August, 2011
World Youth Day with Brigid DeMoor
Letter from Brigid
I’m a little jet-lagged and my blisters are killing me but I wouldn’t trade these “souvenirs” of World Youth Day for anything!
I had the great pleasure of being in Madrid, Spain with 2 million other young people from all over the world. What a tremendous gift! What an incredible experience!
Every street and subway was filled with bright young faces all waving flags and singing songs from their native lands. What was it about all these beaming pairs of eyes? Young people from six different continents although all very unique and unrepeatable had the same spark in their eyes.
Here is what struck me: Our generation is hungry for truth, beauty, and goodness. People in our generation are aching to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Our generation is demanding a life filled with meaning. And our generation knows exactly where to find the answer to all of these longings: In Christ, truly present in the Eucharist. In fact, they are willing to fly across oceans, to sleep outside in dusty fields, and to fit five times the normal amount of people in a subway car in order to seek out Christ.
WYD in Madrid was an incredible explosion of joy rooted in Christ, rooted in Truth, rooted in the Eucharist! Christ is Truth, Beauty, and Goodness Himself. Christ is the one who has brought us into His story of salvation which spans from the beginning of time. Christ is worthy of our trust and only He makes our life worth living. In his closing homily, Pope Benedict XVI, our Vicar of Christ on earth, said,
Dear young people, today Christ is asking you the same question which he asked the Apostles: ‘Who do you say that I am?’ Respond to him with generosity and courage, as befits young hearts like your own. Say to him: ‘Jesus, I know that you are the Son of God, who has given your life for me. I want to follow you faithfully and to be led by your word. You know me and you love me. I place my trust in you and I put my whole life into your hands. I want you to be the power that strengthens me and the joy which never leaves me.’
Now that we are home and back into the swing of our regular lives we can still respond to Christ with generosity and courage. The invitation put out to young people has no expiration date and the challenge is still very real. You can seek out a deeper friendship with Christ, right here in your own hometown. He provides opportunities every day, every minute, for us to know Him better.
I have so much more I want to share with you in person.
Here’s the plan: grab a friend and join Endow at our annual Retreat this September 9th and 10th. Learn about developing the courage to love – really love – and get ready to change your corner of the world!
Love, Brigid
To see photos of World Youth Day 2011, click here.
Everyone is excited for the Endow Annual Retreat!
It is only a few weeks away and the excitement in the Endow office is palpable. We can’t wait to laugh, to deepen our faith, to learn about the “Courage to Love” and all in all, to share a wonderful weekend with our women.
And we’re not the only ones who are spreading the news. On August 24th the Denver Catholic Register published an article about the upcoming event. The article includes, in addition to an interview with Executive Director Terry Polakovic, a quote that “Msgr. Schmitz feels this retreat, as well as other ENDOW experiences, can help women understand God’s call.”
To read the article, click here.
To register for the Endow Annual Retreat, click here.
Articles by Sister Prudence Allen, R.S.M., Ph.D.
Sr. Prudnce Allen has been instrumental in the formation of Endow since its beginning. Today, she “mothers” Endow as spiritual director and serves on the Advisory Board. Sister Allen is a professor of philosophy at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver and the former Chair of the Philosophy Department. She has done extensive research on the development of feminism throughout history and is the author of a two-part series, The Concept of Woman (Eerdman’s), as well as numerous scholarly articles on theological and philosophical themes.
To read her articles, click here.
To see a video on the Religious Sisters of Mercy, click here.
Courage to Love as God Loves – Dr. Mary Healy
Dr. Mary Healy is associate professor of Scripture at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit and senior fellow at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology.
She is the author of Men and Women Are from Eden: A Study Guide to John Paul II’s Theology of the Body and co-editor of three books on biblical interpretation.
She addresses conferences nationally and internationally on topics related to biblical interpretation, the theology of the body, and the spiritual life.
At this years Annual Endow Retreat she will be talking on the ”Courage to Love as God Loves”. Come hear what this dynamic Catholic woman has to say about the courage it takes to love as God loves.
August 2011: Book Review
Praying Scripture for a Change: An Introduction to Lectio Divina
By Dr. Tim Gray
Book Review by Eileen Love
Well, let’s at any rate come clean. Prayer is irksome. An excuse to omit it is never unwelcome. When it is over, this casts a feeling of relief and holiday over the rest of the day. We are reluctant to begin. We are delighted to finish. While we are at prayer, but not while we are reading a novel, or solving a crossword puzzle, any trifle is enough to distract us. And we know we are not alone in this.
