By Al Donner
Special to The Catholic Voice

Catholic women seeking to deepen their faith and commitment to Christ are invited to a prayer breakfast with Bishop Salvatore Cordileone on Dec. 11 in Concord.

Magnificat meal Breakfast, worship, fellowship for Catholic women • 9:30 a.m., Dec. 11 • Concord Hilton 1970 Diamond Blvd. • www.magnificatsoti.org

The event is the beginning of the Magnificat movement in the Oakland Diocese. Magnificat is a three-decades-old ministry that encourages lay Catholic women to build a deeper commitment to Jesus by fostering growth in holiness and sharing the good news of salvation in their daily lives.

The movement is centered on periodic “Magnificat meals,” where participants get together for several hours to share a meal, hear a personal testimony and engage in worship, prayer and fellowship.

The kick-off Magnificat meal starts at 9:30 a.m. Dec. 11 at the Concord Hilton, 1970 Diamond Blvd. Bishop Cordileone is expected to reflect on his spiritual development as a young man and into the priesthood.

The Magnificat movement encourages women to grow in holiness through daily prayer, Scripture study, deepening their love of Jesus and Mary and frequent participation in the sacraments. It underscores the importance of their vocation as Catholic women.

Mary Johnstone, local Magnificat coordinator, became involved while living in Atlanta, Ga. She recalls attending Magnificat meals and says “I would leave feeling so uplifted.”

She feels the strength of Magnificat flows “from bringing together the Blessed Mother with the Holy Spirit” in the process of spiritual growth.

Now living in Contra Costa County, Johnstone last March set up a meeting at St. Mary’s in Walnut Creek to introduce the program’s regional coordinator. Some 200 women attended and out of that they began planning for this first Magnificat meal.

“It has taken off like wildfire, and is attracting women of all ages and races,” Johnstone said.

When she presented her interest in starting Magnificat to Bishop Cordileone, he was supportive. The bishop and his mother both have been speakers at Magnificat meals in Orange County. He grew up in a close-knit, faith-filled Catholic family in San Diego and was familiar with Magnificat’s work before coming to Oakland.

All women in the diocese are welcome to attend, but reservations are needed because of space limits. The cost is $25 a person if postmarked by Dec. 3 and $35 after that. Checks should be made out to Magnificat SOTI and mailed to: Magnificat SOTI, Box 835, Alamo 94507.

The spiritual director for the Magnificat program in the diocese is Father Jerry Brown, pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary parish in Brentwood.

The program was started in New Orleans in 1981 by a group of Catholic women who saw a need for a faith-sharing experience in a relaxed social setting.

Since then it has spread around the country. There are active programs in Southern California, but the nearest Magnificat program to the Bay Area is in Monterey.

Magnificat is the verb in the Latin phrase, “Magnificat anima mea Dominum” (“My soul magnifies the Lord”), Mary’s response to Elizabeth’s joyful greeting (Luke 1:46). Following the example of Mary and Elizabeth, this woman-to-woman ministry seeks to generate a lively faith in God and his action in their lives along with a love for Mary and the Church.

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