During the first session of the Women of Grace study, I tell the women that my mother named me appropriately, Martha because I’m “a doer!” But one day I heard a voice in the inner recesses of my heart say, “Martha, Martha, Come and sit with Mary at my feet.” The next thing I knew, I found myself participating in a Women of Grace study at a nearby parish!! I fell in love with the study and realized I had a long, long way to go on my spiritual journey. The rain of graces from the study poured, not only upon my self, but upon my family as well. My husband and I began praying the rosary together and the following Fall, Tony was right beside me as a daily communicant!! My burning desire, my mission, was to create an opportunity for women from all walks of life to embark upon this journey of discovery and transformation. The week that I was to begin facilitating my first Women of Grace group at my parish, negative thoughts plagued me like, “What are you doing? You can’t facilitate this program! You don’t know enough! What if you are asked a question, and you do not know the answer?!” I held my ground and didn’t allow the evil one to discourage me. Throughout the bible we see how the Lord “qualifies the unqualified.” That was me but through my fiat, my “yes”, three Women of Grace studies were implemented at my parish; one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening. At one point, we had five studies running at various times throughout the week. Over three hundred women have had the opportunity to go through this life-changing program and it is now being offered in five other surrounding parishes. Our Lady impregnated my soul with a holy zeal for Women of Grace. As a facilitator, a profound gift is given!! The Holy Spirit allows me to witness His abundant fruit sprouting in the hearts of the women he has entrusted to me. Just one example was when I saw a woman’s face transformed after she returned to the Sacrament of Reconciliation after forty years!! For those considering becoming a facilitator, I can not express the importance of spending time in prayer. It is prayer which allows the Holy Spirit to work in and through you. As this New Year unfolds, may Our Lady and her spouse, the Holy Spirit, prepare your hearts with a double portion of fortitude to birth Jesus to the world!
These are certainly unprecedented times. One only need to watch the evening news to see that the world seems to be quickly spiraling out of control. That is why the March for Life is an event of such great hope. It is the powerful witness of hundreds of thousands of pro-life individuals from varying faith backgrounds marching together to give a voice to the voiceless unborn children and their parents who have been wounded by abortion.
Those who March are the white (as opposed to red) martyrs of this generation. Though they may not be called to shed their blood, they are called to walk in a spirit of self-sacrifice and like the martyrs, draw upon the virtue of fortitude. It is fortitude which propels the soul to act in spite of fear or discomfort. It is fortitude that gives the soldier the strength to enter into the battle. It is fortitude which enables one to lay down their life for a friend. As St. Therese of Lisieux reminds us: it doesn’t’ matter if we have courage – as long as we act like we do.
So on this January 22nd, which marks the 38th anniversary of the March for Life and the devastating Roe vs. Wade decision, we call upon God to bestow upon those who will march, a double portion of His strength and fortitude. We are in solidarity with you, our dear brothers and sisters in Christ and are grateful for the hope that you bring into this very fallen world.
"O Lord God of hosts, You said in your Gospel , 'I am not come to bring peace but the sword'; provide me with desire to fight for Your glory, but I beseech You, strengthen my courage. Then with holy King David I can exclaim: 'You alone are my shield, O God; it is You who prepare my hands for war.'
"O my Jesus, I will fight for You as long as I live, and love will be my sword. My weakness should never discourage me; when in the morning I feel no courage or strength for the practice of virtue, I must look upon this state as a grace, for You teach me that it is the very moment to put the axe to the root of the tree, counting only on Your help."
"What merit would there be in fighting only when I feel courage? What does it matter even if I have none, provide that I act as if I had? " (St. Therese of Lisieaux quote from Divine Intimacy, page 839)
"The first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner he wills it; and thirdly to do it because it is his will." St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
As a Catholic revert, it was with great joy and surprise that I was introduced to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. I, like many, at the beginning of my faith journey, viewed sainthood as something that was only attainable to priests and religious who dedicated their entire lives to prayer, fasting, and extreme penances. In other words, it wasn't for a lay person like myself. Mrs. Seton taught me differently.
