January 2, 2010
Women of Christ Conference
My name is Margie Mandli, and I am a cradle Catholic. By definition, this means that I am “simply a person who was born and brought up as a Catholic as opposed to someone who converts to the Catholic faith.” I’m certainly grateful to be born into the faith, and the wonderful example my parents set for me, but as of late I feel as if I’ve been re-born into the faith, allowing me to truly enjoy the very things that make our faith so special.
I’d like to invite the women of our parish to attend the 2nd Annual Women of Christ Conference, Saturday, January 30, 2010, in West Bend, Wisconsin, but first some background…
From a young age, I remember going to Mass every Sunday. I remember Easter and Christmas as the most important seasons of the church, but of course I also experienced these two holidays from a very secular standpoint – lots of gifts and fanfare.
During high school and college, I remember taking my faith for granted. Sadly, I’m not even sure I thought about my faith much during these times because I was too busy having fun. On occasion, I’d find a way to Mass when I was at college, but more often out of guilt than desire.
Then, after getting married, my husband and I agreed that our faith would be important to us – our marriage and our family. “Oh, we must baptize our child, if we call ourselves Catholic.” But it wasn’t until my children started school that I truly started to take an active interest in my Faith.
Only recently, have I come to appreciate the gift of being Catholic. I say gift because it is truly a gift. Last year, I attended the first ever “Women of Christ Conference.” This conference is an all-day retreat, of sorts, geared toward all Catholic Women of Southeastern Wisconsin. There were (and will be) inspiring speakers, a lively Mass, awesome music, assortment of reading material to purchase, and importantly, time for self-reflection and prayer. Last year, more than 2,000 women attended this event. While this conference has just been one aspect of my faith journey, it has certainly been an important one. Let me share with you the impact this conference has had on my life.
- Before, I might have attended mass more out obligation, but now I attend Mass with eagerness. For me, Mass truly comes alive in every sense. I have found The Liturgy of the Word has profoundly spoken to me on many levels in my life. I have also found that Christ truly speaks through Fr. Don. Mark and I have looked at each other on many occasions wondering if Fr. Don had our home wired based on his words of inspiration and guidance.
- Before, I never really took the Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession) seriously. For years, I may have gone once per year, at best. Now, I find this sacrament one in which I can experience immeasurable healing and grace from God. By the same token, I find that when I fall back into a rut – and avoid confession for many months – life gets a little blurry for me. I might fall into old bad habits – whether it’s negativity at work, impatience at home or simply being less caring or less giving.
- Over the years, it’s been really difficult to establish routine prayer time. Actually, it still is. But when I’m in a groove, I find I’m able to “hear” God nudge me to do his work, not mine. For without prayer, I don’t think I would be participating in (or have an interest in) the various ministries St. Anne has to offer. With routine prayer, I find even the most mundane things in life more enjoyable, and in line with His will.
- Finally, over the years, I’ve never really thought about the Blessed Sacrament – the Holy Eucharist – and all that it is. Now, I find that each time I receive the Eucharist, I receive a special gift…a gift to be in complete unity with Christ as he planned it. Truly, the feeling I have after communion can almost be described as supernatural.
By no means am I suggesting that I’ve “arrived.” In fact, I feel like such a beginner in my faith with so much more to learn. But events such as the Women of Christ conference are opportunities to re-awaken us in our faith journey….to give us hope…to be instruments for God’s work. They are opportunities to truly appreciate the gift bestowed upon us. And, I might add, these opportunities have allowed the faith community of St. Anne to come alive in my own life. The very things that are stressed in our Parish – peace, charity, justice, stewardship – have more meaning to me today than they might have in year’s past.
God has blessed me abundantly and given me multiple roles as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, and professional, among others. This conference gives me the opportunity to gain greater clarity in these roles, and how I can somehow do His work while I’m on earth. I invite the women of our parish to join me, Margie Mandli along with Chris Pillizzi (Parish Captains for the Conference) at the second annual conference:
Women of Christ Conference
Saturday, January 30, 2010
7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
$40 – Individual
$35 – Groups of five or more
$20 – Students
womenofchrist.net
If you are interested in attending, please call 262-515-6109 (Margie) or 262-945-6039 (Chris) or e-mail us at mmandli@wi.rr.com or nanapillizzi@hotmail.com Please also feel free to call just to chat and learn more. We will coordinate group rates through on-line registration.
