A New Year

 Changes for 2012

As we anticipate all the good things in store for 2012 we invite you to learn about some exciting changes. 2012 will include a new pricing schedule, new all-inclusive registration, new binder and three-hole punch format, new adult and youth studies, and more! For details about these important changes, please click here. For more information about our newest adult and youth studies, click here.

63rd Annual ACCW Conference

Endow takes a trip

to California!

Mrs. Marilyn Mathers, former president of the ACCW in Los Angeles, invited Endow to have a booth at the 63rd Annual ACCW Conference on Tuesday, Nov. 8th. Endow’s spiritual advisor, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, was the guest speaker, and nearly 600 women from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles participated – many of whom stopped by the Endow booth to learn more. This photos captures Mrs. Mathers (center), surrounded by numerous Endow facilitators who attended this event. Endow sends a special thanks to the women in CA who are working so hard to share the message of dignity with more women and girls!

Endow changes for 2012!

As 2011 winds down. . .

Endow is pleased to announce many new changes for 2012, and we led a  special conference call with all of our current facilitators to explain the changes in detail. This recording speaks to the new pricing changes,  the upcoming changes in our format and registration, the content of our newest adult and youth studies,and the important message of Endow.  Using the below links you can listen to the conference call recording and follow along with the PowerPoint presentation.  (Please note, the audio is separate from the PowerPoint, so you have to open both links and follow along by moving through the PowerPoint with your mouse.)  For written descriptions of these changes, click here.

Use this link to listen to the audio presentation:  Endow 2012 Audio Presentation

Use this link  for the visual PowerPoint presentation that accompanies the above audio presentation: Endow 2012 Changes Visual Presentation

Love in Action

Endow Catholic study group

helps homeless women discover their dignity

By Julie Filby

“Traditionally, Endow groups have consisted of Catholic women in a similar age group and socioeconomic status.”

‘This group is very different; wonderful, but different,’ said Shaina Stein, one of the facilitators. ‘It consists of very few Catholic women with a wide range of beliefs, financial circumstances and backgrounds.’

Many of the women experiencing homelessness have also experienced some kind of threat to their dignity.”

To read the full article, click here.

Endow Presents New Study Guide: God Is Love

We are pleased to announce the debut of our newest Endow study, God Is Love, based on Pope Benedict XVI’s first encyclical. It is a beautiful commentary on the virtue that is at the heart of Christian life. And – good news for women in the Denver area – a special class will be held beginning Wednesday, October 12 at the John Paul II Center. Don’t miss this opportunity to embark on a life-changing study, especially for you.

To register for this special class, click here.

To learn more about the new Endow Study, God Is Love, click here. 

To find a study group in your area, click here.

Is it okay for your husband to beat you?

This gut-wrenching question came from the 22 year old woman in the dingy sweatshirt who is a new resident of the Samaritan House. She is separated from her husband and her children have been sent to foster care. She wants them back.

Recently Endow was invited by Samaritan House,Denver’s homeless shelter run by Catholic Charities, to offer a class for women. The Director explained that residents take all kinds of classes in life skills and he wondered if maybe it was time for a class that spoke to the heart and soul of a woman.

Endow was honored to help. After all, the Board and Staff had pondered ways to connect with the underserved populations. They are the ones who most need the message of truth in concrete teachings that affirm their goodness and right to live with dignity.

Two women stepped up to facilitate the class that would take place Monday nights from 7:00-8:00: Martha, married mother of four and an Endow Board member, and Shaina, a young woman newly graduated from college, who is also an Endow facilitator and Christ in the City missionary.

The first night all the women of various ages and backgrounds crowded into a small room. One middle-aged woman shared that she was battling cancer, a twenty-something mother of two spoke about growing up in an endless tangle of foster homes and having aborted her first baby when she was sixteen. There was plenty of pain to go around, but the women listened to the story of the God-man who loved us so much He took on human form and suffered on a Cross for our salvation. A Baptist grandma led the closing prayer.

On the second night, Martha distributed John Paul II’s Letter to Women. She had tucked the letters into white envelopes and fastened them with sealing wax imprinted with a “J” and a “P”. Shaina had secretly scripted their names onto the envelopes. The women squealed like children on Christmas morning at the surprise piece of mail. One woman refused to open hers, preferring to keep the perfect seal intact.

A few days after the first class, a young woman who had said little showed up to pray the rosary Shaina was leading. She mentioned that she had no religion but believes in God. Then out of nowhere came the question:  “Is it okay for your husband to beat you?”

Shaina knew at that moment that nothing quite prepares you for such a question. But she knew something else as well. The simple question asked in a soft shaky voice was a reminder of the urgency of the Endow mission: to remind women of their dignity and to be a feminine presence of Christ-like love.

Endow in a Day

Exciting, Informative One Day Seminars

Overview of the Endow Mission:
Endow is an educational apostolate that brings women together to discover their God-given dignity and to understand their role in humanizing and transforming society. To do this, we publish study materials to be used in small group settings. Our materials are based on various papal writings, saints’ stories, great theological and philosophical thinkers, and cover a wide array of topics that reflect the authentic teachings of the Church.

