Women's Ministry Staff
Coordinator of
Women's Ministry
Barbara Prasad
573-635-9127, ext. 222
Administrative Assistant for
Women's Ministry
Nicole Secker
573-635-9127, ext. 226
Alphonse J. Schwartze Catholic Center
2207 West Main St.
Jefferson City, MO 65109-0914
A Message from Barb
Apart from the mercy of God, there is no other source of hope for mankind. ~St Pope John Paul II
We are on month 4 of our 2025 Pilgrimage of Hope. April is the month of the Holy Spirit in the Catholic Church and it is filled with inspiration to contemplate on Hope. May this message inspire you with a few of those opportunities.
First off why not make your own pilgrimage this Saturday to our Women's Ministry Spring Pilgramage at the Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows in Starkenburg, one of the designated pilrgimage sites in our diocese. Take this time to spend the day with other women from our diocese as we explore how, through our faith, we can find hope even in our suffering. Our speaker Mary Lenaburg, along with other ladies in our diocese, will share thier journey through suffering and words of inspiration and hope. You will have time for prayer in a our XLT Adoration Hour with Father Joseph Luzindano, with opportunities for confession too. We also have arranged for an 8:00 mass to be said at the Shrine Museum Church. This will be a beautiful way to start of your April journey of Hope!
But don't stop there! You can take this pilgrimage of hope right from the comfy of your own home with Spring Quarterly book study. Organize a group this spring on: The Endow Study: Salvific Doloris. This study is a good way to explore the theme of our spring pilgrimage at home. Pope John Paul's letter on suffering is meant to bring us hope in the trials that we all face.
And if that is not enough of course we have Easter, the ultmimate celebration of Hope. I hope you will take time to participate in all the Holy Week opportunities at your parish and perhaps journey to another pilgrimage site, The Cathedral of St Joesph, for the Chrism mass on April 15th.
And last but not least we have the inspiration for our prayer and book of the month, Divine Mercy Sunday. You can check out these resources on our website, see bleow.
Finally, I would like to leave you with a few words of wisdom on Divine Mercy written by the Marian Priests from the Shrine of Divine Mercy. I pray you find comfort and hope in this simple message:
God loves us – all of us. And, He wants us to recognize that His mercy is greater than our sins, so that we will call upon Him with trust, receive His mercy, and let it flow through us to others. Thus, all will come to share His joy.
The Divine Mercy message is one we can call to mind simply by remembering ABC:
A - Ask for His Mercy. God wants us to approach Him in prayer constantly, repenting of our sins and asking Him to pour His mercy out upon us and upon the whole world.
B - Be merciful. God wants us to receive His mercy and let it flow through us to others. He wants us to extend love and forgiveness to others just as He does to us.
C - Completely trust in Jesus. God wants us to know that all the graces of His mercy can only be received by our trust. The more we open the door of our hearts and lives to Him with trust, the more we can receive.
For more on the Marian Priests and their apostolate of Divine Mercy and Marian Devotion go to: https://www.shrineofdivinemercy.org/welcome.
May your April be filled with Mercy and Hope! And I hope to see you April 5th!
We Are Better Together,
Barb
Prayer Resources
April Prayer Challenge
Join us for our April Prayer Challenge
April 27th is Divine Mercy Sunday.
Add the Divine Mercy Chaplet to your prayer time this month.
Better yet say the Divine Mercy Novena. Start on April 18th in order for your novena to end on April 27th.
Upcoming Events
You are about out of time to register for our annual Spring Pilgrimage this Saturday.
Don't delay another day!
Spring Pilgrimage 2025
Finding Hope in Suffering
Join us for our 3rd Annual Spring Pilgrimage On April 5th in at The Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows in Starkenburg. Registration is now available on our event page. We will spend a day in prayer and reflection on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. Get to know more about our keynote speaker, Mary Lenaburg at https://marylenaburg.com/. This Lent dedicate a day to walking the through the passion with other women of faith. You won't want to miss this day of fellowship, prayer and reflection.
Chrism Mass 2025
Join others form around the diocese for our 2025 Chrism Mass. This beautiful Holy Week mass is one of the few times all of the priests of our diocese gather together for mass. it is a beautiful liturgy , an experience to share with your family. You cna then join in a reception with our priests in Cana Hall. There are also volunteer opportunities and we would love your help in making this celebration special. Scroll down to our volunteer opportunities to sign up.
Book Studies
Book of the Month
Every month we offer a suggested read to help you grow in your faith formation. These books are great for personal growth or can be used for small faith sharing groups with other women or within your family.
Explore the Lessons of St Faustina
Divine Mercy for Moms: Sharing the Lessons of St Faustina
By Michele Faehnle & Emily Jaminet
April 27th is Divine Mercy Sunday. This year take a deep dive into this devotion with this Divine Mercy for Mom's Study.
The book can be a 7 week retreat that you can do alone or with others. Each of the 7 chapters includes an opportunity for a weekly deed, word to share and prayer along with weekly group refelction questions at the end of the book.
Quarterly Book Studies
We have new studies for 2025!
Our Spring Book The Endow Study: Salvific Deloris is here and will be available at our pilgrimage and to order on our site soon!
Have a book recommendation?
Give your book recommendations for our monthly featured book.
Service Opportunities
Get information in how you can join in the efforts to grow women's ministry throughout our diocese! Check back with each newsletter for more service opportunities as they become available. Thank you for your interest!
Have Ideas or Suggestions?
Is your parish offering a ministry program or event you would like to share? Do you have ideas or suggestions for how to grow women's ministry in our diocese?
Please send us your ideas and suggestions to bprasad@diojeffcity.org!
Join us for our Monthly Zoom Call:
FIAT FOCUS
Next call is Monday March 14th at noon
Guest Topic:
Missouri March for Life
with Kathy Forck