Author Archives: Johnnette Benkovic Williams

Urgent Prayer Request: Kidnapped in Syria

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Dear Friends,

We are sharing the urgent prayer request below from EWTN’s Facebook page:

Urgent prayer request from Sister Monica, Daughter of Charity in Paris: “Members of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul in Syria were kidnapped, along with their wives and children. The children were isolated and put into cages. Adults who do not deny their faith will be decapitated, and their children burned alive in the cages. Let us remain fervently united in prayer, and have as our intention the welfare of all brothers and sisters in our Christian faith who are being held hostage. Mother Mary, please console them, and protect them all from harm! O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” EWTN Prayer Warriors, please share this with everyone you know. Read the rest…

Spiritual Motherhood Abounds at St. Rita’s!

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St. Rita Catholic Church Lenten Women of Grace Commencement

St. Rita Catholic Church Lenten Women of Grace Commencement

On the evening of February 9, 2015, St. Rita Catholic Church in Alexandria, Louisiana gathered 110 women who have committed to the journey of a Lenten Women of Grace® study program. These women are inspired by the life of St. Rita, a woman who well interpreted the “feminine genius” espoused in the study, by living it intensely in day-to-day life and particularly in her gift of spiritual motherhood. The Women of Grace study program is their path to a deeper understanding of their God-given, unique feminine gifts, and the discovery of their particular role in bringing Jesus Christ to the world. Read the rest…

Join Our #50ShadesofGrace Rosary Novena!

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50ShadesofGrace

“Those whose hearts are pure are the temples of the Holy Spirit.”
                                                                                   – Saint Lucy

We invite you to participate in our #50ShadesofGrace Novena to pray against the potentially devastating impact of the “Fifty Shades of Grey” movie.  This prayer campaign will begin on February 6th and end on February 14th, the Feast of St. Valentine, coinciding with World Marriage Day.To join this effort, just pick up your rosary beads and fervently pray the rosary every day for the intention of helping people embrace the gift of true intimacy versus the perversion of it that is so rampant in our culture today.Here are some helpful links to aid you in your participation in this Novena along with some other resources to work against the impact of the “Fifty Shades of Grey” movie.

  • Join our St. Valentine Novena of Masses for Marriage.
  • Click here to learn how to pray the rosary via EWTN.
  • Support “Old Fashioned,” an alternative movie that upholds virtue and God-honoring courtship, also opening on St. Valentine’s Day.
  • Say “no” to porn by joining the “50 Shades Boycott” here.
  • Help someone who is struggling with pornography by sharing this book.
  • Click here for free videos on the rosary, pornography addiction, and recovery from sexual abuse.
Please be sure to share this information as widely as possible via Facebook, Twitter, and every means of media using the hashtag #50ShadesofGrace so that we can create a tidal wave of grace upon our land.
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Remembering Helen Hull Hitchcock, ‘a true daughter of God’

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HHHrgb1This 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. Read the rest…

Mary Visits Her Children: Our Lady of Fatima

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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.

ChildrensofFatimaThe 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…” Read the rest…

Highlights from the Catholic Radio Conference

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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.

headerOne 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. Read the rest…

Father Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R. Dies at Age 81

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rev-benedict-groeschelWomen 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.

Read the rest…

Prayers for Fr. Benedict Groeschel

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Dear Friends,

This morning I received the following email request from Fr. Benedict Groeschel’s frgroeschelcommunity, 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 Read the rest…

Wonder of Wonders…Women of Wonder!

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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/