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The Fertility of the Fiat

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Johnnette Benkovic Williams

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…

FACILITATOR SPOTLIGHT: Peggy Pritchard

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Johnnette Benkovic Williams

“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…

WOG Facilitator Spotlight: Martha Nicolli

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Johnnette Benkovic Williams

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!

Looking for a Good Read for the New Year?

Posted on December 29, 2010 by Johnnette Benkovic Williams

newyears 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.

Read the rest…

Sorry we missed you…

Posted on August 2, 2010 by Johnnette Benkovic Williams

As you may know, the Women of Grace 5^th Annual Retreat was held at Malvern Retreat House the weekend of July 23-25. It was preceded by the Women of Grace Leadership Institute on July 22, ending mid- afternoon on the 23^rd. Both events were abundantly blessed and I am delighted in the receptivity of heart so apparent in the women who attended. If you weren’t able to make it this year, I just wanted to give you a little taste of what the retreat was like so you will seriosly consider coming next year.

Our guest presenter for the retreat was Dr. Edward Sri, Provost of the Augustine Institute in the Archdiocese of Denver. Father Edmund Sylvia, C.S.C. and myself were the retreat directors. The theme was “The Mysteries of Mary: Hope, Healing, and New Life.” We have copies of the retreat talks available for you on CD.

I was personally inspired by Dr. Sri’s discussion of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta and his enlightening discussion of the marriage feast of Cana. In both instances, I felt convicted by the Holy Spirit to enter more deeply into the call and mission God has entrusted to me and to surrender more fully to His Holy Will. I am confident you, too, will experience the power of the Holy Spirit as you listen to Dr. Sri’s presentations.

The Scripture passages we were led to consider throughout the retreat, in the order they were given, are the following:

Jeremiah 1: 5-10

2 Chronicles 7:14

Jeremiah 7:3-11

Ezekiel 22:30

Dr. Ted Sri

Throughout the retreat the women were encouraged to be the prophetic voice of this our day and time and to step boldly into the mission which God has entrusted to them. Reminding them of the Closing Message to Women from the 2^nd Vatican Council, the women were exhorted to “reconcile men with life” and to “save the peace of the world” as the Council Fathers told them only they can do. A big mission to be sure, but a mission that can be accomplished, “for with God, nothing is impossible.”

I suggest you pray the passages the women received at the retreat, see what the Holy Spirit is saying to you, and give your “fiat” to the Lord as did Our Lady. The salvation of the world depends on it.

Like most retreats, the end came too soon and we had to leave our mountaintop experience and return to the realities of everyday living. I am certain that we have all been refueled for the certain challenges which lie ahead. I hope that you too will consider joining us next year for this beautiful retreat experience!

Our next event is the Women of Grace National “Healed for Holiness” Conference , Hyatt Regency Hotel, Sacramento California, September 17-19, preceded by the Leadership Institute September 16 -17 (mid-afternoon). You won’t want to miss this faith-filled opportunity!

Enjoy a few pictures from the retreat. If you’d like to see them all, visit my Facebook page.

Fr. Ed and Vicki Crispo, one of our first ever Women of Grace facilitators

There were plenty of laughs...

Teaching moments...

Prayer...

Time for reflection...

and lots of PRAISE!

More PRAISE...

And more PRAISE!

Women of Grace Retreat — A Personal Invitation

Posted on June 19, 2009 by Johnnette Benkovic Williams

I am so pleased to personally invite you to attend our 4th Women of Grace Retreat to be held at Malvern Retreat Center, Malvern PA the weekend of July 31st. A flyer is available via download on our website under “Conferences.” Not only will this weekend be inspiring, butI know it will also be a time to be blessed. Read the rest…

WOG One-Day in Clermont

Posted on November 3, 2008 by Johnnette Benkovic Williams

On Saturday, October 25, Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Clermont, Florida presented a Women of Grace One-Day Conference in conjunction with Living His Life Abundantly’ outreach for women. It was a remarkable day in the Lord as more than 250 women gathered at the parish to hear about the great gift of authentic femininity and God’s mission for them in this 21st century. Read the rest…

Ribbon of Grace Makes Unique Tie in Winona Lake

Posted on September 29, 2008 by Johnnette Benkovic Williams

Women of Grace Outreach Coordinator, Joanne Kane, just couldn’t throw away the names of the Kalispell, Montana women even though she needed to reuse their lanyards for the participants of the upcoming Women Of Grace National Conference in Sacramento, CA September 19-21. They had attended the Women of Grace One-Day Conference August 2 sponsored by St. Matthew’s Catholic Church in Kalispell.

