ENDOW: Bringing Women Together in W
Fellowship and Faith
hen Karen Powers was asked to sit in on an ENDOW meeting at her old parish on the mainland, she had no idea that it would kickstart a huge part of her spiritual journey. “I realized I was getting so much out of it,” she says. “When I moved here, I knew that the women of ENDOW had impacted my life, but I didn’t realize how much until I got the email, and I saw that they were getting started, and I realized how much I missed it.” ENDOW stands for “Education on the Nature and Dignity of Women,” and the program encompasses small groups of eight to 12 women who meet once a week for study, discussion and fellowship. St. Theresa has two ENDOW groups — one that meets in the morning and one that meets in the evening. Karen thought ENDOW was the perfect program to provide a space specifically for women of the parish to connect. “The reason I thought ENDOW would be a great fit is because of the relationships I formed in my group back at my old parish — I still hear from these women and often get random messages from them, saying that they miss me and hope all is well,” Karen says. “These are all people I met in and because of this study. “I got to know them, I got to know about their families, and we stay in touch to this day,” she adds. “Even the women with whom you might find yourself disagreeing with their opinions, you are still able to see their vulnerability, which brings out their humanity. It’s all about what St. Pope John Paul II called the ‘feminine genius’ — thinking about some of those women brings tears to my eyes.” The groups are designed to meet for an hour and a half to 2 hours at a time, and ENDOW provides a wide variety of studies, covering topics such as Pope John Paul II’s Letter to Women, the Doctors of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas, Christian suffering, the Virgin Mary, women saints, and several papal
“When you have your discussions, it’s really good to have women who are just getting started and sometimes can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, all the way up to women who have been through everything and can share their experiences. The relationships you build are very deep, and you can be yourself and get so much support.” — KAREN POWERS encyclicals. Meetings are structured to allow every group member to speak and participate, with a facilitator to guide the discussion. Sessions normally run for eight weeks. Fellowship — often including snacks! — before or after the study is encouraged, as well. St. Theresa’s ENDOW groups are open to women of all ages, and a wide age range is represented among the groups. continued on back cover
7
