November 2022
As kids growing up around the block from each other in Ralston, Nebraska, Mark and Mary Anne Conway never imagined that one day they would be the first married couple to become certified leaders of SoulCore. Married since 1983, the Conways have always looked for ways to live their faith together. Long before SoulCore, they spent twelve years sponsoring young couples in marriage preparation. That ministry, they say, strengthened their own marriage as much as it helped the couples. It also provided some unexpected motivation years later as they were discerning their commitment to SoulCore.
When Mary Anne first discovered an ad for SoulCore in a church bulletin in 2018, she immediately wanted to know more. The lure of “fitness and faith” intrigued her so much that she bought a set of SoulCore DVDs—but for a full year, all she did was watch them. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do a push-up,” she told Mark. As for Mark, he watched the videos with Mary Anne and eventually joined in as they tried the workouts at home. “At that time, I was just along for the ride,” he says. They were still a long way from certification.
The Conways talk enthusiastically about the series of events that followed, including their first live class (“It was so beautiful!”), and the SoulCore Retreat they attended in 2019 in the Parish Center at Sacred Heart. But they might not have followed through with certification if not for two important catalysts. For Mary Anne, it was the heartbreaking loss of her nephew and Godson, Zacary, and her desire to create a mission out of tragedy. “No more hesitating,” she vowed, making the final push to complete her application.
For Mark, it had more to do with the fruits of their SoulCore practice. “It was one of the few times we were consistently praying together,” he says. It reminded him of their days sponsoring couples, and of all the conversations they’d had with them about the importance of praying with your spouse. Leading SoulCore got the Conways praying together, deeply, and that was enough for Mark.
Like their earlier work with young couples, the Conways’ SoulCore ministry began with a desire to share grace with others and ended up bringing grace to them. Their story shows that whether it’s marriage preparation, SoulCore, or any other ministry large or small, when we share God’s grace with others, we receive it in abundance.