Englehardt, mother of 7, is Regina Matrum recipient

Valerie Englehardt is so passionately Catholic, her children’s earliest memories are of cuddling with their mother every night to recount the day’s blessings and kneeling alongside her to say “The Shepherd’s Prayer.” In the morning, they would be awakened by the sound of their mother singing the prayer “Good Morning, Dear Jesus.”

In between these bookends of the day, the seven Englehardt children were expected to live out their faith, whether that meant standing up for a bullied classmate, visiting the sick at nursing homes, routinely receiving the sacrament of reconciliation or inviting friends to their home’s Sunday night rosary.
 

“Her message was clear: God is the stronghold of who we are, why we are here and who we are to live by,” said fifth-born Mark Englehardt, calling his mother’s loving transmission of the faith the “step stool” of his upbringing.

“No matter what happens, we know that God will always be by our side and we will always be loved,” he added. “I also knew no matter what, my mom would be there for me as well.”