The countdown to the New Year is fast approaching. Will you be making resolutions?
For most of us, the answer is yes. If you are a regular reader of this blog then you know that last year, I wrote a blog using the acronym R-E-S-O-L-V-E-D to help us focus our resolutions on the things that really matter. The "L" in the acronym stood for "Listening" in which I encouraged the cultivation of a listening spirit so that we could hear the voice of God in our everyday circumstances. In addition to prayer of the Holy Rosary, Eucharistic Adoration, and Lectio Divina, one of my favorite ways to practice "listening" is spiritual reading.
I've compiled the list below which features some of my all time favorite books for spiritual reflection, prayer, meditation and direction. I hope that you will incorporate one or several of them into your Catholic library because I know that you too will see much fruit in your relationship with God as a result. They are in no particular order.
This month's Facilitator Spotlight is Jennie Stanbro. Jennie experienced many challenges, including cancer, as she went forward in her mission to begin Women of Grace in her parish but she persevered and through it all, Our Lady was there to guide and direct her efforts.
I have been married for 36 years and am the mother of six children (four married, and 15 and 13 year old sons). My husband and I decided early on that God had called me to be a stay at home mom, and I’ve served in that role for the last 35 years, which at times has been difficult due to a society that was no longer supporting this traditional role. I have witnessed in my lifetime a grave deterioration of womanhood through false promises and images portrayed in our culture then and still today. I knew I wanted to reach out to women who struggled with these false promises, but I didn’t know how.
Here's an inspiring video to carry you into the final week of Advent. Please pray for Michael Hennessey and his family as he races to beat the world record for the number of triathlons competed in a year AND raise awareness and funds for children with Trisomy disorders. God bless you Michael!
Fr. Solanus often encouraged people to pray for vocations just as he did to discern his own calling to the Capuchin Order. It is related in his biography that he invited his mother and sister to join him in a novena of prayer before the feast of the Immaculate Conception in 1896 to determine which Religious Order he should enter. At the end of their novena after Holy Communion, he felt Our Lady was telling him “go to Detroit.” That meant going to the Capuchins whose headquarters were in Detroit. Many years later he made a short reference to this in a small notebook found among his writings.
Knowing how special this novena was for him, we at the Guild Office invite you to join us in a private novena from November 30 to December 8, ( making this in connection with Fr. Solanus’ novena) to pray for the advancement of Venerable Solanus’ Cause for Beatification. But as well to add your own intention for discernment of ones life’s path, with a vocation, or other special needs for yourself or loved ones.
The novena maybe prayed privately at a time and place of your own choice with prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Prayers are posted on our web site at www.solanuscasey.org or call (313-579-2100 ext. 161).
Our Women of Grace® Facilitators are truly on the frontline of the cultural battlefield of souls. Through the gifts of receptivity, trust, and surrender, they are assisting women around the world to gain a deeper understanding of their call and vocation to authentic femininity and spiritual motherhood. Each month, we will highlight one of our facilitators and how they are using Women of Grace® to touch the lives of women in their hometowns. Vicki Crispo is a leader in the Women of Grace® movement and her story is below.
My Women of Grace® journey began in 2003 at the first conference in Doylestown, Pa. I had recently experienced a tug at my heart by Our Lady to help bring her to other women, and she lead me to that inaugural conference. It was life changing. All the truth about who I was and why I was came into a clear focus that weekend. I experienced this transformation immediately and completely and was blessed that another woman from my parish, Peggy Pritchard was there as well and since that moment we have been on this journey together. In those early years, we jokingly called ourselves "Women of Grace® Groupies" because we attended all the conferences.
