What began in 2003 as an inspiration to help Catholic women discover the beauty of authentic femininity, Women of Grace® has grown over the last 20 years into one of the largest Catholic women’s ministries in the Church today.
“Woman’s time is now!” says Founder and President, Johnnette Benkovic Williams. “Even while the secular culture steps up its attack on woman, tearing her down by denying the immutable reality of the feminine person; Women of Grace® continues to counter this message by empowering women with the truth about who they are — beloved daughters of the Most High God. Now, more than ever, woman’s feminine genius is needed to save the peace of the world.”
In the past 20 years, Women of Grace® has reached tens of thousands of women around the world from the United States to the British Isles, parts of Asia, Africa, Central and South America, and even in war-torn Ukraine. Outreaches include the Full of Grace Foundational Study, Benedicta Institute for Women®, Young Women of Grace® program for teen girls, in-person and online events, book studies, blogs, a social media presence with thousands of followers, and programming on EWTN Television and Radio.
With the female gender under attack as fiercely as it is today, the mission of Women of Grace® is even more timely and moving forward into the next 20 years! Look for the refreshed Foundational Study, “Full of Grace: Women and the Abundant Life,” additional study curricula for women’s ongoing spiritual formation, growth of the Young Women of Grace® program, an expanded volunteer leadership structure, program distribution reaching women across the globe more easily, and the new Benedicta Institute for Women® certification program in Catholic Women’s Leadership under the direction of newly appointed Academic Advisor, Dr. Donald Wallenfang, of Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. The next Benedicta Week-long Immersive will be in Florida, April 2024.
“Our programs are designed to strengthen women with the spirit of the Gospel so that they may fulfill their vital mission in the world as put forth by St. Paul VI, ‘to aid humanity in not falling,'” Johnnette said. “My hope is that within one generation we will see an invigorated, revitalized understanding of woman and her unique call and mission in God’s plan of salvation. It is to this end we work and labor and seek His will.”
