The Beginning of Our Story

A young teen found himself in darkness, surprisingly struggling against depression. To others, he seemed to have everything going for him—friends, good grades, involvement in the church—but he still felt alone all of the time. Few people noticed as he slowly slipped deeper into isolation. He prayed daily, begging God to lift his sorrow and restore him to joy. Years passed, little changed.

Despite his own battle against depression he felt called to help others who were hopeless, hurting and in need of the healing hand of God. He began a quest for answers—how to overcome depression, how to give hope, how to bring healing to the brokenhearted, how to strengthen families, how to restore life to those who feel beaten down by life’s struggles.

A few years into the journey, a moment of grace came. He had just been praying at the church and now, as he crossed a grassy field on a starry night, he had an epiphany. One might say the Lord sidled up alongside him, like the Lord God who walked in the Garden of Eden alongside Adam. There was no vision of the divine, no majestic light breaking through the darkness, no audible voice from on high. Instead, this young man had the sudden and unmistakable sense that his life was forever in God’s hands. This epiphany of God’s love shone on him like the quiet star of Bethlehem that offers guidance, comfort and courage to those who have searched tirelessly for the promise of new life. Years of depression instantly lifted as the soft rays of true joy filled the empty spaces in his heart and soul—spaces that no one and nothing else had been able to fill.

This was not the end of his story, nor could we say it was the beginning; but it was undoubtedly a new step on his own journey to joy. As with any story there are always many more things that can be said—some interesting, some funny, some flat out boring!—but what has been shared here is enough to reveal how God began to write the story of Rejoice Counseling Apostolate and give us our mission.

As professional counselors we are carrying on the healing mission of Jesus Christ, by bringing hope to the hopeless; freedom to persons suffering from addictions; guidance to those who feel lost in life; healing to persons who carry painful memories of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse; new life to dying marriages; reconciliation to broken families; and true joy to every person we work with.

I am forever thankful that the Lord filled me with the gift of His joy on that night. I pray that we at Rejoice Counseling serve God well as we use our professional work to serve others as apostles of Christ’s joy. Today, it is our privilege to journey with you to joy.

– Dr. Chris Stravitsch, President and Founder

The Values We Stand By

Rejoice in the Lord always
Remain faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church
Exemplify the highest standards of professionalism, while still having fun
Be voices of compassion, hope and faith
Never leave a client alone on their journey
Support the needs of pastors and parishes, to make their pastoral care plan even stronger
Stay true to ourselves and place our unique talents at the service of the Church
Live as apostles of joy and empower our clients to do the same