By Maryangela Layman Román of the Catholic Herald Staff

Mother’s Day will be extra special for six mothers in St. Peter Parish, Slinger, and pastor Fr. Richard Stoffel is wondering if it’s God’s way of preparing the church for the future.

In the last year, six sets of twins have been born to members of the parish located in Washington County.

In the Feb. 26 parish bulletin, Fr. Stoffel wrote, “Twins, twins have been born to six of our parish families in the past eight months. Is there something in Slinger’s water? Might God be busy birthing our future priests and religious leaders?”

The newest members of St. Peter and their families are: Kaitlyn and Meagan Chervenka, 10 months, daughters of Jim and Nancy Chervenka; Trenton and Lilliana Millot, 6 months, children of Lisa Millot; Madison and Paige Weber, 4 months, daughters of Mary and Dan Weber; Cole and Connor Mirasola, 4 months, sons of Roberta and John Mirasola; Ava and Keegan Hanisko, 3 months, children of DuWayne and Mary Hanisko. Parishioner Carrie Ferkans also gave birth to twins the past year, but your Catholic Herald was unable to reach her.

The families, who gathered at the church last Saturday for a photo, expect their parish will be a source of support as their children get older.

“It’s kind of nice there are other people out there going through the same things we are,” said Nancy Chervenka. “It’s kind of nice to go to church and see the others, also Catholic families.”

The Chervenkas admitted they were shocked to learn during Nancy’s third month of pregnancy that she was expecting twins.

“They are such a joy, we wouldn’t trade this for the world,” she said of Kaitlyn and Meagan who squirmed in their parents’ arms, anxious to show off their almost-crawling skills. The girls are identical, but their parents admitted they see slight differences, especially in their personalities. They’re at the stage where if one is missing from the room, the other looks for her but they’re not above stealing her toy if it’s something she wants, they said.

The Chervenkas, like several of the families, spent much of the first weeks of the children’s lives at the hospital. Because the girls were born two months premature, they were hospitalized for the first month of their life. The Chrevenkas asked Fr. Stoffel to baptize the girls at Community Memorial Hospital in Menomonee Falls. Six months later, they were rededicated into the church at St. Peter Parish where the couple has been members for 15 years.

Mary and Dan Weber know the stress that comes with premature births. They spent Christmas and New Year’s in the intensive care unit of St. Joseph Hospital because Paige and Madison were also two months early. The girls, who are thriving now, are a blessing, described Mary, who said the couple, who have been married six years, struggled with fertility issues.

Dan recently asked her what she’d like for her first Mother’s Day, and Mary looked at him in surprise and said, “I personally feel I already have the best present I could ever have,” she said of her daughters. “I’m just looking forward to spending the day with my family.”

Dan, a Realtor with Shorewest Realty, admitted, however, he has a special gift planned for Mary. “I haven’t seen my mother since I was 3 so I have never bought a Mother’s Day present. I don’t want to screw it up,” he said adding, “For me, this is special, too, since it will be the first Mother’s Day I will celebrate.”

A convert to Catholicism, Mary said she is happy to have found a supportive community in St. Peter and she looks forward to bringing the girls up in the Catholic faith. Although she had been active in her Protestant parish, Mary, a deputy sheriff for Washington County, met Fr. Stoffel and became acquainted with St. Peter Parish through her work with the DARE Program.

Feeling a sense of community at the parish, she and her mother, “Grandma Jean,” who also had been active in the Protestant church, joined the Catholic Church last spring, much to the delight of Dan, a lifelong Catholic who had been worshipping at St. Martin Parish, Ashford.

“I had not been getting anything from my religion, I figured there had to be more,” said Mary of her decision to join the Catholic Church, which she sees as one that is active in the larger community, putting faith into action.

Fr. Stoffel reblessed the couple’s marriage last year, said Mary, noting her faith was a source of support during their infertility struggle and she looks forward to passing that faith on to her girls.

Being parents of twins is a challenge, the Webers said, “but if you keep a sense of humor, it makes things much better.”

A single mother, Lisa Millot, 21, was shocked when she learned at her first ultrasound that she was expecting twins. The birth of Trenton and Lilliana has brought her closer to her family, she said, and has reaffirmed for her the importance of faith. Lisa, who lives with her parents, Carolyn and Thomas Millot, and two sisters said she’s thankful for the support she receives from them in caring for her children.

“They’ve changed my outlook on life,” said Millot of the twins. “I’d like for them to grow up in a Catholic family, be happy and successful in whatever they choose.”

In the Hanisko household, twins, Ava and Keegan, have two doting brothers to help care for them, Owen, 8 and Ethan, 6. Mom, Mary, recalled that she learned of the other parish families expecting twins when she attended a first reconciliation meeting for Owen.

“I had to laugh because I remember Fr. Rick saying that there must be something in the water. It sure seemed so,” she said. The twins, who were baptized at St. Peter on March 19, have brought much joy to the family’s lives, according to Mary.

“Having twins has really made me realize how important my own mother is to me. She is such a giving, wonderful mother, grandma and best friend. Being the mother of four children is at times busy, challenging and tiring, but I love spending time with my family, and I always wanted to have a big family, so I feel really blessed,” she added.

Fr. Stoffel said the arrival of the twins has been a joyful time not only for the families, but for him and the other parishioners as well.

“The parish has been amazed at the numbers of little children being born in pairs to fellow members,” he said. “It’s so funny. Something that started out looking like coincidence now really is amazing.” When the babies are at Mass, Fr. Stoffel said he sees more smiles among parishioners.

“There’s always a little extra attention from parishioners. They ask, ‘How are you doing? Is there anything we can do to help?’ They are obviously delighted and very interested in the parents and children,” he said.

Maybe it’s time for Fr. Stoffel to have the water tested. He recently learned that parishioners Peter and Emily Gutschenritter are also expecting twins later this summer.

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