Handmaids of the Lord

CFCA Handmaids of the Lord

CFCA Handmaids of the Lord aims to support the mission and vision of Couples for Christ Australia and shares a common culture and charism. This Ministry exists to provide an authentic Christian environment for its leaders and members to honour God through a life of holiness, to empower them to act in humble service to their respective families, to encourage them to relate in joy with their family members, members of the community and the Church and to testify to God’s love.

CFCA Handmaids of the Lord is a work of Christ, which raises up Christian women who are committed to the work of personal transformation, evangelisation, and renewal among their peers winning them for Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, with Mary as their model.

The programmes and activities of the CFCA HOLD Ministry help the members and leaders be equipped to be able to deal with the challenges of life and for them to find their rightful place in the family, society and the Church.

Culture in CFCA HOLD

CFCA HOLD is a Catholic and Charismatic Ministry and support group for mature-aged women in Australia with distinctive beliefs, values and patterns of life aligned with CFCA and the Catholic Church. CFCA HOLD is one body with one vision, one mission and one culture aligned with the CFCA mission, vision, charism and culture. CFCA HOLD is a creation of God distinctively called to the mission of personal renewal, of seeking out other mature women and helping them into a renewal life in the Lord and of wholehearted service to God’s people. CFCA HOLD is called to uphold the God-given dignity and true worth of a woman as seen in the light of the word of God. HOLD is called to wholehearted service to God’s people specifically to mature women. The CFCA HOLD ‘Statement of Mission’ provides the CFCA HOLD Ministry’s direction and the rationale for our existence.

The CFCA HOLD ‘Statement of Philosophy’ contains the beliefs and ideals of HOLD which govern our thrust and mission – The protection of family in the midst of the great changes and challenges confronting it; God creates every human being in his image, thus bestowing us with the personal worth and dignity as a woman of God. We are to reflect his divine image in all our actions and relationships. God has given us a special call to grow as holy women. We commit ourselves to be women of prayer, formed by his word in scripture and to serve God through others. Christian personal renewal is best achieved through the power of the Holy Spirit and the full use of all charismatic gifts.

CFCA HOLD as an integral part of Couples for Christ Australia is called to be its co-workers, to participate in the Church’s work of globalevangelisation and renewal. We pledge to live an evangelistic style and to support God’s work with our time, our talent and our treasure.

CFCA HOLD is one body with a common life aligned to the CFCA culture and the Catholic Church. We relate to one another with honour and respect, loyalty and commitment and Christian speech. We express ourselves to be women of faith living a life centred on prayer and scripture, put order in personal and family life , respect for order and authority and Christian finance.

This ministry caters for women over 36 years of age - singles, widows, divorced, separated or whose husbands, for some reason, are not ready or unwilling to join CFCA with them.

CFCA Handmaids of the Lord is a work of Christ which raises up Christian women who are committed to the work of personal transformation, evangelisation, and renewal among their peers winning them for Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, with Mary as their model.

What a Joy our Lord God has given us!  The National Handmaids of the Lord Conference with the theme “Rejoice in the Lord, always”, was tremendously successful.  It was such a spirit-filled and amazing gathering of the Handmaids of the Lord sisters, where the atmosphere was something extra special. The venue was exceptional, a fabulous place with the stunning view of the ocean.

I am very grateful to many delegates who attended our National HOLD Conference. I was so delighted with the friendly and charismatic atmosphere that was expressed by all the delegates. I was simply astonished with the active participation from all, during the conference. I was so happy to see how quickly everyone got into the spirit of the conference. Everyone helped create the atmosphere where we could have a spirit-led praise and worship. It was a spirit-filled silence and moments of joy that allowed us to actively lift our minds and hearts to God in prayer and worship. The room was full of joy and gladness as our sisters warmly meet and greet one another as one big family and Rejoice in the Lord.