- C.S. Lewis
Such is the beginning of this delightful book on prayer. It starts with acknowledging the problem that we humans fret over prayer. We fear we do not pray as we ought and we suspect others have the problem too. Even more vexing is the suspicion that somewhere out there, others are ahead of us in their more highly evolved prayer lives.
Worry no more. Tim Gray knows how you feel. And he can help you.
He is the perfect guide to introduce readers to the type of prayer called lectio divina (Latin for divine reading). Dr. Gray is a well-known professor of Sacred Scripture and has dedicated his life to helping others delve into the Word of God and discover the treasures within the Bible.
Using examples from the lives of the saints, Dr. Gray shows us that Scripture is like a divine love letter. Because the saints were so in love with God, they returned again and again to the Good Book to soak up God’s words to them, much the way a lover handles a written card from the beloved. Our author teaches us that all saints have this in common – they regard Scripture as writings addressed to them. We should do the same.
Step by step, Tim Gray takes readers through the four stages of lectio divina: reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation. He teaches that there is a progression here; first, we read, carefully collecting images, phrases and themes. Then we meditate on these things that have occurred to us. This meditation naturally leads to a prayerful dialogue, after which we arrive at contemplation, a peaceful resting place in which we experience God and joy takes hold of our inmost being.
Because our author is so steeped in Sacred Scripture, he easily weaves biblical verses throughout his writings, quoting from Psalms, Wisdom literature, the Gospels and Epistles, bringing Old and New Testaments into a perfect synthesis that naturally moves the heart to pray.
You will love this book. Take it with you as a companion to your next Holy Hour. Read it in the quiet moments at the end of the day. It will teach you the best lesson of all -how to become a better pray-er.
Contracepting Conscience by Helen Alvare
On July 25, 2011 Endow Advisory Board member Helen Alvare wrote an article for The Witherspoon Institute on “The greatest attack on women’s freedom.” Her artilcle deals with the recent “recommendation by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) that the new health care law should mandate ‘the full range of FDA-approved contraceptive methods [and] sterilization procedures’ as ‘preventive services.’”
The article states that “Women’s well-being suffers under a system operating according to the maxim “unprotected sex makes babies.” The Church predicted as far back as 1968 in the encyclical Humanae Vitae that such an ideology would lead to the devaluation of sexual intimacy and of women’s sexual dignity, in particular.”
To read the full article, click here.
To read about Endow’s class Of Human Life, based on the 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae, click here.
Endow Annual Retreat!
Fr. Michael Carvill
Fr. Michael is a member of the Priestly Fraternity of the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo and serves as the pastor of Nativity of Our Lord parish in the Archdiocese of Denver. He also holds a Licentiate degree from the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. And at this years Annual Retreat “Courage to Love” he will be leading the Facilitator Retreat!
Come hear the teachings of this extraordinary man of God and spend a day reflecting on your calling as Today’s Catholic Woman.
Reserve your spot today! Click here.
Brigid DeMoor speaks at the Knights of Columbus Ladies Lunch
On Tuesday August 2, 2011 the Knights of Columbus held their 129th Annual Supreme Convention in Denver. Our own Brigid DeMoor was honored with an invitation to speak to the wives of the Knights of Columbus about the mission of Endow.
While attending the event Brigid was interviewed by Father Robert Reed and Kevin for Catholic TV. Brigid spoke about the mission of Endow and the importance of our message for the youth of today.
To watch the interview, click here.
Evening of Enchantment 2010 (Highlights)
The 2010 Endow Evening of Enchantment
celebrated “Sisters: Blessings in Our Lives”
The Denver Catholic Register
- Cardinal Arinze to speak at ENDOW gala – By Roxanne King
- Click here to read the article.
- Click here to see photos of the event.
Evening of Enchantment 2009 (Highlights)
The 2009 Evening of Enchantment
was a beautiful event!
The Denver Catholic Register
- 2009 ENDOW gala to honor the family -By Julie Filby
- Click here to read the article.
- Mother of three faith-filled evangelists honored at ENDOW gala – By Roxanne King
- Click here to read the article.