We welcome you to the webpage of the Mary, Woman of Faith Chapter of Magnificat in Birmingham, Alabama. These are exciting times that we live in and Magnificat was begun in 1981 for such a time as this. There are now over 105 Chapters throughout the United States and its territories and in many foreign countries.
Magnificat Meal
Hosted by the Mary, Woman of Faith Chapter
Saturday, May 4, 2024
9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Doors open at 9:15 a.m.
The Rosary will be prayed at 9:00 a.m. in an adjoining room
Location:
St. Elias Parish Hall
836 8th Street South
Birmingham, AL 35205
Please park in the paved parking area off of 8th Street. Please Do not park on 9th Avenue S.
Guest Speaker: Denise Mercado
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Denise Mercado is an award-winning author, blogger, solo traveler, widow, mother, and grandmother. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. As a military spouse, she lived in many cities around the USA and abroad.
Denise has a Bachelor of Science from Campbell University and is an active member of St. Luke Catholic Church in Palm Harbor, Florida. Enrolled in the Associate Program with the Sisters of Notre Dame, she is expected to sign her covenant as an Associate in August, 2024.
After being raised Catholic, Denise turned away from her faith in her teenage years. It was her youngest son’s illness that brought her back to her faith. While caring for two other young children, this son was diagnosed with Hflu meningitis at six months of age. Denise began to question her beliefs and set out on a quest to discover the truth. She wandered through Protestantism, reading spiritual writings and attending a nondenominational church, but something was missing. Unsatisfied, Denise returned to her roots and set out to understand the history of her Catholic upbringing by enrolling in Bible studies and online religion courses. Daniel’s disease led to severe disabilities and he passed away in 2007.
In her first book, They Created Us, Denise reveals a family’s journey through the disability world. Her second book, Mary’s Life Journey & Her Amazing Yes!, demonstrates how to meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary. Her latest book, The Way of Light: The Story Behind the Stations of the Resurrection, was awarded the Nihil Obstat in 2023 by the diocese of Saint Petersburg, Florida.
Her husband, John passed away in 2017 at age 62 after a well fought battle with Lymphoma. While facing life as a widow after 39 years of marriage, Denise is able to say, “God really knows what He is doing and He brings forth good from evil and heartache every time.” Now Denise is a solo traveler. She explores the beauty and history of the Catholic Church by visiting cathedrals, basilicas, monasteries, and shrines and writing about her findings in her Catholic Travel Blog.
Come join us as Denise shares her personal faith journey, and you will come away with a greater understanding of the important origins of many Catholic beliefs. Denise says, “Through my blog and writings, I hope to inspire you to overcome the difficulties of life with the gift of God. We truly ‘can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.”
Denise Mercado will sell and autograph her books after the meal.
Personal Prayer ministry and Confessions will be available at the end of the meal.
Religious gift items are available for purchase after the meal.
Magnificat Proclaims books and CD’s of previous Speakers’ testimonies are available for purchase.
Since the day is designed to speak to the hearts of women, free of distractions, it is respectfully requested that young children not be in attendance.
Tickets & Reservations
Tickets must be purchased in advance. No tickets will be sold after April 28th or at the door.
Ticket price includes a delicious catered breakfast! (Scrambled eggs, sausage patty and biscuit, grits and fruit)
TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE:
Online: Ticket order link
Online payment is available for $20.00 (plus a convenience fee) using PayPal or Venmo with a credit or debit card. You do not need to have a PayPal account. You may also purchase additional tickets for any guests you would like to bring to the meal. When your transaction is complete you may print your online ticket from your computer.
E-Mail: magnificat0296@gmail.com
MAIL-IN RESERVATIONS
Click on, print and complete the form below (include the names and phone numbers of other ticket holders in your group). Since the breakfast is catered reservations CANNOT be accepted after April 28, 2024.
Please Mail Reservation Form, a self-addressed, stamped envelope and a check for $20 per person, payable to “Magnificat” to:
Magnificat Tickets
2744 Aspen Lake Road
Helena, AL 35022
Tickets for priests, deacons, religious brothers and sisters are complimentary.
Please email magnificat0296@gmail.com to reserve your ticket. For an accurate head count, complimentary tickets must be reserved.
If you are unable to afford a ticket but want to attend the meal, please call or text Lucy and arrangements will be made for a ticket to be sent to you.
Order a CD or MP3 of our past and current speakers:
A CD or MP3 of a speakers testimony is available to order. Cost is $6.00 each.
Send a check payable to “Magnificat” to:
Birmingham Magnificat Chapter
P. O. Box 660136
Birmingham, AL 35266
Upcoming Meals and Events for our Chapter — 2024 (Save the date!!)
July 26-27, 2024 Catholic Charismatic Conference
Our Lady of Sorrows Family Life Center
August 3, 2024 Breakfast at St. Elias Parish Hall, Birmingham.
Speaker: Father Eric Kotem Gami
November 16, 2024 Breakfast at St. Elias Parish Hall, Birmingham.
Speaker: Erin Vicinanzo
Keep in Touch!
We have a new website address!! BirminghamMagnificat.org
Follow our Chapter on Facebook Birmingham AL Magnificat Chapter
Rosary Blanket of Prayer
Remember our chapter’s commitment to Eucharistic Adoration and to pray the Rosary on the 2nd of each month for the intentions of Magnificat, Sanctity of Life, Marriage and Family, and World Peace.
