WATER and Women of Dignity’s Quarterly Meeting. Mothers, Mentors & Mary

Mothers, Mentors, and Mary

WATER and Women of Dignity’s Quarterly Meeting

Sunday, May 11, 2025 at 11:30 am EDT

The video of the recording can be found here.

Preparation

Have flowers, bread, and drink near you.

Welcome

From WATER
From Women of Dignity

Life is renewed from generation to generation. May is the month of Mothers, Mentors, and Mary. This spring we seek the hope and celebrate the resistance of women and nonbinary people who lead the way. A great way to celebrate the creative nurture needed on this Mothers’ Day to heal the world.

May is a month rich with Marian feast days, adding depth to the month’s devotions to Mary. We celebrate:

Our Lady of Fatima (May 13)
Mary, Help of Christians (May 24)
The Visitation (May 31)
Our Lady, Queen of Apostles (Saturday after the Ascension)
Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces (May 31)

Each title reveals a different facet of Mary’s role in salvation history and her ongoing care.

The flower of the month, the Lily of the Valley, often referred to as May bells, Mary’s tears, and May lily, symbolizes a return of happiness, sweetness, humility, and good luck. The Lily of the Valley flowers are thought to bring luck in love. Let’s make sure they are near as we bless same-sex couples! The window wells around my grandmother’s house were filled with Lily of the Valley flowers, and these sweet little bells bloom in our front yard, returning happiness each spring, bringing luck in love, and calling us to listen and mentor wisely!

Reading: “For All The Mothers & Sisters of the Revolution” by Carrie Newcomer from A Permeable Life: Poems, Lyrics & Essays and a link to a video for the song Like Molly Brown that celebrates the courage and strength of women, honoring the shoulders we stand upon in our efforts for a better, kinder and more just world.

https://carrienewcomer.substack.com/p/for-all-the-mothers-and-sisters-of

Mothers’ Day is a time for gratitude and remembrance of the gifts given to us by all the strong and loving women in our lives, including the “mothers and sisters” of powerful and positive change. Women are currently pushing back against those who would question and deny our equal rights as citizens and fully capable human beings. Let me say clearly, there has always been, as there is now, strength, wisdom and determination in the community of women. Let us celebrate those in our lives who led the way, led by example, reminded us that “a song must be sung, one way or another.”

Here’s the video for Like Molly Brown, from Until Now. It raises up mentors!

Video: “Like Molly Brown” by Carrie Newcomer

https://carrienewcomer.substack.com/p/for-all-the-mothers-and-sisters-of

Praise Divine Wisdom

Let us praise Divine Wisdom for raising up wise, generous, nurturing, and appreciative women to be with us during this unprecedented time. Our response is: “Bless us with courage and wisdom.”

Praise to you, Divine Wisdom, for raising up Miriam to dance your people to promised lands.

Bless us with courage and wisdom.

Praise to you, Holy Wisdom, for empowering Mary Magdalene, the apostle to the apostles, the first to proclaim Jesus’ resurrection, and the foundation of women-church.

Bless us with courage and wisdom.

Praise to you, Divine Wisdom, for giving us courage to face our angers, fears, anxieties, impatience, and uncertainties during this unprecedented time.

Bless us with courage and wisdom.

Praise to you, Holy Wisdom, for calling us to remember those who are most vulnerable, those who have no safe place to shelter, those who are hungry, and those who are unable to earn an income because their jobs are suspended.

Bless us with courage and wisdom.

Praise to you, Divine Wisdom, for giving us this time to rebalance and transform our lives, our hearts, our cities, our countries, our planet, and our universe.

Bless us with courage and wisdom.
Reading

Women

from every corner

of the Earth,

fighting oppression,

saying no to violence,

and war and rape,

feeding the hungry,

clothing the poor,

healing the sick

and themselves.

Women

from every corner

of the Earth,

birthing songs and paintings,

books and baked goods,

policies and petunias,

children and cats,

out of their hearts,

their homes

and bodies.

Women

from every corner

of the Earth,

working to free

their mothers, their aunts,

sisters and daughters,

all in the name of Justice,

all in the name of Love,

all in the life of You.

Reflection and Sharing

When you hear “Mothers, Mentors, and Mary” what comes to your mind?
How are you sharing wisdom from generation to generation?

Share your flowers as you respond.

Who Needs Our Prayers Today

Our Response: Loving Wisdom, hear our prayer.

Blessing Bread

Hold your bread for a blessing.

Blessed are you, Gracious and Loving Creator, Divine Love, Wisdom Sophia, for this Eucharistic feast. You call us to the banquet table. We take, bless, break, and eat this bread in thanksgiving for the wisdom of our ancestors, in gratitude for the generosity we have received and given, in thanksgiving for those who have nurtured us and taught us to be nurturing, and in appreciation for our partners, friends, family, colleagues, ideas, children, projects, animals, plants, and ourselves. May love increase.

Blessing Drink

Hold your drink for a blessing.

Blessed are you, Holy One of Joy, Divine Love, Wisdom Sophia, for creating this fruit of the vine. Young wine reminds us of new love; aged wine, growing richer and fuller, symbolizes long-lasting love. We give thanks for this fruit of the vine and recall the lasting love of beloved partners and dear friends. We take, bless, and drink in gratitude. May love increase.

Let us eat and drink with joy as we give thanks for this community of wise, generous, nurturing, and appreciative women.

Prayer

“Our Mother” by Miriam Therese Winter in Gil Stafford, Wisdom Walking: Pilgrimage as a Way of Life (New York: Church Publishing, 2017, p. 199)

Our Mother who is within us

we celebrate your many names.

Your wisdom come.

Your will be done,

unfolding from the depths within us.

Each day you give us all that we need.

You remind us of our limits

and we let go.

You support us in our power

and we act with courage.

For you are the dwelling place within us

the empowerment around us

and the celebration among us

now and forever.

Amen.

Sending Forth

Let us go forth grateful for the women who came before us who cared enough to nurture themselves and others.

Let us go forth to mentor the next generations — our own kids, grands, nieces and nephews, neighbors, students, mentees, colleagues, friends, and others.

Let us go forth to protect all our children and help them grow up to be who they are made to be.

Let us go forth to be who we are meant to be as we advocate, share our wisdom, resist for justice, and work for peace.

Let us go forth with gratitude!

Amen. Ashe. May it be so.

Song: “Listen to the Voices” by Holly Near with Emma’s Revolution from We Came to Sing!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/11aC5acK5VhmG6C2RCYDvqxFeTqCN5F1r/view?usp=sharing

Listen to the voices of the first nations (x2)

Calling out the messages of the Earth and sky

Telling us what we need to know in order to survive

Listen to the voices of the first nations

Listen to the voices of the old women (x2)

Calling out the messages of the moon and sea

Telling us what we need to know in order to be free

Listen to the voices of the old women

Listen to the voices of the young children (x2)

Calling out the messages of the heart and soul

Telling us what we used to know before the lies were told

Listen to the voices of the young children

Listen to the voices of young children

Listen to the voices of the old women

Listen to the voices of the first nations

Listen to the voices of the living

Announcements

. Women of Dignity

. WATER

. Dates of next meetings of this group:

Sunday, September 14, 2025, 11:30 AM ET

Sunday, November 30, 2025, 11:30 AM ET

Mission

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