John & Maria Drouhard
Couple Name: John and Maria Drouhard
We will celebrate our 9th Anniversary this summer (2025). We were married at a Catholic church in Kearney, MO where Maria was working. We have three kids: Joseph (5), Max (2), and Tessa (1). Max and Tessa are a year and four days apart... Ask us about our fertility journey for more info!
Where were you and your spouse born? (City/State):
John was born in Kansas City and raised in Prairie Village. He has one younger brother with special needs who was adopted from Russia when John was 4. He was raised in a strong Catholic family and attended Catholic school K-12.
Maria was born in Green Bay, WI. She is the oldest of three girls. Her extended family is still based in Northeastern Wisconsin; however, all three sisters have relocated to their husbands' hometowns. Maria is here, her middle sister is in Milwaukee, and her youngest sister is in LA.
How did you meet?
We actually met twice. John first met Maria at a “Beer Olympics” party at the home of a City on a Hill member. Maria had just moved to Kansas City and was working at the Catholic church in Kearney, MO. She met the entire parish in that week, plus many of the adults in the young adult community. Needless to say, the number of people she met combined with the beer left her with only a vague impression of John. (I remembered his name was John, and that's about it). However, Maria made an impression on John, and he was hoping to run into her again.
We met again at a different City on a Hill house party 6 months later. This time, we immediately hit it off. We made plans to meet again at the upcoming Tuesdays at the Boulevard (another City on a Hill event). After Mass, we talked the entire night at the Boulevard brewery, and made plans to go out that weekend. We haven't spent much time apart since.
We dated for 6 months, and got married after a 9-month engagement.
First marriage for husband? (Yes/ No): Yes
First marriage for wife? (Yes/ No): Yes
Husband’s occupation: Software Engineer (K-State, majored in Computer Engineering). Worked at Perceptive Software (Lexmark) for 4 years, then Bats Global Trading (securities exchange similar to Nasdaq/NYSE), and now Jump Trading (Chicago based trading firm).
Wife’s occupation: Former attorney (KU Law) turned stay-at-home mom
What are your favorite leisure activities/ hobbies?
Husband: Coding projects, watching tv, playing board games, video games, reading (sci-fi and fantasy)
Wife: Reading, cooking, watching tv, playing board games, puzzles
How long have you been parishioners at St. Paul? What do you enjoy most about this parish, and what improvements would you like to see?
We joined St. Paul after getting married in 2016. We love our parish. When we moved in 2018, we specifically looked at homes within the parish boundaries. We find the parish to be incredibly welcoming with a great community. We look forward to getting more involved with the school as our oldest started Kindergarten last fall.
Are you currently involved in any ministry at St. Paul? (We strive for our engaged couples to identify you when attending mass and/or parish events.)
Husband: Aquila and Priscilla (young married couples group)
Wife: Aquila and Priscilla, Welcome Retreat, Mom's group
Kindly include any ‘words of wisdom’ and a favorite bible verse or quote, if you choose to include this info. It would help the engaged couple be able to relate to you and know what is important to you as a couple in your marriage.
Honestly, for Maria, going to therapy has helped strengthen our marriage. Improving my mental health, especially after leaving my career to stay home, has helped me be a better partner.
Our wedding gospel was the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12), which are some of the virtues we strive to live out in our married lives.
We've also developed a habit of praying together every evening, which has helped draw us closer together to Jesus and each other.