Looking to the future, we also anticipate working with our diocesan Adult Ed coordinator to offer the Women of Grace® study to parishes through presentations to the pastors. All of course is in the hands of Our Lady in her perfect timing! To whom much has been given, much will be asked!
When the Foundational Study was finally unveiled in Chicago in 2005, we brought it home to Pennsylvania and began offering it to our closest circle of friends, and then to anyone who felt called to it. Always it was Our Lady who called the women; our job was simply to trust HER with each group. When the women registered for a study group, we immediately sent them the novena to the Holy Spirit to begin praying. When we met for that first evening, we all prayed that novena together and that set the tone for the whole study. He was in charge and Our Lady would ultimately be our facilitator.
We named each group after Our Lady: Ave Maria, Magnificat, Lourdes, Guadalupe etc. Her presence with us was so tangible. Women would complete the study and immediately want to repeat it. Some repeated it 3 or 4 times. When challenges or glitches occurred, we invoked the assistance of "Our Lady Undoer of Knots" trusting that she would intercede. As we were enrolled in the school of Our Mother and learned to sit at her feet, she taught us to put aside our opinions and egos and allow the Holy Spirit to do the work. Before we left each session, we exchanged nametags so each woman would have her special prayer sister and would have an opportunity to voice what her prayer need was until the next session.
We tried to be creative and offer the study in unique ways such as a summer study for teachers or moms who were able to get childcare during the summer. Some women had lives that just did not permit extra time to do the study guide, so those women did what reading they could in the text yet still gleaned so much from the videos and discussions. The key is and always will be hospitality. We simply need to place Our Lady in our heart then as the warmth and tenderness of Our Lady shines through us, each woman is touched by Her Son.
The Women of Grace® message and mission took such root in my life that my husband's life was deeply touched and he credits my transformation for his following the prompting of the Holy Spirit as well. In 2007 he was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate in our diocese.
Following Our Mother's lead as we learned in session 8 of the study, Peggy and I became lay associates of the Missionaries of the Gospel of Life, dedicated for life to pray and work for the sanctity of life. Immediately we began a monthly outreach to post abortive women. In this way we live out our call to spiritual motherhood as we offer recovering women an opportunity to experience authentic femininity and sisterhood in Christ in a confidential setting. Very often we find ourselves using elements from the WOG study in these sessions.
In January, 2011 we will begin to offer monthly mini retreat "Mornings of Grace" for any women in our region who are Women of Grace® alumni or who simply long to connect with other authentically feminine spiritual mothers of grace. These mornings will feature opportunity for Holy Mass, light breakfast, a DVD of a Women of Grace® Show, sharing, testimony of a Woman of Grace, and prayer for healing and renewal.
To find out more about how you can become a Women of Grace® facilitator, please contact us at 1-800-558-5452 or visit our website at www.womenofgrace.com. If you are a facilitator and want to submit your story for the Facilitator Spotlight, please e-mail us at isabelle@lhla.org.
I'm sitting here trying to understand how I returned from Canada earlier this week and I'm already turning around to go back again this weekend.
Joanne and I just came back from Ottawa where we had the great blessing to take part in the Women of Bethany Retreat. It was glorious! Lorie O'Reilly, one of the main organizers, and the other ladies were a wonderful, spirit-filled group. They were kind enough to import beautiful weather for us Floridians. Fr. Mahugu was our main celebrant throughout the retreat and he was delightful - a priest who is obviously head over heels in love with Jesus.
Now, just as I'm getting unpacked and finally catching up on the piles of things to do here, we are heading to Nova Scotia for the 2010 Catholic Renewal Conference entitled, "At the Name of Jesus." I believe there is still time to register if anyone happens to be in the area of Nova Scotia. The details are on my Facebook page here.
Speaking of Canada...Karin Boston, who was kind enough to send some beautiful pictures from our Women of Grace National Conference in Sacramento had the great opportunity to attend the Canonization of St. André Bessette. She sent us the picture above.
