MY STORY
Growing up surrounded by the rolling hills of Southwestern Pennsylvania, God's splendor revealed itself in nature. It was a time of innocence when we could freely wander through the hay field, explore, and build forts in the nearby woods. Summer thunder showers provided a great opportunity to sit on the covered side porch with my father and watch the storms rolling in over the field behind our home. As we sat in silence—my father being a man of few words—we basked in the beauty of God and even felt Him pounding our chests with each thunder clasp.
My passion for God came from those moments with my father and the time spent helping him in the garden. As I got older, those simple times and sitting on the side porch were places of comfort that I would visit when my world seemed overwhelming with demands and far from the peace of God. It took me years to realize it but the comfort I was seeking in those moments, and in that place, was an encounter with the God who loves me unconditionally. I could be my true self, vulnerable to God alone, on that side porch during our long conversations about life. When my parents passed and their home was sold, the side porch was a place I needed to visit one last time. As I stood looking out at the field, now filled with newly built homes, I heard in my heart, “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (MT 28:20).
I move forward in ministry, always keeping the Lord’s presence in my heart. I sense his guidance through my love for writing icons, accompanying individuals in the spiritual exercises, listening to those who are lost and feel abused. Working through my own woundedness has established a desire in me to be with others as they work through similar wounds. Through the guidance of a wise spiritual director and mentor, I began an apprenticeship as a spiritual director in 2008 which led to advanced degrees and certifications in the field.
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A constant joy for me is the women’s group that I formed in 2010, the Women at the Well: Lectio Divina Prayer Group. We meet weekly to pray with the scriptures, share faith and support each other through the blessings and challenges of life. The Women at the Well have expanded to include groups from Greensburg, Harrisburg, New Baltimore and Hershey, PA.
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In hindsight, I see that God had prepared me for this ministry from my youth through the natural gifts of insight, empathy, compassion for the suffering and desire to help the little, last, and lost.
"So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
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- Luke 7:47 -
WOMEN AT THE WELL
Lectio Divina Prayer Groups
A constant joy in my day is the women’s group that I formed in 2010, the Women at the Well: Lectio Divina Prayer Group. We meet weekly to pray with the scriptures, share faith and support each other through the blessings and challenges of life.
The Women at the Well have expanded to include groups from Greensburg, Harrisburg, New Baltimore and Hershey, PA.
For more information about the Women at the Well and forming a group at your parish, please reach out to me personally.
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The Women at the Well encounter Jesus every time they gather to pray with the scriptures using a lectio divina format. They share with each other about how the living God touched their hearts as the scripture was read and how that scripture touches their everyday lives. In the process, a deeply personal relationship with Jesus grows, love is shared, support is given, and a community is formed in which the women walk with each other through the joys and sorrows of life.
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Our history and expansion…
In February of 2010, the Women at the Well (Greensburg, PA) gathered for the first time at a local parish and have been meeting once a week ever since to pray together. At first, they met in person in front of the Blessed Sacrament, but health concerns moved them to zoom in 2020. Soon after the change, women from further away began to join in on the weekly prayer. Having grown to love those women from further away and not wanting to abandon them, the prayer continued through zoom.
In the spring of 2021, a request came from a woman at the Cathedral Parish of Saint Patrick in Harrisburg, PA. “Can you teach us your way of praying?” We took a weekend and traveled to Harrisburg to offer a day of reflection. We shared about our experiences in prayer and taught a large gathering of women how to pray in the same way. Inspired at that conference, a group of friends near Hershey, PA began to gather monthly to pray together.
In 2023 after our annual summer retreat, we were invited by Fr. Mark Pattock OFM to offer a day of reflection for his parish, Saint John the Baptist Parish and Retreat Center in New Baltimore, PA. A group meets there every Monday after morning Mass. The same conference inspired more women to birth a group in Bedford, PA at Saint Thomas Catholic Church.
Each one of the groups has its own unique traditions/activities but still come together to pray in the same manner as the other groups.
Our activities…
During the summer we come together as one at the retreat center in New Baltimore to pray, laugh and learn during our annual retreat. The seasons of Lent and Advent are spent in deep reflection with special programs and a small book study group has formed to delve deeper into the spiritual classics.
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If you are interested in joining a group or forming one of your own, please reach out to the respective leader in your area.