As Catholic women leaders we are sent by God to help keep light on the path to Jesus when there is much darkness in the World. We must hold on to hope, summarized in the acronym of H - "hold on to the truth of faith," O - "own the challenge," P - "persevere with prayer and patience," and E - "expect God's intervention." Johnnette Williams shares her prayer reflection that Our Blessed Mother has sent a special outpouring of grace upon all our facilitators to add them in this important work. Mary Dillenback reviews key teaching points from Chapter 1 of the Foundational Study of lessons that we learn from Our Blessed Mother, including maintaining a spirit of peace and joy as we pursue our mission to help bear spiritual life to the world. Facilitators are encouraged to watch a Women of Grace TV Christmas special (WGR11100) that includes a beautiful rendition of the song "You Raise Me Up" sung by Barbara Padilla. Read More …

Regional Coordinator Monthly Meeting Read More …

In honoring the feast day of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we recall how Mary gave herself entirely to God forever and provides a model for us in dealing with hardships through a life of faith, hope and love. We grow as Catholic women leaders when we remain devoted to her and imitate her virtues. This session focuses on the Cardinal Virtue of Prudence, which the Catechism defines (CCC1806) as having God as our first priority; everything else then falls into place. Read More …

This retreat for Regional Coordinators and Staff was led by Bishop William Waltersheid, from the Diocese of Pittsburgh, PA, who is also the new Spiritual Advisor for the Women of Grace apostolate. The Bishop presented two talks. with each followed by a time of reflection and discussion:  I. Our Lady and the Grace of Yes (Fiat) and II. Our Lady and the Grace of Mission. Read More …

Growing as a Catholic Woman Leader requires us to focus on what God desires us to be. We begin by following in the footsteps of our Blessed Mother and can gain great insight by staying in the present moment with Jesus at each step as did Mary. We benefit from focusing on beauty which was always on the heart of the Blessed Mother. One fruitful practice is using Visio Divina -- or "sacred seeing" -- where meditating on the visible (i.e., Sacred Art) helps make the invisible more apparent in a powerful way. As disciples of Christ, we need to ask: "What keeps me from following Jesus? What do I need to leave behind?" Be confident that Jesus wants to transform our hearts. Read More …

Starting off the second year of this series, we explore how to attain and maintain peace in our lives by placing ourselves into the Immaculate Heart of Mary and our trust in the Lord. We need solitude and a consistent prayer life to experience peace and then share that peace with others: "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God." (Gal 3:15) Our session includes a Visio Divina exercise, helping us to gain insight and inspiration from Joan of Arc's example. We pray for the grace to hear and respond to God's call to step forward in faith, demonstrating a magnanimous love and humility to achieve great things for the Lord. Read More …

This session delves into the importance and role of self-knowledge to spiritual growth. We look to our Blessed Mother as the model of pondering all things in her heart to better understand God's purpose. As Women of Grace facilitators we can reflect on our growth achieved through the Foundational Study and the importance of prayer in developing our capacity to hear and respond to God's voice in our lives. St. Catherine of Siena provides inspiration for us on our journey: "Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire!" Read More …

Msgr. Arthur Calkins led a morning retreat on teaching and reflection from his book Totus Tuus: Pope St. John Paull II's Program of Marian Consecration and Entrustment Read More …

Paco Gavrilides led a half-day retreat on authentic leadership.  Read More …

Regional Coordinator Monthly Meeting Read More …