You do not have to be graceful to attend Women of Grace but you do have to be a woman – however exceptions can be granted, like the one given to Archbishop Emeritus Barry Hickey.
More than 100 women attended the retreat organised by the Catholic Women’s Group at the Good Shepherd parish in Lockeridge on August 25.
Lecturer from the Maranatha Institute and the Biblical Foundation, Michelle Jones, spoke at the event about how prayer nurtures and deepens lives.
“If the heart of prayer is the basic decision to remain open to the inflowing of divine love, then the role of any particular method that we may choose is to help us to maintain this decision,” Dr Jones said.
“Being a woman of grace, or living with the life of Jesus, means sharing in Jesus’ total openness to the Father’s love and allowing him to incarnate within us his generous, selfless love of others,” she said.
Archbishop Emeritus Barry Hickey, the only man allowed to attend the event, spoke about two documents by the late Pope John Paul II, Novo Millennio Inuente (At the Beginning of the New Millennium) and Mulieris Dignitatem (On the Dignity and Vocation of Women), which highlight Jesus’ special respect for the dignity of women.
“We can see how universal Jesus’ love was, especially for women,” Archbishop Emeritus Hickey said.
In his talk, Archbishop Hickey recommended ways women can contemplate the face of Christ through the stories in the gospels. “Contemplate Jesus at Bethlehem; Jesus in the desert; Jesus on the lake of Galilee; Jesus in the synagogue; Jesus at the transfiguration; Jesus on the cross; and Jesus risen from the dead,” he told those present.
The founder of the Catholic Women’s Group, Lydia Stanley, said the day was greatly appreciated by the attendees and it has proven to be a rewarding event for Catholic women of all ages. “The ladies like how it is only for half a day once or twice a year as their time is often limited by household chores, family and work commitments,” she said.
Ms Stanley first set up the retreat to allow women to connect with their faith and overcome the distractions of life. “I saw the need for Catholic women to take time out of their busy lives and to set aside that time for prayer and faith nourishment,” she says.
For more information about the Catholic Women’s Group or future retreat days send your contact details to catholicwomen.perth@gmail.com.