St. André has been very dear to the hearts of myself and our staff for many years. A few years back when my father battled cancer, St. André interceded on his behalf. Thanks be to God, he has been in remission for years now. St. André was also one of our prayer warriors when my husband Anthony underwent his battle with cancer. Though it may seem that the battle was lost, we who believe in Jesus Christ understand that he won the ultimate battle of persevering with great courage until the very end.
St. André, please pray for us as we make our way back to your home country of Canada. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI at his canonization, "May we following his example, search for God with simplicity to discover Him always present in the core of our lives! May the example of Brother André inspire Canadian Christian life!"
The following letter was written by a local young man and sent to us by his mother. He wished his letter to be shared and as you read it, you will see why. Let us pray that many more young people would have this type of courage and be willing to speak boldly for what they believe.
For all the mothers of girls of any age out there: Three of my four sisters recently attended a talk billed as being on the subject of modesty and I was thinking what a great opportunity for lots of girls to hear about how important modesty is in the world today. Unfortunately, the talk ended up being more about fashion and much less about modesty and dressing responsibly to reflect one’s true image as a child of God. I am writing as a 19-year-old guy to tell you from the point of view of a Catholic man why modesty is so important. Girls and women out there of all ages (mothers included) should be aware that they can be responsible for leading so many guys astray just by how they dress. I’m talking as a teenage guy and believe me when I say a man struggles more than you could ever imagine with impure thoughts at any age (just ask your father or your grandfather). These impure thoughts can lead men into sin very easily, and those sins are of no small matter. We all see a world today where rampant infidelity has led to the heartbreak of divorce and broken families, promiscuous lifestyles and a huge pornographic industry easily accessed by the Internet. Today, immodesty surrounds us in society at large. Even at church there are women and girls who knowingly or unknowingly compete with Jesus for the attention of guys by dressing in an immodest way in the most holy place where it’s the least acceptable to God! Please, don't try to steal the attention of men by your choice of immodest clothing at church. Our focus is suppose to be on Jesus, not you. So this is why I ask you women out there to be aware of the power and responsibility you have - simply by the way you dress - to make our world a more pure and holy place. By the daily decision of how you dress, a girl or woman can really decide to show she belongs to God not only by not tempting those of the opposite sex, but also because God has already made her beautiful in her own right and there is no need to go further by revealing that which God doesn’t want revealed. So my advice for you is: Please, don’t allow your daughters or yourselves to follow the world’s example and wear: bikinis, tight clothing of any kind, short clothing of any kind (shorts, skirts, dresses), miniskirts, or low-cut shirts. To me, and any man that loves God, I would rather look at a girl’s eyes without being distracted or tempted to look at any other part of her body. The way a guy looks at a girl is different from the way a girl looks at a guy. While most girls look at a guy and see the whole person, a guy will look at a girl and be tempted to view them in parts. The parts of a girl’s body that a man gets distracted with are the legs, breasts, and butt. So please, DO NOT make these parts of your body the main focus of yourselves unless you want to be leading men into sin by lusting after you and treating you as an object instead of a child of God. In an apparition of the Virgin Mary in Fatima , our Blessed Mother told the children that the majority of souls who go to Hell go there because of sins of impurity. Just ask yourself please: Would it be OK for you or your daughter to undress in front of any random guy and allow yourself to be seen in your bra and underwear? I would hope not. Well then why would you allow guys to view you and your daughter in a bikini? A bikini is nothing more than waterproof underwear and bra. It is a huge source of temptation for guys. How can seeing a girl in her bra and underwear, not be a huge temptation for any man, no matter the age and no matter the girl? Please, no matter how “old-fashioned” this may sound, do not wear bikinis or allow your daughters to wear them. I know the pressure to get attention and to want to look great is everywhere, but if you do not stop this, who will? Pray to God to give you His wisdom and prudence to make the right decision in how you dress. Perhaps you previously didn’t know how grave this matter is, but now that you do I trust you will do everything in your power to help us guys who are bombarded from every direction with temptations to the sins of impurity.
