Real Catholic Blog

Brother John is John Bourret of Richmond, Va. Born Catholic, he left the Church for a period of more than 20 years, but had a re-conversion to the faith in 1995, an event in which the Blessed Virgin Mary played a large part. For about six months, he went through a period of “warm and fuzzy” or signal graces.

In July 1996, he left his job of 18 years (as a manager in the environmental industry overseeing toxic waste site remediation and emergency responses) to start Ave Maria, Inc., as a ministry to share his experience with others: God became very real to John almost in an instant — December 28th, 1995 — on the feast of the Holy Innocence. John is a Maronite Catholic and member of Saint Anthony Maronite Catholic Church.

He and his wife are expecting their 6th child in September and he has a grown son from a previous relationship.

Brother Stephen is Steve Rossie of Richmond, Va. Born Catholic to a dad whose father was Melkite Catholic and whose mother was Maronite Catholic (thus making him Melkite because of his father) and a mother whose father was Maronite and whose mother was Melkite (thus making her Maronite because of her father) and whose wedding was officiated in Richmond by a Maronite priest from Richmond and a Melkite priest from Brooklyn (since there was, and still is, no Melkite parish in Richmond).

Steve was educated at a diocesan grade school, Saint Bridget, and by the monks at Benedictine High School. Consequently, he attends all three churches still today, but is an active parishioner at Saint Bridget.  

By profession, he is a self-employed public and government relations consultant and writer, and blogs regularly as the “Admin” for the pro-life, pro-traditional family public policy organization, The Family Foundation of Virginia. By recreation he believes soccer is the only sport.