Karol Meynard was born and raised in Lafayette, LA by loving parents whose values included God, Catholic faith and morals, family, and community service. She attended twelve years of Catholic education at Mount Carmel Academy; obtained a bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Southwestern Louisiana; and earned a Masters in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University of New Orleans. She is a Secular Discalced Carmelite, a Master Catechist, and a Certified Director of Religious Education. For the past twenty three years, Karol has been employed by the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana; the first ten years as Court Instructor for the Office of the Tribunal and the past thirteen years as Director of the Office of Pro Life Apostolate. Karol is the widow of Deacon Leonard Meynard and together they have 7 married children and 15 grandchildren.
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This week, the
EWTN family pays tribute to Helen Hull Hitchcock, a true daughter of God and defender of Catholic faith and family. She was a pioneer in the renewal of the sacred liturgy and reclaiming women's authentic role in the Church.
In October of 2003, I had the great privilege of interviewing her about Pope John Paul II's then new encyclical Ecclesia Dei, which sought to correct many of the liturgical abuses that were taking place at that time. You can watch our interview here.
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Nine-year-old Lucia dos Santos looked into the angry face of her mother and wondered if this was what the Beautiful Lady meant when she said Lucia would suffer. Little Lucia had never experienced such fury from her mother, nor had her mother ever called her a liar before. Indeed, her heart was deeply saddened. Yet a warm glow filled her whenever she thought about the Lady from Heaven who had visited her and her younger cousins, Jacinta and Francisco.
The three children had been tending their sheep the day before in the Cova da Iria, a portion of the land owned by Antonio dos Santos, Lucia’s father. Suddenly, something like lightning flashed in the blue sky and frightened them. The children ran for cover. Another flash, very close, and they ran again. When they stopped, there on top of a small evergreen tree was a large ball of light engulfing a beautiful woman, “a Lady of all white, more brilliant than the sun dispensing light…”
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Being a part of Catholic Radio is a gift I could have never have imagined. It is the fulfillment of a call that God placed on my heart many years ago.
One of the highlights of my year is attending the Catholic Radio Conference, sponsored by EWTN and the Catholic Radio Association, and held each year in Birmingham, Alabama. It is a beautiful time of fellowship with the men and women who have also been called to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ through the airways.
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Women of Grace has been praying for the healing of Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R., the co-founder of the Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and former host to EWTN’s Sunday Night Prime,
died on Oct. 3, the vigil of his patron, St. Francis of Assisi, at age 81.
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My name is Rose Newcomer and I am literally a “newcomer” since I have only been a Women of Grace Regional Coordinator for the past year. My journey began in 2008 when I attended my first Malvern Retreat. It was at this retreat that I met a woman who was to become a very dear friend in my life. She introduced me to the Women of Grace Full of Grace: Women and the Abundant Life Foundational Study Program at her parish and since then I have facilitated seven classes, bringing this life transforming gift to nearly 100 faith-filled daughters of God.
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Women of Grace Regional Coordinator, Diana Marie Salsman recently asked if we would join her family in praying a novena to Blessed Teresa of Calcutta for her grandson Luke, who is in the preparation stage for an Allogeneic transplant. This is a very serious procedure which has the potential of saving Luke's life and bringing him back to health. A tentative date of Nov 4 has been set for the transplant and the preparation is set to begin on October 13th, the feast of the miracle at Fatima.
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Dear Friends,
This morning I received the following email request from Fr. Benedict Groeschel's 
community, the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. They have asked for special prayers, through the intercession of Venerable Solanus Casey, for his recovery and healing. I hope that you will join me in praying.
Yours in Christ,
Johnnette
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Last weekend I had the great pleasure of being the keynote speaker at the Women of Wonder Conference in Cary, NC. There were 300 plus women in attendance from across the country and it was truly a grace-filled time in the Lord!
During the conference, I was interviewed by Billy Atwell of the Diocese of Raleigh. We discussed one of my absolute favorite topics, authentic femininity, and how God is using women to transform the world.
Thank you to the women of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church and all who made this event a huge success. Here are some pictures that were shared with us by the local team.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rjwitch/sets/72157646488568586/
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The recently held 8th Annual Women of Grace Retreat at Malvern Retreat House and Benedicta Leadership Institute were an overwhelming success!
There was a maximum capacity crowd of spirit-filled women who were excited and open to receive the grace that was poured out upon them by Our Lord.
Speakers included Johnnette Benkovic, Fr. Philip Scott, F.J., Patti Gallagher Mansfield, Susan Brinkmann, O.C.D.S. and Carol Marquardt who each gave wonderful messages of hope and inspiration, the fruits of which are still unfolding. Our guests of highest honor were the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit who were present with us in palpable and life-changing ways throughout the weekend.
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