Single to Married Seminar — Midtown Cultural Center

Single to Married Seminar 2026

September 2026

What is the Single to Married Seminar?

Single to Married is a weekend seminar designed to help young professional, single men to consider and prepare for a happy Christian marriage. Participants will learn about the purpose of Christian marriage and gain practical wisdom for their dating lives and future marriages. Participants gain insights into common questions such as:

How can I be more intentional in dating?
What does a successful Christian marriage require?
How do I know if she is “the one?”
How can I prepare myself now for married life and fatherhood?

These topics will be addressed in a series of talks and discussion sessions led by certified marriage and family therapist Doug Hinderer, as well as in a guided discussion between Doug and his daughter Monica, who herself is a licensed professional counselor. The seminar will also feature a panel discussion of single and married women who will give their perspectives on these topics.

The Vocation to Marriage

Marriage isn’t something that “just happens.” It is a vocation you prepare for by becoming the kind of man capable of faithful, sacrificial love. In this talk, Doug will explain the vocation of marriage and the manly virtues needed to prepare for it. He will challenge you to grow in friendship, kindness, chastity and selfless love. The talk will show that preparing for marriage begins long before dating seriously. It begins by becoming a man who can protect, provide, serve, and love like Christ.

Speaker: Doug Hinderer MA, LMFT

Doug is a licensed marriage and family therapist. He holds an MA in Marriage and Family Therapy, and maintains a limited private practice in which he provides tele-therapy throughout Illinois. In addition to seeing couples experiencing marital disharmony, he frequently speaks on a variety of marriage topics, and even hosts his own show entitled “Marriage Unhindered” on Relevant Radio. You can learn more about Doug and his on-line workshops, offered for both married couples and for couples contemplating marriage, by visiting his website – happymarriageforlife.com and you can follow him on Instagram and Facebook @happymarriageforlife. Doug has been married to his wife Shirley for 43 years. They have 9 children and 8 grandchildren.

Living Purity

Chastity is not weakness, repression, or fear of women. It is the strength to love with integrity, and trains a man to govern his desires, honor women, build trust, and love like Christ. Doug will explain why chastity is essential for authentic masculinity, dating, discernment, and preparation for marriage. He will challenge you to reject pornography, selfishness, lust, and the culture’s cheap version of love. A chaste man is not passive. He is free, disciplined, courageous, and ready for real love.

Speaker: Doug Hinderer MA, LMFT

Masculinity

Authentic manhood is a vocation of self-giving love, responsibility, and courage. In this talk Will will draw from Catholic teaching and personal experience to discuss how these virtues shape men into faithful husbands who strengthen their marriages, families, and communities. Alongside these insights, he'll share his thoughts on cultivating authentic friendships.

Speaker: Will Rey

Will Rey has been part of the Northridge community since 2004, serving for 22 years as Athletic Director and continuing today as the Varsity Basketball Coach and a teacher of Sacred Scripture. His coaching career spans more than four decades at both the high school and NCAA Division I levels, with collegiate coaching appointments at Loyola University Chicago, Wright State University, and the University of Evansville.
Widely respected for his leadership and commitment to developing student-athletes, Coach Rey has earned multiple Conference Coach of the Year and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) District Coach of the Year honors. He is also a member of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the Chicago Catholic Athletic League Hall of Fame, and the Five-Star Basketball Camp Hall of Fame. During the past season, Coach Rey reached a significant milestone, recording his 500th career victory as a high school head coach.
Coach Rey earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Northeastern Illinois University and a Master of Arts degree from Concordia University Chicago. Born in Havana, Cuba, he and his late wife, Diane, raised three children, including Rob Rey ’10, and were blessed with ten grandchildren. He and his wife, Susan, reside just minutes from the Northridge campus.

Dating: From perspective of female panel

Speakers: Christina Villa-Buss, Monica Hinderer, Sofia Kagan, Isa Pedilla

**Christina Villa-Buss** is a Chicago-area painter, potter, and educator, who lives Plainfield, Illinois, where she lives with her husband and young son. Her work has been exhibited at Jackson Junge Gallery in Chicago and is held in private and corporate collections. A graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Christina is passionate about teaching painting and drawing. Her commissioned works include projects for the University of Illinois Chicago John Paul II Newman Center, Boca Dental Studio, and numerous private collectors throughout the Chicago area.

**Monica Hinderer** - a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and coach, I combine evidence-based psychological principles with practical, action-oriented strategies. My background in cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, motivational interviewing, mindfulness, and behavioral science allows me to tailor every engagement to the unique goals and challenges of the individual.

Sofia Kagan is a single woman living in Chicago. She has worked as a hospital nurse for the past six years and recently completed her training as a nurse practitioner. Originally from the Chicago suburbs, she attended the University of Dallas for her undergraduate studies. Outside of work, she enjoys singing and playing the piano and serves as a musician at her local parish. In her free time, she loves biking, rock climbing, and spending time with family and friends.

**Isa Pardilla**, the oldest in a family of 9, enjoys spending time with her family, reading, painting and crocheting. She works as a freelance stage manager in the Chicago Area. A graduate of Willows Academy ('19) and UIC's School of Theatre and Music ('24); earning a BA in Theatre Design, Production and Technology. She enjoys working with young artists who are discovering their love of the arts. She has credits from Drury Lane Theater, Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture, Schaumburg Park District, Willows Academy and UIC.

Special Guest: Michael Gray

Michael has been married to his beloved wife Beatriz for over 20 years and has 6 kids. Michael, a lawyer, is an Executive Director at JP Morgan Chase. Beatriz gave up her career as a physician to work from home taking care of the house and kids, but has recently returned to full time work, teaching at Willows Academy. Michael has been very active for many years helping with the dad’s formational and fundraising activities for Embers Academy, Willows Academy and Sauganash Study Center. Michael loves traveling with the whole family, getting together with friends and family and telling a good joke!

Schedule

Friday

6:00pm – Arrival and getting situated

6:30 – Dinner

7:30 – Welcome and introductions

8:00 - Session 1: Masculinity with Will Rey

9:00 – Beers and camaraderie around the campfire

11:00 - Encouraged bedtime

Saturday

7:45am - Encouraged wake-up time

8:30 - Meditation

9:00 – Holy Mass (confessions available starting at 8)

10:00 – Breakfast

11:00 – Session 2: Vocation to Marriage with Doug Hinderer (Confirmed)

12:15pm – Session 3: Living Purity with Doug Hinderer (Confirmed)

1:30 – Lunch

2:30 – Get-together with Host Michael Grey (unconfirmed)

3:00 – Enjoying the outdoors!

5:00 – Free time

6:00 – Holy Rosary

6:30 – Cookout

8:00 – Movie & discussion with Dan Cheely (Confirmed)

10:30 – Encouraged bedtime

Sunday

6:45am - Encouraged wake-up time

6:45am – Encouraged wake-up time

7:30 – Meditation

8:00 – Holy Mass

9:00 – Breakfast

10:00 – Clean the house & pack your bags

11:00 – Session 4: Female Panel - Dating with Monica Hinderer, Sophia Kagan, Christina Villa-Buss, Isa Pardilla

12:00pm – Depart

Be sure to sign up as soon as able to before we run out of beds!

Additional Details

Available Activities

Swimming, boating, basketball, other sports, bonfires, reading.

Logistics

$70. This includes lodging, Friday dinner, all meals on Saturday, and breakfast on Sunday.

Location

A lake house in Bristol, WI. Bristol is just over the Wisconsin border, a 90-minute drive from downtown Chicago. (The address will be provided upon registration.)