“I just couldn’t throw those names away,” Joanne said. “They represented the beautiful women, our sisters in the Lord, that we met there.” So, heeding an internal nudge, she put the Kalispell names in the lanyards along with the names of the women who would be attending the WOG National Conference.

At the event, Joanne explained her decision to the conference attendees and suggested they pray for the Kalispell woman whose name had been entrusted to her. Thus began “Ribbon of Grace,” a new prayer ministry of Women of Grace which “ties” WOGs together in a special bond of prayer and intercession.

This past weekend, the Ribbon of Grace was wrapped around the women attending the Women of Grace One-Day Conference sponsored by the Diocese of Fort Wayne/South Bend, Office of Spiritual Development and Evangelization. There, WOG attendees received the names of the Sacramento Conference participants, many of whom wrote special prayer requests on the back of their name cards. The idea was met with a standing ovation expressing the women’s enthusiastic response.

While all of the women seemed delighted with the idea, for one conference attendee the Ribbon of Grace was particularly poignant. She had unexpectedly received her daughter’s name who had attended the Sacramento Conference the weekend before. This delightful surprise amazed Joanne Kane who had given no attention to the Sacramento names she was slipping into the lanyards for the Indiana attendees. “This must be of the Holy Spirit,” said Joanne, “I couldn’t have come up with this!”

Participants coming to the Women of Grace One-Day Conference in Clermont on October 25th will receive the names of the ladies who attended the Indiana conference. And thus, the Ribbon of Grace will continue to unite Woggers nationally. In ’09 those ties will become international ones. A Ribbon of Grace tying the women of the world together in prayer and intercession for each other. What a concept!

WOG One-Day Held in Winona Lake, IN

Posted on September 29, 2008 by Johnnette Benkovic Williams

I just got home last evening from Winona Lake, IN where the Diocese of Fort Wayne/South Bend hosted a Women of Grace One-Day Conference at Grace College. It was a glorious day in the Lord as the capacity crowd of 350 women gathered together to experience the blessings God had in mind.

I again want to extend my thanks and gratitude to Bishop John M. D’Arcy and to Ginny Kohrman, Director of the Office of Spiritual Development and Evangelization, for their dedication and enthusiasm in sponsoring this conference and in making it a day filled to the brim with God’s love. From beginning to end it was indeed grace-filled.

Thank you aslo to the women who gave of themselves so generously by participating in the many committees whose efforts made the day so special. And, of course, thank you to the many women who came to the event. What a blessing you were to me! May God bless all of you abundantly.

Our next Women of Grace One-Day Conference is October 25 at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Clermont, FL. For more information, go to www.womenofgrace.com, click on “Speaking Engagements” and scroll down to the October 25th date. If you would like to find out about sponsoring a Women of Grace One-Day Conference at your parish or in your area, just give us a call at 1-800-558-5452 and ask for Thea at ext. 237.

WOW! at WOG Continued

Posted on September 25, 2008 by Johnnette Benkovic Williams

Life just has a way of interrupting our plans, doesn’t it?

I wanted to get back to you yesterday with some of the details of the Women of Grace National Conference held in Sacramento, CA last weekend but as it turned out, the day seemed to have plans of its own and suddenly it was midnight and my task was left unaccomplished. Do you know what St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) had to say about just such occurrences in her life? She said:

“When night comes, and retrospect shows that everything was patchwork and much that one had planned left undone, when so many things rouse shame and regret, then take all as is, lay it in God’s hands, and offer it up to Him. In this way we will be able to rest in Him, actually to rest and to begin the new day like a new life.”

And so, beginning this “new day like a new life,” I now share with you about the Women of Grace National Conference.

Women Gather for Weekend of Grace

Nearly five hundred women gathered at Sacramento’s Hyatt Regency Hotel located across from the Capitol for the Women of Grace National Conference the weekend of September 19-21. The Conference was preceded by the Benedicta Leadership Institute for Women.

Presenters for the Conference weekend were Catholic journalist and UN watchdog, Mary Jo Anderson; Healing the Culture’s president, Camille Pauley; radio show host and Catholic journalist, Teresa Tomeo; founder and president of Real Love, Inc., Mary Beth Bonacci; Women of Grace founder and president, Johnnette Benkovic; and chaplain and theological advisor for Women of Grace and Living His Life Abundantly, Father Edmund Sylvia, C.S.C. EWTN’s Raymond Arroyo was the keynote speaker at the banquet dinner on Saturday evening. Read the rest…