During the first session of the Women of Grace study, I tell the women that my mother named me appropriately, Martha because I’m “a doer!” But one day I heard a voice in the inner recesses of my heart say, “Martha, Martha, Come and sit with Mary at my feet.” The next thing I knew, I found myself participating in a Women of Grace study at a nearby parish!! I fell in love with the study and realized I had a long, long way to go on my spiritual journey. The rain of graces from the study poured, not only upon my self, but upon my family as well. My husband and I began praying the rosary together and the following Fall, Tony was right beside me as a daily communicant!! My burning desire, my mission, was to create an opportunity for women from all walks of life to embark upon this journey of discovery and transformation. The week that I was to begin facilitating my first Women of Grace group at my parish, negative thoughts plagued me like, “What are you doing? You can’t facilitate this program! You don’t know enough! What if you are asked a question, and you do not know the answer?!” I held my ground and didn’t allow the evil one to discourage me. Throughout the bible we see how the Lord “qualifies the unqualified.” That was me but through my fiat, my “yes”, three Women of Grace studies were implemented at my parish; one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening. At one point, we had five studies running at various times throughout the week. Over three hundred women have had the opportunity to go through this life-changing program and it is now being offered in five other surrounding parishes. Our Lady impregnated my soul with a holy zeal for Women of Grace. As a facilitator, a profound gift is given!! The Holy Spirit allows me to witness His abundant fruit sprouting in the hearts of the women he has entrusted to me. Just one example was when I saw a woman’s face transformed after she returned to the Sacrament of Reconciliation after forty years!! For those considering becoming a facilitator, I can not express the importance of spending time in prayer. It is prayer which allows the Holy Spirit to work in and through you. As this New Year unfolds, may Our Lady and her spouse, the Holy Spirit, prepare your hearts with a double portion of fortitude to birth Jesus to the world!
"The first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner he wills it; and thirdly to do it because it is his will." St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
As a Catholic revert, it was with great joy and surprise that I was introduced to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. I, like many, at the beginning of my faith journey, viewed sainthood as something that was only attainable to priests and religious who dedicated their entire lives to prayer, fasting, and extreme penances. In other words, it wasn't for a lay person like myself. Mrs. Seton taught me differently.
The countdown to the New Year is fast approaching. Will you be making resolutions?
For most of us, the answer is yes. If you are a regular reader of this blog then you know that last year, I wrote a blog using the acronym 
I have been married for 36 years and am the mother of six children (four married, and 15 and 13 year old sons). My husband and I decided early on that God had called me to be a stay at home mom, and I’ve served in that role for the last 35 years, which at times has been difficult due to a society that was no longer supporting this traditional role. I have witnessed in my lifetime a grave deterioration of womanhood through false promises and images portrayed in our culture then and still today. I knew I wanted to reach out to women who struggled with these false promises, but I didn’t know how.
Fr. Solanus often encouraged people to pray for vocations just as he did to discern his own calling to the Capuchin Order. It is related in his biography that he invited his mother and sister to join him in a 
Our Women of Grace® Facilitators are truly on the frontline of the cultural battlefield of souls. Through the gifts of receptivity, trust, and surrender, they are assisting women around the world to gain a deeper understanding of their call and vocation to authentic femininity and spiritual motherhood. Each month, we will highlight one of our facilitators and how they are using Women of Grace® to touch the lives of women in their hometowns. Vicki Crispo is a leader in the Women of Grace® movement and her story is below.
I'm sitting here trying to understand how I returned from Canada earlier this week and I'm already turning around to go back again this weekend.
Joanne and I just came back from Ottawa where we had the great blessing to take part in the Women of Bethany Retreat. It was glorious! Lorie O'Reilly, one of the main organizers, and the other ladies were a wonderful, spirit-filled group. They were kind enough to import beautiful weather for us Floridians. Fr. Mahugu was our main celebrant throughout the retreat and he was delightful - a priest who is obviously head over heels in love with Jesus.
