Prayer and Study Group for Women

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

An awareness of our need for God’s love and mercy, and taking time to recognize how abundantly He responds to our needs, makes such a difference in our life of faith.  Every day must be a response of thanksgiving to the gifts of grace we have received from Him . . . so be sure to make time for Him tomorrow amid the feasting and football, and give praise and thanks for the blessings in your life.

I wanted to let you know about an initiative that Beth Riordan is organizing for young women in our area.  She wants to start a prayer and study group that will focus on the dignity and vocation of women, by considering the teaching of the Church in the light of Sacred Scripture and the writings of the popes.  Discussions will also include the lives of the Blessed mother and other women saints, and bring out the particular gifts of what Blessed Pope John Paul II called the “feminine genius”.  In the process, as Beth recently wrote to me, the group will “provide a place for women to come to know who they are in the image and likeness of God”, with the ultimate goal “to undo the influence of the culture of death, and encourage one another to accept the beautiful truth of femininity.”

As you can see, the group is still in planning stages, and meeting days and times will be finalized over the coming weeks.  To get in on the planning, and for more information, contact Beth directly at bethriordan@yahoo.com.

I strongly encourage the women of Secular Oratory to consider taking part in this prayer and study group.  And I am asking the men of Secular Oratory to join me in praying alongside this group for its success.  As Blessed John Paul once wrote, if Christian men are going to learn how to love like Christ, it will be because strong Christian women teach them (cf. Christifideles laici, no. 51).  We are all in this together, and we depend on one another.

Don’t forget, Mass on Thanksgiving Day will be celebrated at 9:00 am at Saint Francis Xavier Church.  All the best for a blessed, joyful celebration for you and those you love.