirement. She also plans to offer spiritual direction, which she earned a certificate for in 2016. “I like to golf but I want to die with my boots on,” said Bermpohl. “To lead people to an eternity with God. I mean, really, what more is there?”
Maraist is a freelancer from Reston.
