
We pulled up to my childhood home in the middle of the night, the Wisconsin green shrouded in darkness. I immediately sensed all the summers of my childhood in the dim stillness as the screen door squeaked shut behind us. Whispering, I led five of my desert-dwelling children upstairs to the bedrooms, each step groaning with a familiar creak in the century-old bungalow.
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The Foundation of Prayer for Priests and Women of Grace® and the Benedicta Leadership Institute for Women® are announcing a new partnership which will unite these apostolates in a coordinated movement of spiritual formation, enrollment, and education to deepen the understanding of spiritual motherhood of souls, especially of priests.
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“The ultimate test of your greatness is the way you treat every human being.”
–St. John Paul II
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If you’re frustrated by the direction the world is taking, and believe women’s leadership can make a difference, Catholic Women’s Leadership Studies may be just what you’re looking for!
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“Let us always keep before our eyes the fact that here on earth we are on a battlefield and that in paradise we shall receive the crown of victory; that this is a testing-ground and the prize will be awarded up above; that we are now in a land of exile while our true homeland is Heaven to which we must continually aspire.”
-St. Padre Pio
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In the spiritual realm, there’s almost nothing worse than dry prayer. You spend your whole prayer time either besieged by distractions or struggling to string together two good thoughts. Who would ever think this disturbing situation could be a sign of greater things to come?
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“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you." -Jeremiah 1:5
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The Mongan family at daughter Kaitlyn's wedding in June, 2017
I was not a good candidate for motherhood. Had I gone for a “job” interview, I would not have been given the job. If there had been a try out, like for a cheerleader squad, they would not have selected me for the team. I did not have the qualifications, the necessary skills or the “heart” required. I don’t think I even had a desire to apply for the job. However somewhere on my journey God grew within me a “mother’s heart.”
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Johnnette addresses Women of Grace Retreat participants
by Anne Gerard
My first‑ever experience attending the Women of Grace Retreat at The Malvern Retreat House was, in a word — AMAZING! The grounds of the center are tranquil and inviting, lending itself beautifully to assist the attendees in having an enriching and fulfilling experience.
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“This love is above all fully human, a compound of sense and spirit. It is not, then, merely a question of natural instinct or emotional drive. It is also, and above all, an act of the free will, whose trust is such that it is meant not only to survive the joys and sorrows of daily life, but also to grow, so that husband and wife become in a way one heart and one soul, and together attain their human fulfillment.” Blessed Paul VI
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