Welcome to Magnificat: A Ministry to Catholic Women
Orange County Chapter.

Magnificat, A ministry to Catholic Women was founded in 1981 in New Orleans at the special request of Arch-Bishop Hannan. It is an international ministry to women based on the "Visitation" scene in Luke 1:39-56. It's purpose is the spiritual support and formation of Catholic Women toward a lively faith in God, love for Mary and the Church, and growth in holiness. Membership is spiritual. Magnificat Prayer Meals are held quarterly with 300-500 people attending. A speaker gives a personal testimony to the workings o the Holy Spirit in her life and there is prayer, praise and a shared meal. Toward spiritual formation, they sponsor retreats, prayers groups , the St. Louis de Montfort Consecration to Mary, and Divine Mercy Sunday Diocesan Celebration for all men, women and children.

Magnificat encourages all women to take Mary as the role model of authentic femininity and encourages all to imitate Mary's Fiat to the Divine Will of the Eternal Father. One of the main charisms of the ministry is to the Priesthood of the Lord. We encourage the intercessory prayer and sacrifices needed to help support and encourage the sanctity of priests. Magnificat takes seriously what the Vatican Council said to all women.

The Council Message to Women:
An excerpt from the Message To Women read on December 8, 1965 at The Solemn Closing ceremony of the Second Vatican Council.

"And now it is to you that we address ourselves, women of all states, girls, wives, mothers, and widows, to you also, consecrated virgins and women living alone. You constitute half of the immense human family. As you know, the Church is proud to have glorified and liberated woman, and in the course of the centuries, in diversity of characters, to have brought into relief her basic equality with men.

But the hour is coming, in fact has come, when the vocation of woman is being achieved in its fullness, the hour in which woman acquires in the world, an influence, an effect, and a power when the human race is undergoing so deep a transformation, women impregnated with the spirit of the Gospel can do much to aid mankind in not falling...

Women, you who know how to make truth sweet, tender, and accessible, make it your task to bring the spirit of this Council into institutions, schools, homes, and daily life. Women of the entire universe, whether Christian or non-believing, you to whom life is entrusted at this moment in history, it is for you to save the peace of the world."

Magnificat, A Ministry To Catholic Women, is highly endorsed by many priests and Bishops who have been blessed and supported by its members. In the Orange Diocese of California, the Aux. Bishop Dominic Luong, D.D., just gave his personal testimony at the February, 2005 Magnificat Prayer Meal and thanked the members of Magnificat for their support of the Priesthood and Church.

 

The Objectives of Magnificat

1. Live out the mystery of Mary's visit to Elizabeth.

2. Help Catholic women to open more and more to the Holy Spirit through a deeper commitment of their lives to Jesus as Lord and to impart the Holy Spirit to one another by their love, service, and sharing the good news of salvation

3. Provide opportunities which foster growth in holiness

4. Sponsor the Magnificat Meal, the essential function of Magnificat

Magnificat encourages Catholic women to grow in holiness through the following means:

1. Daily personal prayer

2. Realization of the personal love of  God the Father

3. Personal Knowledge of and love for Jesus Christ and commitment to Him as Lord

4. Experience of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit and openness to all His gifts

5. Frequent participation in the sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation

6. Study and daily reading of the Sacred Scriptures, the word of God

7. Deep love for and loyalty to the Catholic Church, as expressed through the Church's teaching authority, the Pope and the bishops in communion with Him, who serve as guides in matters of faith and morals

8. Sensitivity to the needs of the Church and willingness to address these needs through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy

9. Deep love for and devotion to Mary as mother and model of all Christians, especially women

10. Appreciation for the sanctity of life from its origins to its fulfillment in God

11. Reverence for the sanctity of life from its origins to its fulfillment in God

12. Fostering the work of intercessory prayer, and

13. Promoting unity as expressed in Ephesians 4:3 - "Make every effort to preserve the unity which has the Spirit as its origin and peace as its binding force."

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