Jeanne Leege Story

Hello, my name is Jeanne Leege. I have been a parishioner here at St. Pius X (SPX) for 26 years. My husband Joe and I were married at SPX 25 years ago and we have six children. Our oldest son and daughter are adults and both live in Phoenix. We also have two daughters attending Xavier High School, one son at Xavier Middle School and one son at the Marquette Street Xavier Elementary. Today, I would like to share a little about my faith journey and what the SPX community has meant to me in that journey.

Growing up, my family did not attend Mass, although my parents did have me baptized and helped me to receive my First Communion. I did get Confirmed in high school, but my faith formation was far from rock solid. I joined SPX in 1996 as my husband and I were preparing for marriage and were searching for a parish that would be supportive of raising a family. When we attended Mass at SPX, we fell in love with the atmosphere of the community. We could see that it was vibrant with young families and simply felt like home for us. Our first experience of support from the parish was when we attended a Marriage Prep event and then met with a wonderful married couple who worked with us over time to help more deeply prepare us for marriage. The next supportive faith experience for us at SPX was in 2004 when we attended Marriage Encounter. That was an incredible experience and it not only helped our marriage, but helped us create a habit of receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I went on to sign up for Eucharistic Adoration when the Chapel of Divine Mercy opened a few months later in April of 2004.

Over the years I have participated in various capacities in Elizabeth Ministry, Catechesis of the Good Shepard and as a volunteer for the I Thirst Garden, decorating & undecorating outdoors for Christmas and in the kitchen for Bingo. In 2015, I attended one of the most significant and impactful programs in my entire life’s faith journey. I attended the Women’s CRHP Renewal Weekend. I could clearly recognize how the Holy Spirit paved the way for me to attend as there had been an obstacle in my way of participating. It was such an impactful weekend that I formed with some of the other women who attended with me and we embarked on a one year journey together that culminated in us leading the renewal weekend the following year. I clearly remember the first time we gathered at church at the beginning of our year long journey. As we sat quietly for a short time in the church to pray, I had an overwhelming feeling, for the first time in my life, that being in that space was truly a happy place for me. I had gained a deeper understanding of the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist that I had never had before and I found some answers to a lifelong question I had pondered of what does discipleship look like for me. I was able to see how God can take brokenness within us and turn it into something beautiful, only the way He can. To this day, our CRHP team has a monthly Mass meet up followed by fellowship that we fondly call CRHP Chat. These women have become true lifelong friends and prayer warriors. And two of the best friends that I have made in my time on earth are people I met at this parish with children in the Xavier system with my children.