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By Rebecca Rakoczy, Staff Writer
STONE MOUNTAIN—With hands raised in praise, the combined
voices of more than 300 women sing the song of Magnificat: “My soul
proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit exults in God my Savior, for
he has looked with kindness on his lowly handmaid, all ages will call me
blest.”
For Olga Myers it is a song that has propelled her through the
past 10 years; a joyous hymn that has helped her birth a ministry in Atlanta
and help develop 48 other chapters both nationwide and abroad; a ministry that
has brought thousands of women together, to praise Jesus’ name and share
their stories of hope and perseverance.
Myers delivered the Magnificat ministry to her successor, Susie
Goodrow, during a packed meeting Nov. 10, where women came to bid her well on
her next mission, as Southeast regional representative for Magnificat. Myers
was presented with a special framed rosary, with signatures and blessings from
the many individuals who have been touched by her ministry.
Also moving on is the group’s spiritual advisor, Father
Milton Alvarez, CMF, a parochial vicar at Corpus Christi Church, Stone
Mountain, who has been reassigned to Chicago by his order.
The regional representative position is a natural next step for
Myers, who has nurtured Magnificat in Atlanta from its beginnings here in 1992,
when then Archbishop James P. Lyke, OFM, authorized the ministry in the
archdiocese. Myers reflected that much of her adult life has been somewhat of a
preparation for the Magnificat ministry, only she didn’t know it at the
time. “God is amazing,” she said.
She initially stumbled upon the ministry in 1990, while visiting
her sister in Tampa. She knew she had found her calling. “It is hard to
describe Magnificat; it is like trying to describe love. Women of all levels of
spirituality come and God draws them from wherever they are. They can just come
for the fellowship, but the Spirit is so powerful there as a result of prayer
that many things happen.”
At the time she came upon the ministry, Myers was coordinator of
the school of religion at Corpus Christi. It was during a school of religion
retreat at Ignatius House in Atlanta that she became inspired.
“I sat on a bench out there, and started to write, and saw
that what I was writing was God calling me to a ministry of evangelization. I
was so busy in the school of religion, I thought, ‘What does this
mean?’ But I knew I didn’t write this; it had to do with God.”
The thought stayed with her and on a visit to Tampa to see her
sister she joined her in a Magnificat program. It was the answer to her
prayers. “I was so excited; I wanted to know about the ministry.”
Begun in the Archdiocese of New Orleans with a breakfast gathering
of 200 women more than 20 years ago, Magnificat takes its name from Luke 1:
46-55, the hymn of praise Mary prayed while visiting Elizabeth. Both women had
been deeply touched by God and they came together to help one another, to speak
of God’s action in their lives, to sing, to pray and to share a common
table and to be strengthened for all that was to come.
The ministry was born out of the Catholic charismatic renewal, but
it ministers to all Catholic women, with its emphasis on prayer, and the
unifying force of Mary, Mother of God, whose intercession is sought at every
activity. The heart of the ministry is the Magnificat meal.
To start a chapter, Myers was directed by the founding group, the
central service team in New Orleans, to pray with two other women for spiritual
direction. And so Elyse O’Kane and Jan Nerone joined forces with her.
“We prayed for a year before the chapter was formed,” Myers recalled.
The chapter is set up with five leading members, including an assistant
coordinator, secretary and historian.
Since its successful beginnings, the Atlanta chapter of
Magnificat, known as the Joyful Visitation chapter, has grown so much, often
attracting more than 500 women to Magnificat meals, that Myers and her
committee had to search for a meeting place large enough to accommodate the
gatherings.
Through an arrangement with Mt. Carmel Christian Church in Stone
Mountain, the group now meets in that church’s large hall three times a
year for a continental breakfast, music, prayer, fellowship and a speaker.
Along with the good food and fellowship, a small basket on each table holds
another essential of these meetings — tissues. For many of the women who
attend these programs, there is an outpouring of emotions, as they listen to
and share each other’s stories.
The program is coordinated by 15 different chairwomen, who
coordinate volunteers for the different ministries involved in a meeting, from
the musicians to the kitchen staff. The seamless organization provides a unique
program every time, Myers said.
“It’s amazing, because every (meeting) is
different,” she said, based on what the speaker shares. “We’ve
had women say they have had healings at their tables; others who have been
estranged from the church take part in reconciliation offered after being moved
by the speaker. Some women have said that the music really touched them.”
The speaker for the Nov. 10 program was Maggie Rousseau, a mother
from St. Oliver Plunkett Church, Snellville, who spoke about her faith journey
while raising a son with a severe disability. Her son, Christopher, died this
past March.
Goodrow, who takes over the helm from Myers, has been involved in
attending Magnificat gatherings almost from its beginning. Both women knew each
other from their involvement in Corpus Christi’s school of religion. For
the past year Goodrow has served as the Magnificat secretary. A member of St.
John Neumann Church, Lilburn, she is enthusiastic about carrying on the flame
of Magnificat.
“We receive God’s grace, where he wants us to be,”
she said.
Myers said, “(Magnificat) is something that God prepares you
for. My school of religion experience (and background as a teacher) prepared me
for this. They needed a catechist to teach in the school, and there was need,
so I did it while my children were small. Then the nun who (directed the
religious education program) left and they asked me would I run the school. I
thought, ‘One thousand children and 100 catechists, no way!’ But they
had a need, so I said yes, though very hesitantly both times.”
“Through it all, God was preparing me for Magnificat. When I
was at the retreat I had (previously) asked all the (school of religion)
teachers if they would share how God had touched their lives through teaching.
And that is what Magnificat was.”
The next meeting of Magnificat will be Saturday, Feb. 23, 2002 at
Mt. Carmel Christian Church, Stone Mountain. For information call (770)
923-4277. |
