Dr. Daniel and Bethany Meola

Dr. Daniel and Bethany Meola are the founders and directors of Life-Giving Wounds, a Catholic ministry dedicated to the spiritual healing of adult children of divorce or separation.

Dan is an adult child of divorce who earned his Ph.D. in Theology of Marriage and Family from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington, D.C. He has been leading retreats and support groups for adult children of divorce or separation since 2015 in the Archdiocese of Washington, and in 2018 he founded Life-Giving Wounds to spread the retreat, support groups, and other ministry to adult children of divorce or separation around the country.

Dan has over fifteen years of experience running retreats and giving presentations to various groups, including for youth, young adults, engaged couples, and families.

Bethany has a master of theological studies degree from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington, D.C. She and Dan met there and married in 2011. Bethany served the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for seven years in the Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth. Among other tasks, she managed the website For Your Marriage, and researched and wrote on various topics related to marriage and family. 

In 2017, Dan and Bethany welcomed their daughter Zelie-Louise through the gift of adoption, and Bethany became a stay-at-home mom. And in 2019, Grace joined their family, also through adoption. The Meolas live in Bowie, MD.