Auguste Pichon – The Annunciation, 1859. Image: Galerix.org

Are you a woman in the Parish Community?
Looking to grow closer to Jesus through Mary?
Seeking to deepen your understanding of the Word of God?
…enjoy sharing stories with friends?

Come find out what “Women of the FIAT” is all about!

Purpose

We seek to grow closer to Jesus through Mary in our day-to-day lives—to share our understanding of the Word of God for contemporary women and enhance the culture of faith in our Parish community.

Gatherings

Women of the FIAT meet together throughout the year, once a month, on the third Saturday, 8am to 9:30am. 

Our meetings include:
 

• Prayer

• Presentation of topics grounded in our faith journey  (published articles, books, individual speakers, or videos)

• Reflection and sharing insight into the meaning of the Word of God

• Coffee and pastries

For further information, please contact Women of the FIAT via email through our Contact Form.

“When Gabriel the Archangel tells Our Lady at the Annunciation that by the "power of the Most High," she is to bear the Son of God and name Him Jesus, Mary surrenders herself completely to the Divine Plan in what is known as the Fiat (Lk 1:38). Fiat means quite simply, "yes."

Mary's "yes" leads to the birth of Christianity. Her agreement will touch people's hearts everywhere. Christians will ponder this encounter. Movies will be made! Other religions will even honor this famous conversation between the Mother of God and the archangel…

...On a basic level, her "yes" serves as an invitation for us to also trust in God and to experience God in deeper ways. Her "yes" is an act of mercy not only because by giving birth to Christ she helped secure a means for our salvation, but also through her example, we learn to draw closer to God.

Before Mary came along, so many people must have felt distant from God. Maybe they wished to draw closer to Him but did not really know how. Perhaps they felt as if they weren't being "fed" spiritually. This is a common phrase these days, to be "fed." It's a good one, and right now I would say that by reflecting on the encounter of the Blessed Mother and the archangel, many people have been "fed" over the centuries and are still being fed by it today.

How so? Because when we hear the Word proclaimed, we can look to Mary and learn from her to keep it and ponder it in our hearts as she did (see Lk 2:19). Out of love for her Father, she welcomed the Word even when she didn't fully understand it.

After all, the Blessed Mother never claims in Scripture to know it all - that she has it all figured out and that any of her experiences with God can be understood right off the bat. Throughout the Gospels, she continually "ponders all these things in her heart." She sits on them. She wonders about it all, whatever "it" is in terms of her encounter with God.

Her legacy to us is multi-layered. She gives us her experiences with salvation history, along with her method of processing these experiences. That is to say, she pondered the Word in her heart, so that like a seed it would bear fruit in due time (see Mk 4:20)." ~  (The Divine Mercy, 2006, online).

CONTACT WOMEN OF THE FIAT