BY THEA JARVIS

Staff Writer

STONE MOUNTAIN--Five years after she began the Magnificat ministry to Catholic women in Georgia, Olga Myers poured out her own song of praise for what God has done in her life.

"Jesus is alive in each of us and the power to do extraordinary things comes from God, not from us," Myers told a gathering of 300 women at an April 26 breakfast marking the fifth anniversary of Magnificat in Atlanta.

"For years, God has been preparing me for this ministry," she said, adding that, "God prepares us long before he calls us to serve."

Magnificat grew from a small women's prayer group in New Orleans to an international movement with 40 chapters in the U.S. and abroad. Magnificat breakfasts are opportunities for prayer and fellowship with the added feature of a speaker who shares her personal story and the ways God has touched her life.

Named for Mary's biblical prayer of praise found in the Gospel of Luke, Magnificat is a ministry of hospitality that encourages deeper union with God through prayer, sacraments and Scripture. An outgrowth of the Catholic charismatic renewal, Magnificat emphasizes Marian devotion, intercessory prayer and an appreciation for the vocation of Catholic women.

The anniversary event was held in the spacious fellowship hall of Mount Carmel Christian Church in Stone Mountain, where Atlanta's Joyful Visitation chapter has regularly held its Magnificat breakfasts. They are held quarterly, often around a Marian feast day.

Myers said that over the past five years, Mary's Magnificat "has become my song. Like Mary, God has helped me to see his greatness and I have found joy through my encounter with him."

A former teacher and religious education coordinator at Corpus Christi Church in Stone Mountain, Myers first attended a Magnificat breakfast with her sister in Florida in 1991. Afterwards, she and two friends began praying about starting an Atlanta chapter of Magnificat. They eventually received approval for the undertaking from the late Archbishop James P. Lyke, OFM.

"I felt then, as I do today, that one of the many ways God wants to renew and restore our church here in the Archdiocese of Atlanta is through the ministry of Magnificat," Myers said.

Although Mass is usually not part of the Magnificat schedule, the anniversary celebration included a Eucharist following Myers' talk. Father Frank Giusta, spiritual advisor to Magnificat, was the celebrant and Msgr. Henry Gracz and Father John Howren concelebrated the liturgy. The sacrament of reconciliation was available after the breakfast, as it is at all Magnificat gatherings.

"There's a special quality" about Magnificat "because it's women coming together," said Conyers resident and St. Pius X parishioner Maureen Wheelin, who finds the shared prayer, music and fellowship "inspirational."

Cathy Biscan, a member of the Church of St. Benedict in Duluth who was a speaker at a previous breakfast, said the prayer support and spiritual strength she receives from other women has made a difference in her life.

Magnificat was "God's confirmation" of her music ministry and Life Teen involvement, said Biscan. After sharing her spiritual journey, she found the courage to travel to Nashville to record a tape of Christian music and became reconnected to youth ministry in her parish.

Jill Jarvis joined a group of women from St. Stephen's Mission in Lilburn who attended the breakfast together.

"I always came by myself," said Jarvis, who now enjoys the company of fellow parishioners and finds the regular meeting "of all these women" a special opportunity for growth.

"We all have our Magnificat experiences," Myers said, "our song of joy and praise as to how God is working in our lives."

Just as God had a plan for Mary, "he has a plan for each of us," she said, and wants us to know "we are also his 'highly favored daughters.'" Through prayer, "something extraordinary will take place in our ordinary lives."

The next Magnificat breakfast is scheduled for Aug. 9 and will feature Diane Brown, founder and director of the House of Prayer, a retreat center in Clearwater, Fla. Brown is a nationally known speaker who has been involved in the Catholic charismatic renewal for 20 years.

For information about Magnificat or to request tickets, contact Mary Jo Lee at (770) 972-6404 or Jan Nerone at (770) 469-2085.