I just love Catholic radio and feel so privileged and blessed that I can be part of this beautiful “electronic community” that joins people together in unique and sometimes startling ways. Yesterday’s Women of Grace Live program was especially graced and I was awestruck at the movement of the Holy Spirit through the air waves.
Yearly Archives: 2008
Lawmaker Suggests Sterilizing Poor Women
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
In a blatant example of Nazi-style eugenics, a Louisiana lawmaker is considering a plan to pay poor women $1,000 to have their Fallopian tubes tied in order to curb the population of people who need government aid but don’t pay taxes.
Pope’s Brother Reveals Rare Details About His Life
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
The brother of Pope Benedict XVI recently revealed several unknown facts about the childhood of Joseph Ratzinger during an interview with the Italian press.
Scorecard Reveals Anti-Family Votes of Democratic Congress
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
The Family Research Council and Focus on the Family have released a Family Action Vote Scorecard on the 110the Congress which reveals the dramatic shift away from pro-family values that has resulted since the Democratic party took control of Congress in 2006.
Nun Raped As Indian Violence Against Christians Continues
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
The brutal gang rape of a 28 year-old Catholic nun in India, a crime that occurred within sight of a dozen police officers, is just the latest atrocity in the on-going violence against Christians in India. The situation is so bad the U.S. Congress has issued a resolution condemning the violence and demanding action from the government.
Archbishop Says Democrats Becoming a “Party of Death”
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, the newly appointed prefect of the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature, told an Italian Catholic daily newspaper that the Democratic Party in the United States “risks transforming itself definitively into a ‘party of death’.”
Courageous Bishop Shocks Homosexual Audience
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
Members of the audience reportedly walked out when the Coadjutor Bishop of Sacramento, Jaime Soto, boldly told attendees at the National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries (NACDLGM) in his keynote address that homosexual relations are sinful. When people lined up afterward to complain about his talk, the Bishop quietly listened to each and every person without wavering from Church teaching.
Ribbon of Grace Makes Unique Tie in Winona Lake
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
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.
Media Ignores School Sex Abuse Scandals
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
A major media watchdog organization is questioning why the many child sex abuse scandals that have been raging in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) have been left virtually unreported by the mainstream media.
