A record 120 mothers and daughters took time on March 22 to participate in the annual “Behold” retreat at Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine. The event was presented by the diocesan Office for Marriage and Family Ministry.
Three speakers – Crystalina Evert, Erin Nugent and Lindsay Fullerman – addressed the women. The day also included adoration in the shrine chapel, which was designated as a sacred site for the Jubilee Year of Hope, breakout sessions, a rosary led by Sister Josephine, OSST, and a vigil Mass celebrated by Father Joe Menkhaus, parochial vicar for St. Bernadette Parish in Westlake.
“We had about 50 more people than last year,” said Maria Wancata, marriage and family ministry specialist. She said the event has been growing each year.
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Evert’s topic was “Women Made New.” She is founder of an organization of the same name and co-founder of the Chastity Project. She also is a best-selling author, radio/podcast personality and has made numerous appearances on EWTN. In addition, Evert has spoken at World Youth Day in Australia, Spain and Poland. Evert and her husband Jason are the parents of 11, including three children they lost to miscarriages.
“They’re still a part of my life,” she told the women. “They were named and buried and I believe they will be waiting for me when I die. I pray to them and they are still a part of my life.”
She reminded retreat participants that God loves them and wants to be a part of their lives, “even your messiness and your filth. He wants to be there, but you have to let him in.”
As for the Chastity Project, she explained that chastity “is a virtue of mind, heart and body. It’s a gift from God. It’s a lifestyle.”
Evert also told the women that their wounds do not define them. “They are a part of you, but they are not who you are. Take them to Jesus and the scales will begin to fall away. Healing could take a long time, but it’s worth it,” she said. “Do the hard work and show up to your own fight.”
In discussing marriage, she cautioned them not to marry someone “intending to fix or change them. They’re not your project,” she said, explaining a partner/spouse should help lead you to God.
Nugent, a former missionary with The Culture Project, has been an associate with Theology of the Body Cleveland for nearly two years. She also is pursuing a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling.
St. Therese of Lisieux, also known as the Little Flower, was the topic of her presentation. Nugent described the seemingly inconsequential life of the young French woman whose quiet, deep faith earned her the rare title doctor of the Church. St. Therese came from a unique family. All five daughters became religious sisters and her parents, Zelie and Louis Martin, are both canonized saints.
Nugent said her life as a missionary is “beautiful and humbling.”
Fullerman, founder of Fit From Faith, an integrative health and wellness organization rooted in the teachings of St. John Paul II, is also a Catholic speaker and entrepreneur. She has been a regular presenter at the Behold retreats.
“My greatest joys are found in my faith, workouts, family, friends and nature,” Fullerman said.
Wancata said the purpose of the Behold retreat was to allow the women a chance to break away from the busyness of their lives, to quiet their minds and open their hearts.
“Please remember that you are a beloved daughter of our heavenly Father,” she told the women. “Allow yourself to be open and receptive to how God is speaking to you and moving you today.”