Spotlight on: Nick and Liz Tomaselli

This young married couple has a very interesting and inspiring story to share about their relationship with each other, with St. Jude parish, and with God through their Catholic Faith.

Q: What do you like about St. Jude parish?
We enjoy how family-oriented St. Jude parish is and how it feels so welcoming.  It feels like home when we’re there.  St. Jude has been my parish my whole life.  I’ve received all my sacraments at St. Jude, from baptism all the way up to the sacrament of matrimony.  I also attended St. Jude school all the way through eighth grade.  Nick and I are very blessed to have been able to get married in the beautifully renovated church.

Q: In what way do you participate in parish life?
Nick is a fourth degree member of the Knights of Columbus.  He enjoys being a Knight because it allows him to help bring the faith to the community and to help people in need.  I hope to be a PREP teacher soon, because not only do I enjoy working with children, I think it’s important that young children really understand their faith.  I am currently a fifth grade teacher in a public school, and I hope to one day teach in a Catholic school.

Q: What role does faith play in your marriage?
It was very important for us to be married in the Catholic Church, because we believe God brought us together.  We enjoy going to Church together each week and praying together.  We believe our faith has gotten stronger since we've been married, and we also think our marriage is stronger because of our faith.

Q: What are some of the challenges you and your husband face as young adults, and what advice can you give to other young adults about nurturing their faith and staying close to God?
It is not easy to find other young adults our age who are active in the Church.  Society has made it more challenging to connect with others who have the same values as we do.  It's easy to make those connections with the people you attend Catholic school with throughout your life, but outside of that community, it can be hard to find people who share your faith. 

We are thankful to share our faith with each other, and we encourage other people to nurture their faith, even though there may be times when it feels like you're the only person your age doing so.  Don't ever let your relationship with God fade away just because you don't see others keeping their faith.  We find that praying together and going to Church together help make nurturing our faith easier, since we're doing it with one another.

Q: If you had to give one piece of advice to a newly married couple, what would it be?
Keep God in your marriage.  He is the one who blessed you with each other.  He will give you many joys throughout your life and also guide you through the difficult times.  Remember to thank Him and ask Him for guidance when things in life get tough.

Q: What do you do as a couple to have fun? Do you have a hobby?
We really enjoy country music and going to country concerts.  We just celebrated our first wedding anniversary in Nashville, TN.  We also enjoy skiing and snowboarding, bowling, fishing, and spending time with our family and friends.

Q: What would people be surprised to know about you?
Nick and I met at the Chalfont Wawa six years ago.  I worked there, and Nick worked at the Pep Boys behind Wawa.  The rest is history.