Category Archives: Women of Grace

Exciting News! The Women of Grace 2013 Benedicta Leadership Institute for Women

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Dear Friends,

peggyhartshornI have very exciting news! Peggy Hartshorn, President of Heartbeat International, an affiliation of over 1400 crisis pregnancy centers internationally, will be presenting our Benedicta Leadership Institute this year, July 11th – 12th. She will train all attendees in her highly successful method for communication and leadership called called the L.O.V.E. Approach. The theme of the Institute is “The L.O.V.E. Approach…For Such A Time As This (Esther 4:14).”

Called to transform the world one woman at a time, Women of Grace exercise the charism of authentic femininity through the gift of spiritual motherhood. With the Blessed Virgin Mary as their exemplar, Women of Grace seek to do for the beleaguered Body of Christ in our day what Our Lady did for the infant Church in hers. Empathy, self-donation, compassion, and the faithful witness to truth characterize this apostolate of love, and build a strong dynamic for a profoundly Catholic women’s leadership. The Women of Grace® 2013 Benedicta Leadership Institute for Women® will train women in a proven approach that develops these four virtues, and is applicable to all professions, vocations, states in life, and life situations. Women of Grace® Regional Coordinators and Facilitators will find this approach particularly valuable in their interaction with each other and in the work God has entrusted to them with their study group participants.

The L.O.V.E. APPROACH™ Is:

• Completely consistent with Sacred Scripture and Catholic Teaching

• A catalyst for achieving a “civilization of love” according to the vision of Blessed John Paul II

• A jump start for the “New Evangelization”

• Proven efficacious and effective with women via 1400 international crisis pregnancy centers

Attendees will come away with skill development in:

• Listening with empathy and understanding

• Opening options with loving concern and compassion

• Imparting a new vision of life and relationships with values and virtues faithful to God’s desire for us

• Extending hope others by helping them constructing a new plan for their life through goal-setting and strategy development

Margaret “Peggy” Hartshorn, Ph.D., is the developer of The L.O.V.E. Approach which has been used with great success in over 1400 crisis pregnancy centers internationally. Since 1993, Dr. Hartshorn has been president of Heartbeat International, the most expansive network of Christ-centered, life-affirming, pregnancy help ministries in the world, with over 1,400 affiliated pregnancy help centers, medical clinics, maternity homes, adoption agencies, and abortion recovery programs, located in forty-eight countries. She has been a guest on the Women of Grace® Television Program, seen on EWTN and hosted by Johnnette Benkovic, and is one of the guest contributors via video to the new Women of Grace® Study, Feminine Genius…”For Such A Time as This (Esther 4:14)”: Blessed John Paul II and Authentic Femininity.

For information or to register for the Benedicta Leadership Institute or the Women of Grace Retreat, both located in Malvern, PA, please visit our website here or call the Malvern Retreat Center at 1-610-644-0400. 

Yours in Christ,
Johnnette

 

Five Benefits of Marrying Within Your Faith

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Couple reading BibleEver since I was a little girl, I always dreamed of marrying the man of my dreams. I imagined being romanced by an amazing young man, and we would live happily ever after. This is the simplicity of a young girl with high, long-awaited hopes of marrying her knight in shining armor. Read the rest…

Called to Knighthood on EWTN Bookmark

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Host Doug Keck welcomes Tom Sullivan to discuss his book “Called to Knighthood: The Sacrament of Confirmation in the Kingdom Family of God” and what it means to be a Knight of Christ through the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Sun. 03/31/2013, 9:30 AM; Sun. 03/31/2013, 11:30 PM; Mon. 04/01/2013, 5 AM; Mon. 04/01/2013, 5:30 PM

http://www.ewtn.com/bookmark/index.asp

Indulgences: A Lost Treasure and Forgotten Gift of Christ

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I wanted to follow up on my last post about the “Apostolic Pardon” and go into a bit more depth on just exactly what an indulgence is. We use it in everyday life in our own society and nobody seems to have a problem with it. As a matter of fact, many people who find themselves in prison, appeal for mercy and an indulgence (pardon) of some sort. Read the rest…

The “Apostolic Pardon”, a Lost Treasure for Most Catholics

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Months before my father died last year, I explained to him this amazing gift of the “Apostolic Pardon” and told him to desire it when death approaches even if a priest did not arrive in time. During his final days on earth, I stood at the end of his hospital bed and reminded him of our conversation. I am so glad I did.

Now I wish to share it with you… Read the rest…

Growing Holier as a Couple Through the Cardinal Virtues

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Happy third week of Lent to all women of grace! If you don’t already know me, my name is Jacqueline Burkepile, and I’m a Catholic newlywed of about nine months. I wrote a blog for Women of Grace in January focusing on becoming a holier wife. I may not be the most experienced wife on the planet, but in nine months, I’ve learned a lot about marriage. I spoke with mine and my husband’s pastor, Fr. Kyle Walterscheid,[1] on how to approach this next blog, and I think you will enjoy the suggestions I have in store for you today. Read the rest…

Seven Steps to Discern the Will of God

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(Taken from Full of Grace: Women and the Abundant Life by Johnnette Benkovic)

On yesterday’s Women of Grace Live radio program, I shared a teaching on discerning God’s will, much of which came from by book Full of Grace: Women and the Abundant Life.  Here are the Seven Steps to Discerning God’s will, in case you missed the program or didn’t get a chance to jot them down.  You can also listen to the program in it’s entirety at the podcast link here. God bless you!

1. Is the prompting fully in line with Sacred Scripture, the Ten Commandments, and the teachings of the Church? There is no contradiction in God.

2. Is the prompting proceeding from virtue or the flesh? “What is my motivation?”

3. Has this prompting been confirmed in other ways? God confirms His will for us in a variety of ways.

How Does God Speak To Us?

A. Through other people

1. Directly – someone speaks the prompting to us

2. Indirectly

a. a homily at Mass

b. radio

c. television

d. something we read

B. Scripture

C. Events of the day

4. Has the prompting withstood the test of time? There is a difference between enthusiasm and zeal.

5. Am I going through an emotionally difficult time or am I suffering from mental instability?

6. Have I sought the counsel of others — my spouse, provincial, superior, bishop, spiritual director?

7. Is the prompting or inspiration of grace in conformity with my state in life? There may be sacrifice, but there will not be conflict.