Our Story
The Image of God Institute exists to help people encounter Jesus Christ through the wisdom of St. John Paul II — in prayer, in community, and in the ordinary moments of daily life.
How It Began
Meet Michael & Heather Vento
Heather came to St. John Paul II’s teaching as a young chastity educator. She spent seven years in retreat ministry, teaching teenagers that the faith wasn’t a list of rules but a way of being fully alive. St. John Paul II’s vision gave her the language for what she’d been trying to say all along.
Michael’s path started with grief. His seven-year-old nephew’s death in college opened questions he couldn’t set down — about suffering, about prayer, about the meaning of life. Christ met him in those questions, and a priest handed him a set of Theology of the Body tapes that set him on a trajectory he’s still walking.
Their first date was a conversation about St. John Paul and his wisdom.
Years later — after marriage, children, and a career in financial services — Michael and Heather kept asking the same question as they watched the culture around them fracture: what more can we do?
The answer came through a friend. A college campus minister asked if they’d be willing to teach a few students who wanted to go deeper into JP2. Five became twelve. Twelve became more. For two years, they walked with a small core of young adults who were hungry for something real.
The Image of God Institute grew from those relationships.
What We Do
We work at two scales, with one mission.
In parishes, we walk alongside leadership for a full year — forming a core team, teaching the vision, and building the kind of witness community that doesn’t disappear when we leave.
In homes, we gather small groups for retreats — a few people in an inviting setting, learning to pray, to know themselves, and to recognize Christ in the people next to them.
Both pour into the same work: helping ordinary Catholics live a sacramental life in a culture that’s forgotten what one looks like.
What We Believe
St. John Paul’s wisdom isn’t a rulebook. It’s a way of seeing — of God, of yourself, of everything.
We believe the deepest wounds in our culture aren’t primarily moral. They’re wounds of prayer, identity, and encounter. When someone knows who God is and who they are before Him, the rest begins to follow.
That conviction shapes everything we do. We don’t lead with issues. We lead with Jesus Christ.
Where We're Going
Founded in 2016 and established as a nonprofit in 2021, the Institute has grown from a small gathering of college students into a ministry serving parishes, seminarians, campus ministries, young adults, and families.
We’re growing carefully. Our aim isn’t scale for its own sake — it’s depth. More parish engagements each year. More alumni are carrying the mission into their own homes. More witnesses came forward to testify to what Christ has done.
Everything Is Gift
Every grace in this work has come through the Blessed Mother and through God. The people who’ve shown up; the witnesses, the board, the advisory team, the families who have opened their homes – are a gift we didn’t earn.
We’re grateful. And we’re just getting started.
Come and See
Whether you’re seeking a retreat, inviting us into your parish, or standing with us as a mission partner — the door is open.