\u201cI made this bold pronouncement to my wife that I would no longer be going to work,\u201d Monley said. \u201cIt was either that or I was going to have to move into the garage to protect them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Monley began working at home, like many others, and his little family unit remained locked in the house for days.<\/p>\n
The new father admits he began to fall in love with his baby from the moment he and his wife, Jennifer, saw the two pink stripes on the pregnancy test. Monley knew intellectually his wife was pregnant, but then the emotions caught up as reality sank in. His love for that baby grew with each ultrasound, well before Edith, named after the Catholic St. Edith Stein, was born in late January.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner column_padding=”padding-1-percent” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” top_margin=”0″ constrain_group_1=”yes” bottom_margin=”0″ left_margin=”0″ constrain_group_2=”yes” right_margin=”0″ column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” centered_text=”true” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ background_image=”4187″ background_image_position=”center center” background_image_stacking=”default” enable_bg_scale=”true” background_image_loading=”default” column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” overflow=”visible” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/3″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”300″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” text_align=”left” row_position=”default” row_position_tablet=”inherit” row_position_phone=”inherit” overflow=”visible” pointer_events=”all”][vc_column_inner column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” overflow=”visible” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”30″][vc_column_text]As a Catholic, Monley said he was taught to live his life with the Agape <\/em>love \u2014 the Greek word for the highest love \u2014 that gives unconditionally like God loves us. He understood that ideal love as he attended Bible study at Our Lady of Lourdes and he understood it as he felt the love he has for his wife. But that sense of meaning intensified once Edith was born. Monley saw, for himself, a new level of Agape.<\/p>\n This new perspective came with a new respect for his own father and the sacrifices he made for his family.<\/p>\n \u201cLife raising kids comes with so much worry and responsibility year after year,\u201d Monley said.<\/p>\n The new dad isn\u2019t sure how he\u2019s going to spend his first Father\u2019s Day, but he said it will certainly include big thank yous to his own father.<\/p>\n Check with your own parish website to identify resources available to you for enriching your Catholic family:[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” top_padding=”3%” constrain_group_1=”yes” bottom_padding=”3%” text_align=”center” row_position=”default” row_position_tablet=”inherit” row_position_phone=”inherit” overflow=”visible” pointer_events=”all”][vc_column_inner column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” overflow=”visible” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][nectar_btn size=”large” constrain_group_2=”yes” open_new_tab=”true” button_style=”regular” button_color_2=”Extra-Color-2″ icon_family=”none” text=”Marriage Enrichment” url=”https:\/\/archden.org\/marriage\/marriage-enrichment-programs\/” margin_left=”5″ margin_right=”5″][nectar_btn size=”large” constrain_group_2=”yes” open_new_tab=”true” button_style=”regular” button_color_2=”Extra-Color-2″ icon_family=”none” text=”Strengthen Your Catholic Faith” url=”https:\/\/archden.org\/eflm\/catholic-faith\/” margin_left=”5″ margin_right=”5″][nectar_btn size=”large” constrain_group_2=”yes” open_new_tab=”true” button_style=”regular” button_color_2=”Extra-Color-2″ icon_family=”none” text=”Family Life” url=”https:\/\/archden.org\/eflm\/family\/” margin_left=”5″ margin_right=”5″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” text_align=”left” row_position=”default” row_position_tablet=”inherit” row_position_phone=”inherit” overflow=”visible” pointer_events=”all”][vc_column_inner column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” centered_text=”true” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” overflow=”visible” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text max_width=”750″]All resources available to you as a Catholic are supported by the Archbishop\u2019s Catholic Appeal. Please consider donating to support programs for families and young dads like Monley.[\/vc_column_text][image_with_animation image_url=”4705″ image_size=”full” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”Fade In From Bottom” animation_easing=”default” animation_movement_type=”transform_y” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”center” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”medium_depth” image_loading=”default” max_width=”50%” max_width_mobile=”default” img_link=”\/give” margin_left=”25″ margin_right=”25″ margin_top=”10px” margin_bottom=”5″][divider line_type=”Full Width Line” line_thickness=”1″ divider_color=”default” custom_height=”80″][nectar_btn size=”jumbo” open_new_tab=”true” button_style=”regular-tilt” button_color=”Accent-Color” icon_family=”none” text=”Yes, I Want to Help!” url=”\/give” css_animation=”none” margin_left=”50″ margin_right=”50″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [vc_row type=”full_width_content” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” top_padding=”0″ constrain_group_1=”yes” bottom_padding=”0″ text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” id=”Catholic-Schools” row_name=”How You Helped” color_overlay=”rgba(255,255,255,0.95)” overlay_strength=”1″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_color=”#ffffff” shape_divider_position=”both” shape_divider_height=”75″ shape_divider_bring_to_front=”true” bg_image_animation=”none”…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4186,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","content-type":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-511","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-stories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=511"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6747,"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511\/revisions\/6747"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}