Maria Middleton participated in the Young Women of Grace program with her classmates at Regina Academy in Ottsville, Pennsylvania in 2017. Little did she know at the time, but she was soon to be diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor that would claim her life three years later. The following article about the remarkable final journey of this courageous young woman appeared in the Spring edition of Signs & Wonders for Our Times magazine and is reprinted here with their kind permission.
Bethany shares how Young Women of Grace impacted her during high school and beyond and helped her find supportive and loving Catholic mentors to help her stay strong in her faith.
(Johnnette with the volunteer team at Holy Name of Jesus Parish)
by Kate Mathis
What a blessing it was to come together with our Sacred Sisters in Harrisburg Pennsylvania! Johnnette led us through faith-filled presentations and unpacked how to live out authentic femininity in the midst of suffering and uncertainty. After so much time apart, you could feel the relief and joy in the room to be with sisters in Christ once again! Together we were emboldened to stand firm on the teachings of the Church and forge ahead in trust-filled hope.
Maria MiddletonMaria Middleton was a young teen when she participated in the Young Women of Grace program at her school and learned what it meant to be authentically feminine and to claim the dignity that was hers by virtue of being a daughter of God. Her life was like any other young teens until that fateful day in January 2019, when she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor on her brain stem. From that moment on, everything changed.
Lizzie (L) and Betsey (R) work together to hone their message that "friends forgive!"What better way to complete the Young Women of Grace: Embrace Your Femininity Study than by celebrating the gift of spiritual motherhood? The 13 young women from Christ the King parish in Chicago who took the course this year decided there was no better way to spend their last meeting together than by exercising this all-important feminine gift.
Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDSMiley Cyrus is up to her old tricks, kicking off a fundraising campaign for Planned Parenthood on social media by behaving badly. This time, it was posting a photo of herself licking a birthday cake that declared "Abortion IS Healthcare" along with a message laced with vulgar expletives which was sent to her millions of teen followers. Is this really who we want our teen girls to admire? Don’t we have a better role model for our daughters that might guide them toward a healthier lifestyle?
For those women who are tired of feeling defeated and overwhelmed by the darkening of our culture, the next Women of Grace retreat at the Malvern Retreat House may be just what they need to restore their hope and give them the courage to unleash their feminine genius and join womankind on their sacred mission to “save the peace of the world.”
Women of Grace®, the nation’s leading Catholic women’s apostolate, is hosting a one-day Young Women of Grace® retreat for teen girls ages 13+. This fun-filled day is designed to help girls discover their feminine genius and learn how to use it to not just survive in this toxic culture, but to thrive in spite of it!
Jill attended a Young Women of Grace group in western Pennsylvania in 2018."When I first started Young Women of Grace, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to be in a group of girls that I was somewhat familiar with, but it helped us get a little closer because we were eager to grow more in our faith, especially as young women living in this generation. Probably the neatest thing about the program was the fact that inserted in the book were stories of real female saints that overcame incredible hardships. Personally this is striking because it shows how powerful women can be especially with the help of God."
If you’re thinking of starting a group, or are already facilitating one, remember that the Young Women of Grace Development Team is here to help you with anything you might need, from how to get a group started to ways to keep your meetings interesting and fun. We’ll help you every step of the way! Just email young@womenofgrace.com and let us know how we can help.
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