The holiday season is marked by tradition. Keeping up with old traditions can bring a sense of rootedness and belonging. It’s also beautiful to see how new traditions begin as a sense of belonging is being formed. This is the case of a beloved tradition led by Eden Invitation community members: Secret Santa.
It started back in 2019, and that first year was a huge hit! So much so that community members made this one-time event a tradition. It became an opportunity for people to step forward, offering their unique and unrepeatable selves to serve others. In this month's interview, hear from the organizers how this whole event started and how it has grown into one of our favorite events of the year!

“I see how the community of Eden Invitation has impacted my friend’s life– helped her grow deeper in her relationship with others and with Christ. I see her living a happy, chaste life– not a lonely one. And having her as a part of my community– a part of my family really– has been so important to me too.” 
“We love donating to missionaries and organizations especially when they’re close to us,” Joseph shared. “It feels more connected– like you're supporting that person directly. We feel more involved in the mission, and we love seeing the fruits!”

In 2017, one blog post was a seed in what seemed like barren ground in so many lives. Anna and Shannon planted that invitation to “take a deep breath and step into the longing” not knowing what would come of it. Now over five years later, that seed–along with their efforts–have borne much fruit in many lives. Three community members in particular have said “yes” to the call to be on mission with Eden Invitation as staff members: Andrew Reinkemeyer, David Neira, and Bernadette O’Keefe.

As graduate studies continued, Mark learned more about Eden Invitation’s strategy from his classmate’s involvement. “[EI] has a receptive approach, taking the stories of people and the stories of their lives and starting from a listening point of view, having the Church’s beautiful and cohesive vision of sexuality in mind.” This personalist receptivity resonated deeply with Mark’s own values, so it wasn’t difficult for him to get excited about Eden Invitation’s mission on a variety of levels...

​For PeterSimon, becoming a Book Club Guide was a natural next step to help make what he’s grown to love about Eden Invitation more accessible to his fellow disciples in the Church.
​“When I first dipped my toe into the wonderful world of Eden Invitation, I came into it already with a high amount of excitement, because this is something I’ve wanted for so long. I even tried to start my own thing, in my college ministry..."