My name is Rose Newcomer and I am literally a “newcomer” since I have only been a Women of Grace Regional Coordinator for the past year. My journey began in 2008 when I attended my first Malvern Retreat. It was at this retreat that I met a woman who was to become a very dear friend in my life. She introduced me to the Women of Grace Full of Grace: Women and the Abundant Life Foundational Study Program at her parish and since then I have facilitated seven classes, bringing this life transforming gift to nearly 100 faith-filled daughters of God.

Last year my home diocese of Allentown was blessed with a weekend visit from Johnnette (see above picture). She introduced the Women of Grace program in Spanish to our lovely Hispanic sisters in Reading, PA and shared her ministry with two other parishes in the diocese. She touched the lives of over three hundred women that weekend, especially mine. It was at this retreat weekend that Johnnette asked me to become a Regional Coordinator and with tears in my eyes I gave my “fiat” to Women of Grace and to Our Lady.

I have seen the growth of Women of Grace in my immediate area with parishes offering Women of Grace One Day retreats and monthly get togethers. Some parishes offer the program two or three times a year. In my own parish, we offer an Advent Reflection for women and we are in the planning stages for this year’s event.

Recently, I met with a young woman from the Archdiocese Of Philadelphia from the Office of New Evangelization. I shared WOG with her and we both walked through the process of having the program established in her parish. She told me that WOG is on their website as an approved program for women throughout the diocese and that she would love to host a WOG in-action event in 2016!

WOG is continuing to bloom in Pennsylvania and we were also blessed with a new Regional Coordinator this year, Chris Arnold, who will help me to keep WOG growing!