Welcome to Fairest Love Families! This series highlights families throughout the United States who have a love for their Catholic faith and a devotion to the Blessed Mother.

We’re sharing a little bit about Tom and Eva Hane! 

The two met in college and share 5 wonderful children together, ages 10 down to 18 months. They live just a block away from where Tom grew up in Alton, Illinois.

Eva gives us a glimpse of the beautiful life she and Tom have built together with the foundation of their faith and devotion to Mary…

Do you have any religious traditions that you keep as a family?

Yes we do! We love living out the liturgical year with its feasts and traditions, always with Holy Mass at the center. 

Singing together is an essential element of our domestic church. We love to sing grace and hymns as part of our daily prayer. 

Pilgrimages have been a beloved tradition for us. Tom and I began our marriage with a pilgrimage to Santiago of Compostela, followed by several pilgrimages to Fatima in that first year because we were living in Portugal. Ever since, we make it a priority to take our children on pilgrimages, both near and far. Normally, we do May pilgrimages to a nearby statue or shrine of Our Lady, but sometimes we go a little farther! Last year we were able to take everyone to Fatima for our 10th wedding anniversary. 

What role does your faith play in your family life?

Our faith is everything. A firm anchor and roadmap for our lives; our reason for being and living with a lot of love and hope and trust that Christ has conquered sin and death. It’s a beautiful tapestry that we are being woven into; a deep well of inspiration, of mystery, of awe that we can always draw upon and enter into. 

We have a number of family mottoes taken from the saints, and we hold these dear. One is “Dios y Audacia”– “God and Daring”– from St. Josemaria; another is “Fides Quarens Intellectum”–“Faith Seeking Understanding” from St. Anselm.    

What is your favorite prayer to recite as a family?

Probably The Divine Praises. They were Tom’s father’s favorite prayer and, after his death two years ago, we say them often. We hope he is joining us from Heaven in that prayer. 

Share a moment when the Blessed Mother has helped you through a difficult time or a challenge you faced as a family…

As I said earlier, we spent our first year of marriage in Portugal. That time near Fatima deepened our devotion to Mary very much. 

Soon after we returned to the United States, we miscarried our first pregnancy. Our Lady helped us through that time, and we named the baby Fatima in her honor. We continue to dedicate ourselves and our family to serving Our Lady of Fatima and entrusting our cares to her. 

What do you hope your children understand from your devotion to Our Lady? 

We want them to love her and to know she is their mother and to understand how much Our Lord wants us to go to her. We also want them to know her as their Queen, and that, as children of the Queen, they have a noble calling and dignity in the world. 

What about your faith do you hope to impart on your children?

Nunc Coepi, Begin again.