Objective of “Endow in a Day”:
Endow has specially designed the seminar format to reach those women who may not be able to commit to a regular eight-week class. The one-day Endow seminar condenses the material in one of our Endow books; it teaches the main content of an eight-chapter study guide in the space of a single day. The class is taught lecture style by a professional Endow instructor with some reading aloud and with occasional breaks for small group sharing and large group discussion.     

 Available Courses

• Letter to Women – John Paul II’s 1995 letter to all the women of the world.
• On the Dignity and Vocation of Women (Mulieris Dignitatem ) – John Paul II’s 1988 groundbreaking encyclical explaining the philosophical and theological foundations of his teaching on women.
•  On Human Life (Humanae Vitae ) – Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical on the meaning of marriage and the sanctity of human life. This can be in couples’ format.
• Edith Stein: Seeker of Truth – The story of a great 20^th century saint, a German-Jewish philosopher who converted to Catholicism, became a Carmelite nun and was eventually martyred in Auschwitz.
• Mother of the Redeemer (Redemptoris Mater ) – John Paul II’s 1987 encyclical explaining Mary’s place in the Church and why Catholics have always had a special devotion to her.
•  Light of the Nations (Lumen Gentium ) – One of the pivotal documents to come out of the Second Vatican Council, it explains the origins of the Church, her history, structure, her mission, her indispensable place in the story of salvation.

Sample Schedule: (Can be changed to fit the needs of the diocese or parish)
8:30am:  Mass

9:00am:  Sign-in, light refreshments

9:15am:  Opening Prayer/ Introduce Endow

10:00am:  Chapter 1 -2

11:00am: Chapter 3-4

Noon:  Angelus/Lunch

1:00pm:  Chapter 5-6

2:00pm:  Chapter 7-8

3:00:  Group Discussion/ Q & A

3:45:  Resolutions (what will change in my life?)

4:00:  Closing Prayer

Facilitator Training:
 If a woman attends an “Endow in a Day” course on Letter to Women and desires to become a trained facilitator, she may easily fulfill requirements by paying an additional $10 fee which would include the facilitator training CDs.  She will be asked to submit appropriate paperwork and her application to become a facilitator will be reviewed in our office. She will be informed of her status as early as possible and may begin to plan her first Endow group at her own parish! 

Fees for “Endow in a Day” Seminar:  
The fee is $75/person which covers the class and materials including study guide and church document. (An exception is Humanae Vitae – couples may register for the price of $125.) Cost does not include lunch; usually the host site will make arrangements for a simple lunch and may attach an additional fee if necessary. 

 We request a minimum of 25 participants. There is no maximum, so long as the site can accommodate the number. Travel and overnight lodging expenses will be the paid by the host. All arrangements will be made by Endow and host will receive an invoice for reimbursement of expenses.

Presentation Style:
The presenter will be one of Endow’s qualified instructors. In a lively and informative lecture-style presentation, she will present the main themes and share the content from one of our study guides. The goal of the day is to have women leave the course refreshed and renewed in their faith having learned (re-learned in some cases!) some aspect of the sacred doctrine of the Catholic Church. While the setting is academic, the fruits are spiritual, and our hope is that women conclude the day with a renewed sense of love for Christ and His Church and a resolve to embrace their role as modern disciples.     

 For more information about scheduling this event, please call Margaret McCann at (303) 715-3224 or email her at margaret.mccann@archden.org

How to become an Endow Facilitator

1. Facilitator Training:
The Facilitator Training is offered in two formats: in-person or audio CDs.  The training includes over three hours of Endow-specific training,  the Endow Letter to Women Study Guide, the Letter to Women source document, the application, and sample marketing materials.

1.  Live training (group classroom setting):  Eileen Love, Endow’s Facilitator Trainer, travels to various areas throughout the year.  Please check listings on our online calendar and register with the click of a button!  Or if there are 20 or more women in your area interested in becoming a facilitator, we will gladly bring a training to you!

2.  Audio CD training (individual setting):  We have recorded Eileen Love leading an audio training on a four-CD set available for purchase.  You can simply order the Facilitator Applicationonline and learn everything you need to know in the comfort of your own home. The training CDs explain the Endow mission, message and methodology and teaches the basics of our fundamental study, John Paul II’s Letter to Women.

2.  Facilitator Application:
The Facilitator Application must be completed following Facilitator Training.  You will need to download, complete, and submit the Facilitator Application.  The application consists of personal profile information, a profession of faith, adherence to Endow policies, and reference letters.

3.  Launch Your Endow Group:
After completing these two easy steps – you are ready to begin!  You can visit our Facilitators Resource page for helpful promotional resources (invitations for informational sessions, bulletin announcements, flyers, etc.).  And we always recommend personal invitations – as they are the BEST way to invite women to join your group!   For more personalized support, please call Kate Sweeney directly in the Endow office at (303) 715-3289 with any of your needs.