Holiness: The perfection of Love.....reflections by Jeanette DeMelo on ENDOW’s recent Conference.....

(This article was published in the Denver Catholic Register on October 27, 2010)

Holiness: The perfection of love

By Jeanette DeMelo

Holiness and perfection seem so out of reach in my daily life. That stuff is for the saints and I’m no saint.

I stood challenged recently when Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles reminded a roomful of women that we are all called to be saints—holy and perfect.

Holiness is the perfection of love, he said. He explained this call to love in just such a way that I came away thinking it might actually be possible. Possible, that is, only by God’s overabundant grace.

Archbishop Gomez spoke to 180 women at the fifth annual ENDOW (Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women) Catholic Women’s Conference, held at St. Thomas More Church Oct. 15 and 16. The theme was “Called to Be Saints: Living in the World but not of the World.” The conference explored the lives of Servant of God Dorothy Day, St. Catherine of Siena and St. Edith Stein.

In his keynote address, the archbishop spoke of St. Frances Cabrini who, together with her nuns, gathered stones and formed a simple image of the Sacred Heart on a mountain. The stone heart remains today at Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden, Colo.

By this example, Archbishop Gomez encouraged us to “gather stones into the heart of Jesus” and to “turn every corner of the world into a reflection of the Sacred Heart.”

Cautioning us not to lose heart when we don’t always see results, he said: “We live in a result-driven world. But the kingdom of heaven isn’t that way. It grows by little acts of faith…”

“The age of the saints is not past,” he continued. “In every age the Lord is calling out saints. In our day he is calling you … He calls us to have the courage to love, like Mother Cabrini, with the love that transforms hearts of stone into hearts of flesh.”

All of the conference speakers were keenly aware of the tendency to think of saints as drastically unlike “normal” people. Their stories made the saints real and showed that each saint’s life was a journey. They weren’t born saints.

Dorothy Day, whose life was presented by professor Terrance Wright, was seemingly the most un-saintly. Born in the late 19th century to a non-religious family, she was baptized Episcopal as a young girl but lost her faith during college.

Before she was 30, she got pregnant out of wedlock twice. Regrettably she aborted her first child.

God’s call was greater than her life’s chaos. Day kept her second child. She baptized her Catholic and became Catholic herself, believing “it was the greatest thing” she could do for her child.

Day eventually helped to found the Catholic Worker Movement, which spread Catholic social teaching. She opened houses of hospitality where the homeless and volunteers lived together in community.
St. Thérèse of Lisieux, who Day called “the Saint of the Responsible,” became her guide for living the little moments of each day with love. Day reminded those who worked with her that the little boy in the Gospel gave Jesus all he had, five loaves and two fish, and Jesus did the rest. Giving all daily was Day’s little way, and she reminds us that we too need to give Jesus all that we have and allow him to do the rest.

The other conference speakers presented on saints a little more commonly recognized for holiness.

Calling St. Catherine of Siena one of her best friends, Dominican Sister Catherine Joseph Droste presented on the life of the 14th-century lay Dominican mystic.

While there were many aspects of St. Catherine’s life that set her apart from the average 21st-century woman, Sister Droste suggested it was Catherine’s radical love for the human person that makes her so relevant today. St. Catherine knew that only by knowing God’s infinite love could we know ourselves and recognize who God calls us to be.

In studying the life of Edith Stein, author Elizabeth Mitchell said she found a soul sister. Mitchell presented on the 20th-century philosopher who converted to Catholicism after several encounters with “living images” of faith. For Stein, these living images were ordinary people who by their small daily actions revealed their deep love for Jesus Christ and their faith in God’s great love for them. Stein became a Carmelite nun and her life ended in martyrdom at the hand of the Nazis. Stein wrote extensively on the vocation of women and her writings offer both deep intellectual truths but also simple tips for keeping in the presence of God daily.

The 2010 ENDOW conference with its saintly theme came at a perfect time—a couple weeks before All Saints’ Day. Because of it, I won’t be so tempted to dismiss that day as a celebration for those who are so different from me. Rather, this year I will celebrate the saints as friends, soul sisters and prayer partners in a journey that we are all called to live. I hope you are encouraged to do the same.