Service Team Members
Virginia Springer, Coordinator 205-217-2228
Assistant Coordinator TBA
Sarah Young, Secretary
Mary Margaret Rohling, Treasurer
Sally Smith, Historian
Olga Coburn, Service Team Member
Spiritual Advisor: Fr. Eric Gami Kotem
If you would like to help with a Ministry of Magnificat, or if you have a question or comment for our Service Team, or if you would like to be on our Mailing list for future events, please contact us at magnificat0296@gmail.com
Our Prayer Groups
Is God calling you to be in a Prayer Group? Jesus said “Wherever two or three are gathered in My Name, there I am in their midst.” Our prayer groups are open to all.
Rejoice in the Lord Prayer Group
Meets Wednesdays at Our Lady of Sorrows Family Life Center Library at 1:30 PM.
Contact Olga Coburn (205) 822-4366 or Janet Waters (205) 979-4196
Magnify the Lord Charismatic Prayer Group
Meets the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month at Our Lady of Sorrows Family Life Center Library
at 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
Contact Lisa Henderson (205) 784-6273 or Donna Chmielarski (205) 408-0308
Fire of the Spirit
Thursday, 6:30 pm (Except the 2nd Thursday of the month) and on Zoom
Saint Aloysius Church
751 Academy Drive
Bessemer, AL 35022
Contact: Kathy Tortorice 205-531-0930, kathytortorice@gmail.com
Anniston
Mustard Seed Prayer Group
1st and 3rd Mondays of the month, 5:00pm – 6:30pm
Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Chapel
1301 Golden Springs Road
Anniston, AL. 36207
Contact: Allen and Sally Smith 205-983-4150
For more information about other Charismatic Prayer groups, visit Alabama Charismatic Prayer Groups
History of Mary, Woman of Faith Chapter of Magnificat.
Celebrating our 28th year.
Carolyn Wright, the founding Coordinator of the Birmingham Magnificat Chapter, currently serves as a member of the Central Service Team’s Communication Ministry Team and the Southeast Regional Service Team in Communications. Reflecting on the creation of the Birmingham Chapter, Carolyn exclaimed, “The formation of this Chapter of Magnificat was nothing short of amazing! It is more than any of us ever imagined or hoped for! It has brought forth fruits of love for The Trinity and Our Lady, as well as support of the Church and her priests. Magnificat Women come together, not only as friends, but as sisters in the Lord.”
Peter Ann Ryan, a close friend of Carolyn, became the first draftee in the discernment process concerning the Magnificat Ministry. She joyfully reminisces, “Over these twenty-seven years, I am still astounded by the gifts of the Holy Spirit as He reveals His plan of love, encouragement and affection in the response of those coming to Magnificat. The awesome “coincidences” that occur between and among faith-filled women, prove the presence of a good and gracious God … touching and uplifting His children.”
The first Magnificat Prayer Meal in Alabama was held at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Birmingham on February 17, 1996 with Sister Briege McKenna, O.S.C. as the speaker. There were 500 women in attendance. Olga Coburn, who has been on the service team since its inception, also participated in this first meal. Using her gifts of leadership in the Charismatic Renewal, Olga was delegated by the Lord to give His word to the women at the Magnificat Meals. With a grateful heart, Olga proclaims that, “My joy is from being the Lord’s instrument, especially in Magnificat, to pronounce His prophetic word to the women He has called to be present. From the beginning He has blessed this ministry, which became manifested on that first breakfast with Sister Briege proclaiming His works and healing, including my right hand. Through His Mother, Mary, He continues to bless and use women to further His Kingdom.”
Magnificat events are held four times a year on or near a feast of Our Lady. The program includes a shared meal, praise and worship led by music volunteers, a speaker who shares God’s work in her life, intercessory prayer and the availability of the Sacrament of Reconciliation at the end of the gathering. Kathy MacInnis, retired Coordinator of the Magnificat Central Service Team says, “At each meal, a woman gives her testimony of how the Lord God has touched her life in an extraordinary way with His grace. The women in attendance come to understand that what God has done for that speaker, He can also do for them. This is a source of freedom and empowerment!” This witness of God’s action and mercy in the speaker’s life focuses on hope in the midst of adversity and brings to life the scripture quote: “They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Rev 12:11
The Service Team of Mary, Woman of Faith Chapter invites and welcomes the women of the Birmingham Diocese to come and experience Mary’s Visitation to Elizabeth. Attend a Magnificat meal, a place where Jesus touches hearts. It is also a place that feels like “going home,” where everyone is loved and accepted by other like-minded women looking to become closer to God.
Bishop Emeritus David E. Foley gave approval for the formation of our chapter and named our chapter Mary, Woman of Faith. Bishop Foley’s love and devotion to the Blessed Mother is emphasized in the following prayer he wrote, “O Mary, Mother of Christ and Mother of our Catholic Church, may all women of the world take you as their model of what it means to be a woman. May you, who are Woman of Faith, lead us by the power of the Spirit to a new evangelization of the world. Amen.”
Since its humble beginning in New Orleans in 1981, Magnificat has become an international outreach to women that has touched thousands of lives. It has spread to over 105 chapters encompassing the United States, the Caribbean Islands, Canada, Malta, Poland, Ireland, Dominica and Uganda.
Last Updated on April 23, 2024.