All the Talks were delivered by outstanding and brilliant Speakers, who exudes so much wisdom and knowledge. His Excellency, Archbishop Mark Coleridge was hugely inspirational. It felt very much that he was wearing the mantle of “God’s Archbishop” as messenger of God.  Sister Mel Dwyer spoke in hilarious fashion of the necessity of acting on one’s faith and of living a life of love. Sister Aster Aguirre was an excellent speaker. She gave us great examples, real life scenario that was inspiring and perfect for the conference. Sister Margarita McMahon vibrantly opened and closed the conference with a challenge to all the sister delegates, to evangelize, to be fruitful and multiply (BFM). She reminded us of our goal, to engage in Christ’s mission.

The Talks and messages given by all the speakers and sharers touched each and everyone. From beginning to end, the talks were grace-filled, spirit-filled, with God’s blessings, combined with laughter and enjoyment of all present.

The workshops facilitated by Sis Bambi Masocol and Sis Glorious Manalac were absolutely fantastic and engaging. Everyone actively participated and totally enjoyed the activities in a relaxed and comfortable environment.

What inspired me most, was the beautiful sound and voices of the QLD Music Ministry. They have done an excellent job. Heartfelt thanks to all those who shared their talents, touching and inspiring us in the process. The beautiful music they produced enhanced and enriched each session of the conference. The singing was fantastic and amazing. The combined voices of the QLD Music Ministry, singing our faith, praising and rejoicing in the Lord was an encompassing experience.

The Social Night activity was unforgettable. It was an evening of fun and deep fellowship and unity.  A night to remember! Very memorable were the faces of HOLD sisters - smiling, singing, dancing, rejoicing and in fellowship together; such very tangible evidence that we are indeed, “One in Faith and One in Love, Rejoicing in the Lord.

Everyone was so delighted to be part of the Grand Praise Parade. This time, as conceptualized by Sis Cristy Vecchio, there was no competition. No longer were we expected to judge and compete but we celebrated the Grand Praise Parade all together, in unity with all the Handmaids of the Lord from other States. Everyone participated, singing and dancing. In unity, we danced the same steps, giving praise to God. All for the glory and honour to our awesome God.

The feedback from the delegates from other States were overwhelming; citing an entertaining, inspirational and engaging experience.  The conference was spirit-led, filled with prayers, songs of praise and worship and scripture from beginning to end. We have been richly taught and spiritually nourished as we have listened to the Talks and testimonies. We have been inspired and lifted to a higher appreciation of this wonderful HOLD Conference.

We came anxious and weary but we left refreshed and happy in Christ. We Rejoice in the Lord, always. Indeed, as one big happy family of Handmaids of the Lord with supportive CFCA brothers and sisters. Now, I have the feeling that we are bound together by something stronger than our experiences. We are held together in the love of Christ.
May God bless us, as we journey alongside our HOLD Sisters in this amazing CFCA community!

Sister Sol Dobinson
Queensland HOLD Area Coordinator - Pastoral

NEWSLETTERS

Issue 1: QLD-HOLD where activities UNFOLD

Queensland Leaders Workshop

On behalf of our dear beautiful sister in Christ Cristy, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude for all our Hold leaders who attended the 3 days Retreat at Marian Valley. It was indeed God’s doing to gather all of us who wanted to continue serving him through service in our community and to each other.
The venue was a perfect place to be away from any worries and daily busy lives. Our rooms were perfect to experience simple living closer to the nature such as spiders and beautiful tall trees. It was raining most of the time but still, it was a magnificent experience to listen joyfully to the rain drops and birds that sung beautifully with us during station of the cross. The feeling was magical, like living in God’s paradise. Together with our sisters, we prayed without ceasing and our voices became angelic tone in God’s ears.
We are blessed with informative teachings from our elders of the community. We learned to continue doing good service to each other and everyone was more inspired to be an Effective Leader. We also gain more friends, had a lot of fun and laughter, dancing, exercises (zumba & tai chi) and watched an inspirational movie “The Shack”, which is very much recommended.
It was a great pleasure to serve you all on behalf of our Cluster HOLD Leader Cristy Vecchio.

All for God’s Glory!

Thank you kindly,
Sis Lany Palad
Unit 2 HOLD Household leader