Jeanette DeMelo is a founding board member of ENDOW. The 2010 ENDOW Conference talk CDs can be ordered at www.ENDOWonline.com.

ENDOW studies in action.......transforming lives and increasing love of Christ and of our Mother, the Church.......

These words speak for themselves...I gathered them from a recent letter from an ENDOW participant to Executive Director Terry Polakovic:

“I felt a strong urge to write this letter........I have just started my first Endow class, “Pope John Paul II’s Letter to Women.” Even though I have only finished the first chapter and Appendix 1, I had to express my wonderment at what I have read thus far...........Just reading these few pages.......have caused me to stand in much more appreciation of the Catholic Church than I ever have before..........Because of this study I have become aware of how the Church has fought and defended the rights and dignity of women throughout the world. For years I was ignorant of this, but my eyes have finally been opened, leading to a much greater appreciation of the Church that has been a part of me all my life.......I thank the Holy Spirit for guiding me to this class.......I am looking forward with great anticipation to continue on with this course, and I would encourage every woman to take the opportunity to attend the Endow classes.”

This is the story of ENDOW. Here is “Love the learning. Build the friendships. Live the Faith” in living action. Praise be to God for the apostolate of ENDOW which helps bring women into knowing the fullness of their dignity and their role in humanizing and transforming society into a culture of life. Thank God for this living example of yet another heart converted to deeper understanding through an ENDOW study...and this is only after the first chapter of her first study!

“Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.” Jn 7:38 Come Holy Spirit!

The heavens are telling the glory of God (Ps 19)...DID YOU KNOW?.....an autumn walk.......

Autumn is a time of beauty and awe...the changing of seasons..the brilliant colors singing out to be heard with the eyes of our hearts. In ENDOW study guides there are little tidbits of information under the heading “Did You Know?” I was recently pondering the beauty of the aspen trees which are abundant here in Colorado and started linking some of the attributes of the aspens with the blessings I’ve received in my ENDOW study group. Here are some attributes of the aspens (tidbits I gathered from Wikipedia)... “their nearly round leaf shape on mature trees cause the leaves to twist and flutter in slight breezes...known for its leaves turning spectacular tints of red and yellow in the autumn....typically grows in large colonies derived from a single seedling and spreading by means of a large root system......the root system is long-lived.....sometimes for thousands of years.....sending up new trunks as the older trunks die off above ground......the aspen colonies become very large with time....they are able to survive forest fires since the roots are below the heat of the fire.....with new sprouts growing after the fire burns out...fire indirectly benefits aspen trees, since it allows the saplings to flourish in open sunlight in the burned landscape..... don’t do well in the shade...”

Now...for the DID YOU KNOW? What do ENDOW study groups do? ENDOW is an educational program that brings women together to discover their God-given dignity and to understand their role in humanizing and transforming society. We come together to “Love the Learning, Build the Friendships and to Live the Faith.” These teachings are trustworthy and true. The roots of the Catholic Church run deep, and have held together in Christ for 1,000’s of years....The women of ENDOW seek to soak our hearts and minds into these teachings and we pray to be docile to the “slight breezes” of the Holy Spirit working within and around us. Those who open their hearts do come to show forth the beautiful and individual brilliance of our Creator with each “yes” to Him..the “spectacular tints” of each woman come forward to be seen, experienced and to transform those she encounters....and it is truly AWEsome to experience.

Let us pray that we all receive grace to open the eyes of hearts to all the beauty of creation, especially in seeing the unique, unrepeatable beauty of each life created by God.

If you haven’t joined an ENDOW study group yet, what are you waiting for? Come! You will be in AWE. Be strengthened and joined even deeper into the blessed and strong root system of our Catholic faith through the beauty and blessing of ENDOW study groups. Click here for information.

Ps 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in the sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Come Holy Spirit, set us ablaze!

So many blessings received at the ENDOW Conference “Called to be Saints”......

The fifth annual ENDOW Catholic Women’s Conference went off with flying colors and abundant blessings this past weekend at St. Thomas More Parish in Centennial, CO. Facilitators of ENDOW were treated to a very special pre-conference retreat by Fr. Scott Traynor titled “Behold, I am with You Always: Daily Life in Christ.” Fr. Scott led facilitators and friends of ENDOW through a wonderful day of joy filled teaching, meditation and prayer including a most beautiful celebration of mass in the company of 18 relics of beloved Saints. What an experience it was of the presence of the Communion of Saints! The faithful women of ENDOW were blessed to participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the very presence of all of those blessed relics!

