1st Annual St. Louis Catholic Women for Christ Conference - February 20, 2010

Vision Statement Of Catholic Women For Christ Conference

Theme: "To Love and Serve the Lord" - Dismissal from the Concluding Rite of Mass

"Without love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing." St. Therese of Lisieux

Charism of Conference: HOPE (Spe Salvi facti sumus, in hope we were saved), and Unity in the Holy Spirit through feminine virtues.

Focus: fostering personal prayer and the importance the Holy Celebration of the Mass and the reception of the Body and Blood of Christ.

The sincere desire and hope of the Catholic Women for Christ Conference, through the patronage of St. Joseph is:

1. To give spiritual assistance and renewal to women regarding their Catholic faith, with complete fidelity to the authentic teaching of the Magisterium and the Holy Catholic Church, led by the Holy Father, the Pope, to reawaken the virtuous qualities of their feminine hearts--qualities such as: love, tenderness, compassion, generosity, child-like faith and complete trust, joy from the acceptance of Divine Mercy, receptiveness, sacrifice, their life-giving attributes and innate gift of protection of all human life, with the Immaculate Heart of Mary as our holy model of purity, love and all other noble and womanly virtues. To revive women's Catholic faith, remember their hope in Christ, ignite their love for God and all others, keeping the Christian message simple, yet strong, boldly proclaimed with great substance, practicality, and joy, strengthened by the SPIRIT and TRUTH of the Gospel, calling women to return to their fundamental vocation to know, love and serve the Lord.
2. To build Catholic feminine unity and support, to help deepen each woman's prayer life and encourage their apostolic love, mindful and supportive of the many and unique manifestations of the Holy Spirit in terms of Catholic faith organizations and groups, fully encompassing culture and race. To acknowledge God's Divine Plan for the complimentary relationship of the male and female genders to assist one another and to work together to build up the body of Christ on earth, for the purpose of salvation for all humanity. To build each woman's awareness of the true strength of character which lies not only within herself but also in the Catholic community of women, originating from faith in Jesus Christ. To increase confident awareness of each woman's human and feminine dignity and of her God given interior beauty and priceless value of heart and soul, reflecting the radiant image and likeness of God-- her true reflection of the FATHER.
3. To encourage and give practical implementation to nurture each woman's individual faith, beginning with the realization of the highest significance of the Eucharist-the source from where all other Catholic evangelism, contemplation and service originates, and to give serious priority to perseverance in personal prayer. To give encouragement toward participation in various spiritual communities of Christian faith, i.e., belonging to formal organized faith groups religious sisters and consecrated, third orders and lay apostolates, CRHP, ACTS, PRO-LIFE, CURSILLO, etc.), and/or informal faith groups (rosary groups, bible groups, parish organizations, etc.). Again, to encourage and give practical implementation to women on spreading the gospel to all others, i.e., family, friends, neighbors, community, and the world, by virtue of her personal relationship to Christ, frequent reception of the sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation, discernment of Holy Scripture, obedience to the Magisterium of the Holy Catholic Church, and through the use of her own unique gifts and talents.
4. Give information on "how" to discover women's buried or yet undiscovered talents and gifts: encourage a listening posture in silence for interior prayer and responding to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in regards to charity and service, using the gifts they are already aware of, for the good of all, and developing the awareness of the seemingly small moments of opportunity which come and are sometimes unseen or lost. To present many ways and means of spiritual discernment for each woman to recognize their own unique talents and gifts, and provide the methods to draw out the talents of others.
5. Encourage and provide many and various resources and opportunities for service, on-the-spot donation and hands-on works of mercy. Recalling to mind the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy and inviting the women to actively seek out and/or recognize opportunities for love and service, fully supporting our theme: "To Love and Serve the Lord".