Now, just as I'm getting unpacked and finally catching up on the piles of things to do here, we are heading to Nova Scotia for the 2010 Catholic Renewal Conference entitled, "At the Name of Jesus." I believe there is still time to register if anyone happens to be in the area of Nova Scotia. The details are on my Facebook page 
The following letter was written by a local young man and sent to us by his mother. He wished his letter to be shared and as you read it, you will see why. Let us pray that many more young people would have this type of courage and be willing to speak boldly for what they believe.
For all the mothers of girls of any age out there: Three of my four sisters recently attended a talk billed as being on the subject of modesty and I was thinking what a great opportunity for lots of girls to hear about how important modesty is in the world today. Unfortunately, the talk ended up being more about fashion and much less about modesty and dressing responsibly to reflect one’s true image as a child of God.
I am writing as a 19-year-old guy to tell you from the point of view of a Catholic man why modesty is so important. Girls and women out there of all ages (mothers included) should be aware that they can be responsible for leading so many guys astray just by how they dress. I’m talking as a teenage guy and believe me when I say a man struggles more than you could ever imagine with impure thoughts at any age (just ask your father or your grandfather). These impure thoughts can lead men into sin very easily, and those sins are of no small matter.
We all see a world today where rampant infidelity has led to the heartbreak of divorce and broken families, promiscuous lifestyles and a huge pornographic industry easily accessed by the Internet. Today, immodesty surrounds us in society at large. Even at church there are women and girls who knowingly or unknowingly compete with Jesus for the attention of guys by dressing in an immodest way in the most holy place where it’s the least acceptable to God! Please, don't try to steal the attention of men by your choice of immodest clothing at church. Our focus is suppose to be on Jesus, not you.
So this is why I ask you women out there to be aware of the power and responsibility you have - simply by the way you dress - to make our world a more pure and holy place. By the daily decision of how you dress, a girl or woman can really decide to show she belongs to God not only by not tempting those of the opposite sex, but also because God has already made her beautiful in her own right and there is no need to go further by revealing that which God doesn’t want revealed.
So my advice for you is: Please, don’t allow your daughters or yourselves to follow the world’s example and wear: bikinis, tight clothing of any kind, short clothing of any kind (shorts, skirts, dresses), miniskirts, or low-cut shirts. To me, and any man that loves God, I would rather look at a girl’s eyes without being distracted or tempted to look at any other part of her body. The way a guy looks at a girl is different from the way a girl looks at a guy. While most girls look at a guy and see the whole person, a guy will look at a girl and be tempted to view them in parts. The parts of a girl’s body that a man gets distracted with are the legs, breasts, and butt. So please, DO NOT make these parts of your body the main focus of yourselves unless you want to be leading men into sin by lusting after you and treating you as an object instead of a child of God. In an apparition of the Virgin Mary in Fatima , our Blessed Mother told the children that the majority of souls who go to Hell go there because of sins of impurity.
Just ask yourself please: Would it be OK for you or your daughter to undress in front of any random guy and allow yourself to be seen in your bra and underwear? I would hope not. Well then why would you allow guys to view you and your daughter in a bikini? A bikini is nothing more than waterproof underwear and bra. It is a huge source of temptation for guys. How can seeing a girl in her bra and underwear, not be a huge temptation for any man, no matter the age and no matter the girl? Please, no matter how “old-fashioned” this may sound, do not wear bikinis or allow your daughters to wear them.
I know the pressure to get attention and to want to look great is everywhere, but if you do not stop this, who will? Pray to God to give you His wisdom and prudence to make the right decision in how you dress. Perhaps you previously didn’t know how grave this matter is, but now that you do I trust you will do everything in your power to help us guys who are bombarded from every direction with temptations to the sins of impurity.