While some women participated in the pre-conference retreat, others participated in new facilitator training which was held for women to learn all about becoming facilitators and to experience an in-depth overview of ENDOW’s signature study guide “Letter to Women.”

The evening continued with a wonderful dinner together while we all listened to a very heartfelt, touching and moving talk by His Excellency Archbishop José H. Gomez titled “Strong Women and Holy Mothers: lessons from Scripture and the Lives of the Saints.” What inspiration we heard from Archbishop Gomez to imitate the holy, loving and prayerful lives of the saints who have gone before us....especially all of those “hidden and unknown” ones who were the mothers and sisters of so many well known saints.

Bright and early on Saturday morning, Archbishop José H. Gomez celebrated a most beautiful mass for all and, once again, it truly was a pure taste of heaven right there in the beautiful sanctuary of St. Thomas More....in the company of all the relics and of all the ladies of ENDOW. What a way to start off another blessed day!

We first heard all about Dorothy Day from Dr. Terrence C. Wright, and about St. Catherine of Siena from Sr. Catherine Droste, O.P, and about Edith Stein (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross) from Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell. A real treat on top of hearing the excellent speakers was the opportunity to have ENDOW style small table discussions after each speaker. It was a terrific way to get to know new ladies and to experience the flavor of ENDOW for those who have yet to be involved in a study group. After a panel discussion by the speakers, the day wound up with many very happy hearts and smiling faces.

While the women’s Conference was in full swing there was also a very special ENDOW Teen Retreat and Conference titled “True Freedom. A Weekend Adventure.” The presenters were Kate and Brigid Sweeney from the ENDOW staff. Kate and Brigid always draw the hearts of the young girls into a deeper love of Christ and his Church through enthusiastic presentations which are filled with joy and humor!

A special thanks to all those who worked tirelessly on making this Conference what many have said “the very best one yet!” Rumor has it that the evaluations are full of words of praise and gratitude for a truly outstanding Conference! Check out the ENDOW website soon to purchase CD’s of the talks.

May God bring forth much fruit in our hearts and lives from this great time of fellowship in Christ.

Praise and thanksgiving to God for the time of great blessing and grace at the ENDOW Women's Conference!

Terry Polakovic, ENDOW’s co-foundress and executive director, to receive Papal Award: Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice....

CONGRATULATIONS to TERRY!

The Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice (For the Church and Pontiff) is a special award from our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI - given for exceptional service to the Church. Archbishop Chaput describes the award this way: "This is a uniquely important recognition. It comes directly from the Holy See. It is one of the highest honors the Holy Father can bestow on an individual. Pope Benedict, in his authority as Pontiff, grants the Cross in gratitude for sustained and exemplary witness to the Catholic faith and service to the Church."

“A devoted wife, mother and leader, Ms. Polakovic has served Catholic causes for many years,” the archbishop wrote.

“(The award) represents the work of so many different people who have dedicated themselves to the ENDOW program,” Polakovic said. “Countless people have spent thousands and thousands of hours on this project, so this award is really for them.”

Terry will be joined by others as she receives her award from Archbishop Chaput on November 7 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver. (See full article from the Denver Catholic Register here).

Please pray in thanksgiving for all that Terry has worked so hard for in our Church and especially in ENDOW. Praise be to God for all she has done and for this very special recognition!

October is the month of The Holy Rosary......pray the “compendium of the Gospel” daily.....

