The Unmarried Catholic Women’s Ministry of the Diocese of St. Augustine held a gathering on May 9 at St. Monica Catholic Church in Palatka with close to 60 women attending and representing various parishes across the diocese.
Following morning Mass and breakfast, Monsignor Vincent Haut shared a presentation on the Vatican document: The Participation of Women in the Life and Leadership of the Church.
Monsignor Haut encouraged everyone at the meeting to use their spiritual gifts and participate more in the life and leadership of the Church.
During his presentation he also discussed the valuable contributions that women, including many unmarried women, have made to the Church.
His talk, the group reflections, and the words of St. Catherine of Siena: “be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire,” gave many in attendance something to think about and carry over to their daily lives.
The ministry’s next gathering is scheduled for July 25 from 9 a.m. to noon and will be hosted by the Sisters of St. Joseph at the St. Joseph Neighborhood Center, 90 Martin Luther King Ave., St. Augustine.
The featured unmarried woman of the Bible that the ministry will reflect on is St. Mary Magdalene in honor of her feast day in July.
The UCW Ministry is a pastoral ministry focused on the spiritual well-being and needs of adult unmarried Catholic women—single, divorced, separated, and widowed— through the study and reflection of unmarried women of the Bible and Catholic saints, prayer and fellowship among unmarried Catholic women with shared experiences, and service to others.
Email info@dosaucw.com for more information regarding the ministry and how to join.
Photos courtesy of Lawsikia Hodges
