Saints Under Construction - The Cresaps

Doug and Renee Cresap certainly don’t need a map to find their way around the campus at Mary, Queen of Peace.

Not only are they active in various ministries, but they have been MQP parents for 13 years as their three children attended school there.

Their time at MQP has coincided with a radical deepening of their Catholic faith, making them living examples of the parish’s mission: “fostering life-changing encounters with Jesus.”

A little over a decade ago, the Cresaps were looking for a Catholic school to enroll their children. They visited several in the area before settling on MQP.

“Ultimately, we decided that Mary, Queen of Peace felt like home for us,” Doug said. “It had more of a family feel.”

Renee was no stranger to MQP. She had attended Mass there with her family dating back to when the church was in the Turtle Creek Shopping Center on Highway 22.

She, too, felt good about making MQP the Cresap family’s home parish. 

“It was warm and inviting,” Renee said.

And it was the start of a spiritual journey that has paid huge dividends for the cradle Catholics.

“Through the school, we kind of established our roots,” Doug said. “Over time, we got more and more involved in the church.”

The Cresaps were on a mission to deepen their faith. Doug even took Bible study classes with members of other denominations. It exposed him to Bible study, small group

meetings and fervent fellowship promoted by other faiths. 

They even briefly pondered joining another denomination but eventually realized that Catholicism was part of their spiritual DNA.

“We both were raised Catholic,” Renee said. “And he (Doug) said ‘our parents really sacrificed a lot to raise us in the faith so before we walk away, we need to know what

we’re walking away from.’”

It didn’t take long for them to realize that MQP could provide all that they needed to bolster their spiritual lives, and more.

“I started finding all these other ways to get this Protestant kind of knowledge or study, but through Catholicism,” Doug said. “I felt called to go start a small group, people that I knew who were looking for more and were in the same stage of life.”

Before long, they both developed a thirst for learning about and sharing the faith with others. That thirst led them to better understand why they believe what they believe. There were many “aha” moments.

“I would learn things and come in and tell him “Did you know this?’” Renee said. “And there was an excitement, and there was a conversation that we had never had as a couple about our faith up until that point and it just catapulted us to where we are now.”

The Cresaps are now involved in a myriad of activities and ministries at MQP. Doug helped stage retreats and launched a men’s small group that meets early on Friday morning. He serves as an usher at the 9:30 am Mass on Sundays and is a member of the Alpha and Men’s Ministry team.

Renee leads the Faith Friday Women’s Bible Study, serves on the Stewardship Committee and is in charge of the upcoming Night in Bethlehem event.

Together, the Cresaps do in-home marriage preparation for couples approaching matrimony in the Church.

Their revved-up Catholic faith has enriched both their spiritual and family lives.

“It helped us grow so much closer as a couple being on that journey together and sharing in that common thing – that common thing being something as important as your faith life,” Doug said. “It’s huge.”

He said it was the desire to promote the story of their unique spiritual journey that prompted them to participate in the marriage preparation program at MQP.

“We wanted to share that excitement with other couples,” Doug said. 

The Cresap family includes daughters Mia, 17, and Ava, 15; and son, Carter, 10. All are products of MQP school, where Carter remains enrolled.

“Mary Queen of Peace is really an extension of our home and our family,” Renee said. “It’s my second home and I love being around everyone here.”