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Benedicta Enrichment Seminar – 2023
Wednesday, Jul 19, 2023 - Friday, Jul 21, 2023
3:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Malvern Retreat House
McShain-Horstmann Family Life Center
315 S. Warren Avenue
Malvern,
PA
19355
610-644-0400
Retreat Director and Speakers Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Johnnette B Williams
$295.00 Arriving Wednesday
$235.00 Arriving Thursday
$
Thursday and Friday, July 20 and 21
Retreat Director: Susan P. Brinkmann, OCDS
Theme: “The Science of Weakness: A Journey into the Life and Teachings of St. Therese of Lisieux”
The legacy of St. Therese of Lisieux was not carved out of heroic martyrdom or great deeds on the world stage. Instead, her legacy is all about what great things the Lord can do with even the simplest souls. Join us as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Flower of Lisieux with a special Benedicta Enrichment Seminar entitled, “The Science of Weakness: A Journey into the Life and Teachings of St. Therese of Lisieux.” Presented by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS, this series of five conferences is based on the writings of St. Therese, various Theresian scholars, and documentation from the beatification and canonization processes that reveal fascinating details about her life, her loves, and the weaknesses that spawned her Little Way of Spiritual Childhood. Only by stripping away the gossamer veils that too often hide the humanness of the Little Flower can devotees fully appreciate the origins of the teachings of her Little Way and how we too can turn our weaknesses into strengths!
First Conference
Marie-Francois Therese Martin: A Study in Weakness. This conference will center upon little-known facts about the life of Therese and how her unusual upbringing shaped her view of the world and the faith.
Second Conference
Theresian Mortification: Suffering for Love. This conference looks at how Therese’s endearing habit of “scattering flowers” of little mortifications performed with great love can help us to turn our everyday suffering into a powerful force for spiritual growth.
Third Conference
Theresian Humility: Finding Strength in Weakness. This conference explores how Therese’s weaknesses inspired the formation of the Little Way. Through her acquisition of true humility and growth in poverty of spirit, Therese teaches us how to confront, accept, and even love our weaknesses, so that we can allow the grace of God to transform them into strengths.
Fourth Conference
Theresian Confidence: Taking Jesus by His Heart. This conference celebrates the most cherished hallmark of the Little Flower of Lisieux – her indomitable confidence in God – all of which sprang from her reliance on the virtue of hope.
Fifth Conference
Theresian Surrender: Abandonment to God. In this conference we study Therese’s love for the present moment where she lived in the constant company of God and found all the grace she needed to confront the challenges of the day. Participants will learn to do the same and discover a thoroughly Catholic form of “mindfulness” that will lead them closer to God.
Retreat Directors and Speakers
Retreat Director
Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Susan Brinkmann, OCDS, author and award winning journalist is a member of the Third Order Discalced Carmelites. She is the staff writer for Women of Grace and is a frequent guest on EWTN’s Women of Grace television show. In addition to two historical fiction novels published Harper Collins, she is also the author of a book on Carmelite prayer, Lord Teach Us to Pray, published by The Catholic Standard and Times. Her book, The Kinsey Corruption, which details the fraudulent research of Alfred C. Kinsey was published by Ascension Press. Susan also published The Learn to Discern Compendium: Is It Christian or New Age? with Simon Peter Press which has an impramatur from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. She recently published the story of her conversion entitled, We Need to Talk: God Speaks to a Modern Girl, published by Liguori Publications.
Retreat Director
Johnnette B Williams
Johnnette B Williams is Founder and President of Women of Grace®, a Catholic apostolate for women featuring a number of outreaches including conferences, media, study groups and more. She is also Founder and President of Living His Life Abundantly® International, Inc. a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit corporation. After years of being a non-practicing Catholic, in 1981 Johnnette experienced a deep conversion back to her Catholic faith. Her conversion sparked a new vocation: that is, one of sharing the Gospel message through the utilization of media. She has been an inspiring and consistent presence on Catholic radio (1987) and in Catholic television (1988) ever since.
Johnnette is the Executive Producer of the Women of Grace® television program, a program highlighting contemporary issues from a Catholic perspective which also discusses authentic femininity™ in the world today. She is also host of Women of Grace® Live, a call-in radio talk show airing five times a week. She is heard nationally on AM/FM stations, Sirius Satellite 160, and internationally via short wave radio.
In addition, Johnnette is a popular conference speaker, published author, retreat director, and seminar presenter. She is the author of several books including:
Full of Grace: Women and the Abundant Life
Grace-Filled Moments
Living Life Abundantly: Stories of People Who Have Encountered God
Experience Grace in Abundance: Ten Strategies For Your Spiritual Life
The New Age Counterfeit
She also developed the internationally recognized Women of Grace® Foundational Study Series which has transformed thousands of women worldwide through the healing love of Jesus Christ.
On the personal side, Johnnette lost her son Simon in a tragic vehicular accident, just after he returned from Iraq as a decorated soldier. Soon after Simon’s death, she lost her beloved husband of more than thirty three years, Anthony, to terminal brain cancer. Through these tragedies, Johnnette was strengthened by her faith, family, friends and the prayers of the many wonderful supporters of Living His Life Abundantly® and Women of Grace®. Family life is very important to her. She enjoys time with her daughters, grandchildren, extended family and friends.
