Study group to be held in Dedham for women to learn more about faith

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
August 24, 2006

DEDHAM - A study group designed for women to learn more about their faith will be held in Dedham beginning Sept. 5.

The Women of Grace Foundational Study will begin 7 p.m. on Sept. 5 and continue through the next eight Tuesdays. The week of Sept 12, the session will be held on Sept. 14 which is a Thursday. There will be home lessons each week as well as the study group meetings.

"Everyone needs a time for study, faith and sharing to bolster their spiritual and emotional well-being and this study fills that need," said Martha Stout, organizer of the study in Dedham.

The foundation study will take place in St. Joseph's Rectory in Dedham, which is next to the church. Stout pointed out that there is no cost for the study outside of the cost of the workbook and the Full of Grace book written by Johnnette S. Benkovic. The books can be ordered from the Web site: womenofgrace.com.

"After teaching at a Catholic high school for 13 years where faith is a strong part of each day, I began working in industry and realized that I now had to actively seek out avenues to express and discover my faith," said Stout. "On that journey I discovered a Catholic bookstore in Des Moines (Divine Treasures) where I read a flyer promoting a Women of Grace Conference in Chicago. With three friends (our faith group), I attended this conference and was bowled over by the intenseness and richness of the our Catholic faith and sharing that with other like-minded women."

Women of any age are encouraged to attend. Stout added that women should "join us for a journey that will lead you places that you can only imagine."

"I hope it helps feed the souls of the women who are participating," said Stout. "I wish I could have attended something similar when I was younger and my children were still at home. We have such a rich tradition in our Catholic faith and the more you learn, the more you continue to search for this treasure we are blessed in sharing."

Stout noted that the first chapter, The Special Call and Gift of Woman, says a great deal, "the foundational study is for women to learn about the richness and giftedness of their Catholic faith and authentic womanhood."

The goals of the Women of Grace Foundational Study are:

-To affirm women in their dignity and vocation as daughters of God

-To affirm women in their essential nature and spirituality with an emphasis on their womanly strength and virtue

-To enable women to identify and accept the divine mission God has entrusted to them given their state in life, circumstances and vocation

-To engender in women a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary who is the appropriate exemplar for all women, and to identify and remove misconceptions, obstacles, and blocks that may stand in their way

-To provide for women a spiritual path that they can follow that is in complete conformity with Sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Stout quoted from the book that the study "encourages all women to explore the powerful influence God calls her to be in the home, in the church and in the world at large. In addition, throughout the course of this study, women will discover the spiritual tools necessary to live out their call and mission in the world today and experience the abundant life in Jesus Christ."

The next Women of Grace Conference will be held Oct. 27-29, Friday evening through Sunday, in Lincoln, Neb. According to Stout, this is the closest one to the Diocese of Sioux City that has been available since its inception. Those interested can register by going to the Web site: womenofgrace.com.

"The woman who is the song leader for the conference is from Pella, Iowa, Lynn Cooper," said Stout. "She has an incredible faith story as well as a beautiful voice."