I will never forget the early days of my walk with Christ Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I sang out loud, wore a permanent smile on my face, and quoted scripture to everyone I encountered, if they wanted to hear it or not. Within my soul was a burning desire to tell the world, “He lives.”
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St. Maria Goretti, dated 1902, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
The story of Maria Teresa Goretti, the saint whose feast we celebrate each July 6th, has been made known to many since her untimely death on that date in 1902. The 11-year old peasant girl died as a result of injuries inflicted by Alessandro Serenelli, a young man determined to force her to submit to his inappropriate advances. When she resisted, crying, “No! No! It is a sin!” he stabbed her repeatedly, a total of fourteen times. Maria underwent unsuccessful surgery without benefit of anesthesia and died the following day, after receiving her greatly-desired First Communion.
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We’re at the halfway point of 2020 and your prayers and support have done much to help us in accomplishing our mission to transform the world one woman at a time, especially during these challenging times globally and in the Church.
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In a letter to then Pope John Paul II dated May 12, 1982, Sister Lucia shared the following insight about the Third Secret of Fatima:
“The third part of the secret refers to Our Lady's words: ‘If not [Russia] will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated' (13-VII-1917).
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Sometimes, when it is most needed, the Holy Spirit inspires a new book just brimming with the capacity to effect great positive change, not only in the Catholic world, but even more important, in the world at large. The recently released
Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father, by Father Donald Calloway, MIC, is just such a book. In circulation only since January 2020, it has produced a ripple effect for good, much needed for this troubled time in our Church and our world.
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As I recount the memories of my dad through the eyes of a “daddy’s girl,” a smile easily forms. I will always be a “daddy’s girl,” even though my father has gone to be with Jesus. If you are a “daddy’s girl” too, you will know exactly what I mean. A “daddy’s girl” is a daughter who will always be “the apple of dad’s eye!” In her mind she is sure that daddy “hung the moon.” No matter how small in stature he is, a “daddy’s girl” knows with certainty her dad always has her back and will catch her when she falls.
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“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17).
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In these turbulent times, we continue to press forward with our mission to transform the world one woman at a time. As I prayerfully sat with the Lord this morning asking Him about the many situations confronting us, two words were impressed on my heart – “remain steadfast.” With your help, we intend to do just that. When the enemy presses hard, the only good response is to press harder. Scripture reminds us of this with the admonition, “Resist the devil and he will flee” (James 4:7). Another passage that comes to mind is “Fear is useless. What is needed is trust” (Luke 8:50; Mark 5:36). These are Jesus’ own words. My personal acronym for “trust” is True Resolve Under Severe Testing. It is clear we are in a time of testing. May we all persevere in the resolve to remain steadfast, to ward off discouragement, and to press on toward the victory Jesus has already won for us.
During this very challenging time, let us ponder anew the grace that God has given to us, and let us pledge our lives in complete fidelity with those graces as we place ourselves in the footsteps of Our Lady, who always teaches us the way in which we should go.
I want to personally invite all of our sacred sisters to join me and women across the country on July 10th and 11th for our upcoming Women of Grace Online Summer Retreat themed "Made for Happiness, Made for Joy" with Father Peter John Cameron, O.P., Samantha Kelley, Kathleen McCarthy, and yours truly. The beautiful artists of Women at the Well will also be offering us a musical presentation. If you’ve never experienced our annual retreat at the Malvern Retreat House, this is the perfect opportunity to get a bit of a taste of it! Details are available at womenograce.com/events. It will be packed with inspirational instruction for such a time as this!
May the abundant life of Jesus Christ be yours and may God bless you!
I faithfully remain...
Your sister in Christ,
Johnnette Benkovic Williams
Founder and President
PS: I encourage you to enroll your fathers and spiritual fathers in our upcoming Novena of Masses. You may do so here. This is just one of the many ways we hope to bless you and your family.
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"Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, 'Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He said in reply, 'I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out!'" (Luke 19:39-40)
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Our world is fraught with fear, division and violence. Many of us feel weighed down by the burdens that overwhelm our country and we seek to be part of the solution to problems beyond our comprehension. Our hope is in the Lord.
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