We have received a most beautiful gift and tool which truly paves a way for holiness in the Holy Rosary. An Argentinean Bishop recently said that saying the rosary is “a repetitive rhythm of praise and supplication..... In Mary, we praise the gift of God, God himself who gives us Jesus Christ. And through her, we pray to be able to receive him now and at the doorstep to eternity.” (full CNA article here)

Our dear Pope John Paul II gave us a beautiful teaching in his Apostolic Letter “Rosarium Virginis Mariae” in which he refers to the rosary as a “compendium of the gospel.” He says “The Rosary is one of the traditional paths of Christian prayer directed to the contemplation of Christ's face. Pope Paul VI described it in these words: ‘As a Gospel prayer, centred on the mystery of the redemptive Incarnation, the Rosary is a prayer with a clearly Christological orientation. Its most characteristic element, in fact, the litany- like succession of Hail Marys, becomes in itself an unceasing praise of Christ, who is the ultimate object both of the Angel's announcement and of the greeting of the Mother of John the Baptist: 'Blessed is the fruit of your womb' (Lk 1:42). We would go further and say that the succession of Hail Marys constitutes the warp on which is woven the contemplation of the mysteries.......” (read full Apostolic Letter here).

Join the faithful this month in forming a habit of saying the rosary daily and therefore deepening your faith and understanding through the rhythmic succession of prayer and contemplation through the joys, sorrows, glory and public ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ with and through the eyes of Our Blessed Mother. Holy Mother of God, please pray for and with us during this month of the Holy Rosary!

Don’t miss the ENDOW Conference.......Called to be SAINTS......

ENDOW’s 5th Annual Women’s Conference is next week, October 15-16 in Centennial, Colorado. Please come and join us! The Conference is for both adults and teens!

The 2010 ENDOW Catholic Women's Conference is an educational and reflective time where women of all ages can deepen their faith and rejuvenate their souls to experience anew the joy of living the fullness of God's grace.

Conference Features:
The ENDOW Conference features daily Mass, opportunities for confession, educational uplifting talks from prominent Catholic speakers, group discussions, and enriching fellowship with other women. With our theme Called to be Saints: Living in the World, but not of the World we will feature talks and discussions on the lives of amazing and holy women who lived in the world but were not of it. Join us this year as we unpack the lives of Servant of God Dorothy Day, Saint Edith Stein, and Saint Catherine of Siena. Our guest speakers this year include Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, Sister Catherine Droste, O.P., Eileen Love, M.T.S. , Elizabeth Mitchell, Ph.D., Kate and Brigid Sweeney, Fr. Scott Traynor, J.C.L., and Terrence Wright, Ph.D.

Please plan on joining in...this is truly a “spa” for your soul! To register and read more, click here. Don’t miss this opportunity to gather in faith and learning with many wonderful women! I just “happened in” on the very first ENDOW Conference and was positively overwhelmed and filled with grace throughout the entire experience....and have been coming ever since! Is the Holy Spirit nudging your soul? Say “YES! I’ll be there!”

Blessed be God in all his saints!

We sing our song of love within the cosmic symphony.....

At a recent concert in his honor, Pope Benedict XI delivered an address called "The Masterpiece of the Human Being Is His Every Act of Genuine Love"

Our Holy Father said “......human genius competes in creativity with nature, gives life to varied and manifold harmonies, where the human voice also takes part in this language, which is as a reflection of the great cosmic symphony........”

Pope Benedict invites us to reflect upon music and silence by analyzing how this particular musical interpretation “seems to represent the place and task of faith in the universe: In the midst of the vital forces of nature, which are around man and also within him, faith is a different force, which responds to a profound word, ‘arising from the silence,’ as St. Ignatius of Antioch would say. The word of faith needs great interior silence, to hear and obey a voice that goes beyond the visible and tangible. This voice also speaks through the phenomena of nature, because it is the power that has created and governs the universe; but to recognize it, a humble and obedient heart is necessary -- as the saint teaches, whose memorial we celebrate today: Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus. Faith follows this profound voice where art on its own cannot reach: It follows it on the path of witness, of selfless giving of oneself out of love, as Cecilia did. Then the most beautiful work of art, the masterpiece of the human being is his every act of genuine love, from the smallest -- in the daily martyrdom -- to the extreme sacrifice. Here life itself becomes a song: an anticipation of this symphony that we will sing together in Paradise.” (read full article in Zenit here).

Let us beg God for this interior silence and for a humble and obedient heart so that we, like St. Therese of the Child Jesus, can confidently walk in selfless giving of oneself out of love. Let us prepare our souls to hear God’s voice and to shout our response of “Yes!” in joy, singing our new song to the Lord in all we think, say and do!