Have you made good use of your time of Lenten preparation? NOW is the perfect time to reflect and prepare for the great paschal mystery which will soon be upon us. In the link below, I share some food for thought for these final hours of Lent. Please take a few moments to listen. Join me in making these last days, the very best days of our Lenten journey!
Category Archives: Women of Grace
Shows, Smiles, Conference, Miles
Just got home from a very busy two weeks. Father Edmund Sylvia, C.S.C., Tom Sullivan, and I myself were in production at EWTN for the next several weeks of programming for Women of Grace®. And those seven days of production put a big smile on my face. What a wonderful array of guests and topics! You will not want to miss them. They are (not in airing order):
The Fertility of the Fiat
Here at Women of Grace® we L-O-V-E Our Lady. She is the model whom we look to as THE woman of grace. In fact Mary is at the core of our Foundational Study Full of Grace: Women and the Abundant Life.
What is it about Our Mother Mary that makes her the exemplar of what it means to be a disciple AND a woman of grace? Today’s Feast of the Annunciation highlights her greatest attribute, her complete and total “Yes” to God. A passage from the book Full of Grace briefly summarizes the greatness of Mary’s fiat and how we as women are to follow her example: Read the rest…
Death and New Life
During these first few weeks of Lent, Holy Mother Church directs us to ponder the reality of our mortality and to make a serious appraisal of how we are living our lives in light of it.
Today’s reading from Divine Intimacy (#95) by Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene, OCD, brings spiritual perspective to this most important consideration. Following are a couple of nuggets that impacted me today in my time of prayer:
Lent: Be Mortified – Not Mortifying
Yesterday on our radio program, Women of Grace® Live, I recommended two resources for Lent _– In Conversation with God, Volume 2 by Francis Fernandez; and Divine Intimacy by Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene, OCD. Today, I followed my own advice and prayerfully read the selections for Ash Wednesday. Both were excellent. But it was one line in Section 2 of In Conversation with God that grabbed me. Read the rest…
FACILITATOR SPOTLIGHT: Peggy Pritchard
“Those who sow in sorrow, will reap with shouts of joy.” Psalm 126:5
1997, 1998, 1999—three years that broke my heart. The loss of my loved ones during that time devastated me. Looking for answers to the ultimate questions, I found my heart turning back to God in re-conversion. I sought Him through a women’s group at my church. My steps were tentative but see now that God was with me.
The women’s group reconnected me to Jesus yet there was a disturbance in my spirit. The group was gracious and spiritual but I longed for something more authentic and in alignment with the teaching of the Catholic Church.
The Holy Spirit prompted me—actually gently pushed me—into the way I should go. Through His inspiration and the words of a friend I began a group called FIAT which sought to be truly Catholic and Marian. I searched for resources that were in alignment with Catholic teaching—Bible studies, inspirational books, lives of the saints, encyclicals. These works were inspired and beautiful but our little group lacked direction and a consistent vision. Read the rest…
Lenten Wisdom from a Six Year Old
This morning, my somewhat precocious six year old granddaughter and I had a conversation over breakfast:
“Grandma,” she said gazing out of the kitchen window in our Florida home.
“Yes, Julia?” said I.
“Pretty soon Easter will be here because it is Spring outside.”
“Yes, you are right. Ash Wednesday is this week and that begins the season of Lent.”
“Oh,” said Julia. “I began Lent already. Remember when you told me not to climb on the chair?
Well, I stopped and I haven’t done it again.”
“Julia, that is wonderful! I am proud of you!” I replied with enthusiasm (always ready to reinforce obedience!). “I have been thinking about how I will spend Lent this year, too.”
“Grandma, I know what you can do!”
“Really, Julia? What is that?” I said hesitantly not sure I wanted to hear the answer.
“You could donate things.”
“That’s true, Julia, I sure could,” I responded already ticking off the items in the garage that I’d just love to get rid of but realizing it would be a pleasure and not a sacrifice.
“You could give away some of my toys,” said Julia deep into the idea by now.
“They’re your toys, Honey. You should give them away.”
“Okay. I’m so good I’ll do that too!” and with that she finished her milk and bounded away.
Daughters of God Gather in Appleton, Wisconsin
I had the privilege of spending the weekend of February 11 in Appleton, Wisconsin at the The Dignity and Vocation of Women conference held at St. Pius X Church. It was an awesome event! Organized by Jody Lueck, over 100 women gathered together for this inaugural event. The Feminine Genius Women’s Conference is sure to have a long and lasting history if this first gathering is the standard of things to come.
For me personally it was yet another reminder of the great work God is about in the hearts and minds of His daughters. He is indeed pouring out graces for restoration, renewal, and revitalization. This was not lost on the women who attended. An attitude of receptivity marked their demeanor as well as that of the women who presented and the special guests who were invited.
I was delighted to see Mercedes Wilson (Families of the Americas) whose work I so greatly admire and whom I hadn’t seen in several years. And I was so pleased to meet Jeannie Hanneman (Elizabeth Ministry International), Judith Leonard (Diocese of Wichita), Vicki Thorn (Project Rachel), Margaret Hartshorn (Hearbeat, International), and Rosemary Sullivan (Exec. Dir. National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors). What powerful women in the Lord!
Following is an article written in The Compass News, the diocesan newspaper of Green Bay:
Read the rest…
Pray for Little Stephen
Typically, we are very careful about sending out requests like this one unless they come from reliable sources. This one has been confirmed by a friend of Women of Grace® and she writes the following:
“Hi Johnnette, Please unite in prayer for Stephen Maszczak who is a 7 year old boy that has been diagnosed a High Grade Diffuse Pontine Glioma which is a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer and is in much need of prayers for a miracle. If you could please share with your global prayer community it would be greatly appreciated.I do know the family and they are also very good friends of Fr. Bill Halbing, who visited Stephen in the hospital last week and can verify it all.Pete Maszczak, who is Stephen’s grandfather, is the leader of the Refuge Music Ministry that I am a member of; and we play at the Charismatic Conferences and Tent Revivals in NJ. I am sure you have met him over the years and remember us. We are all devastated about this and are praying for a miracle. On top of everything else, we also lost one of our members Tricia DiMeglio, who was Stephen’s aunt and is shown in this picture, back in November. She died suddenly of a seizure.
Please keep everyone in prayer. This little boy is just so precious, and it’s hard to believe that he could be “taken” from us at so young an age.
This website provides all the details but basically what the doctors are saying is that this beautiful little boy only has two months to live. We believe in the miracle healing power of Our Lord Jesus Christ and are asking for everyone to storm Heaven in prayer for a miracle. Thanks so very much and blessings for your ministry.
Blessings always,Mary Anne”
Friends, my heart aches for this family. I ask that you do pray for this precious little boy, Stephen, that if it is God’s will, he may be healed. If they should be asked to continue to bear this cross, I ask that the Lord would provide them with EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavens that it might be embraced with the peace and joy that is beyond our understanding.
Behind the Scenes with St. André
Fr. Ed and his special guest, Fr. Tom Looney, Provincial Superior of the Eastern Province of Congregation of the Holy Cross, gave us a intriguing behind the scenes look at the Order of Holy Cross and the life of the recently canonized St. Andre Bessette of Montreal.
If you missed their discussion, you can listen at our podcast link below. St. André Bessette, pray for us!
