Want to Start a Prayer Wine Chocolate Group or Host an Event? Start Here!

What is a Prayer Wine Chocolate group or ministry?

A Prayer Wine Chocolate gathering is, at it’s foundation, a Rosary group that incorporates time for friendship and fellowship.

Why start a Prayer Wine Chocolate group?

—>You want more Catholic friends but don’t know how to find them . . .

—>You want more Catholics to return to the faith, and you are looking for ways that will help them feel welcome!

—-> You are in a busy stage of life so a Bible study is not ideal, but you still want to gather with other Catholic women for faith and fellowship

If we want to establish a stronger Catholic community of friends in our parishes, we need to provide opportunities for true friendships to be cultivated and nourished!

Prayer Wine Chocolate groups provide an opportunity to reach out to Catholics who have fallen away from the faith and invite them to re-enter the sacramental life in a way that is attractive and inviting.

Prayer Wine Chocolate groups establish a strong Catholic community in a parish by developing bonds between women that are single, mothers, wives and active volunteers!

If you are interested in starting a parish group, here is a FREE resource that will help you talk to your Pastor about the benefits of having a Prayer Wine Chocolate ministry in your parish!

If you want the Pitch Your Pastor Guide and the whole kit, you can get that here!

Getting the whole kit might help you answer more detailed questions about the group meetings when you meet with your Pastor.

Whichever you choose to start with is fine! (The freebie or the whole kit)

There are a couple parishes already hosting these very fun Rosary groups and I’m working with others to start even more.

You can do this!

Not sure? Plan a one time Prayer Wine Chocolate Event!

If you are thinking you would like to host a one time event, grab this guide!

This resource: How to Plan Your Own Prayer Wine Chocolate Retreat: A Guidebook can help you plan a one time event at your home, a Church or even a vineyard!

It can help you add on to an already scheduled event but add more prayer and fellowship to it.

It can help you test drive the idea of making it a more recurring parish ministry!

Here are some thoughts from those who have used it:

I just used Amy’s retreat guide to help me plan a mini retreat for the women in my parish. It was super easy to do following the guide and the response was incredible. For anyone who feels the pull of the Holy Spirit to plan something like this….Get the guide and DO IT!!!! Every single woman at the event said the same thing…We NEED this. I now have a team of women working on our next gathering.

-Elizabeth Scafidi, Bucks County, PA*

*this event became a Parish group that gathered several times in one year!

We held a retreat for mothers with difficult fertility and pregnancy journeys and wanted to start with prayer and a social event. Prayer Wine Chocolate was the perfect Catholic retreat addition. We started out setting an intention for the retreat and praying the rosary together and then moved on to wine and chocolate. We were even able to get the wine donated. It was the perfect opportunity to set the tone, break the ice, and bind with other Catholic women. The retreat guide made it feel easy and possible. I liked the three different types of events with step by step directions to help guide the process. Amy was also easy to reach when I had questions along the way. I highly recommend doing this on even the smallest scale to bring the rosary and prayer into your “village” and women’s circle of support.

Women are looking for opportunities to meet and make FUN, Catholic friends!

These groups are so incredible because when we make it a priority to pray the Rosary before fellowship, we ask Our Lady to take the lead and she does with the Grace only she can give!

I recently saw a post in a Facebook group that asked this question:

“What has helped you build friendships with other Catholic women?“

Prayer Wine Chocolate gatherings foster an environment that nurtures and inspires authentic friendships.

Chances are if you do host a one-time event someone or a few of those who attend will ask, “when can we do this again?”

That question is not uncommon. Creating these groups allows women to come together for public prayer and the graces that are given from that type of prayer are abundant.

There are so many women seeking friendships with those who share their faith and values. Many women are in a different phase in their spiritual lives. Prayer Wine Chocolate levels the field. It is a get together for the most devout Catholics as well as those considering becoming Catholic.

These events are comfortable and welcoming to the woman who has never prayed a Rosary as well as to the woman who prefers to attend a Latin Mass.

I’ve seen these worlds come together so beautifully when I have hosted a Prayer Wine Chocolate Retreat.

Here are the resources I created to help you get started:

Free Guide: How to Pitch a Prayer Wine Chocolate Group to Your Pastor

Parish Leader Kit: The whole guide as well as handouts and more!

One time event guide: A “How to” Guidebook for one time Retreats

Need extra guidance? Book a consultation call with me! I’ve hosted Prayer Wine Chocolate for ten years!

Don’t be afraid! Just take the first step! I’m praying for you!!

“The holy Rosary is a powerful weapon. Use it with confidence and you’ll be amazed at the results.” -St. Josemaria Escriva

The post Want to Start a Prayer Wine Chocolate Group or Host an Event? Start Here! appeared first on Prayer Wine Chocolate.

Again, [amen,] I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:19-20

Years ago, when I was in my 20’s, my life was not where I’d dreamt it would be.  I was still single, hoping for a happier future, and often felt depressed and lost. A group of my friends and I started “rosary nights”.  We would get together with food, our troubles and each other.  We would pray the Rosary together.

We still do.

Rosary above from Small Things Great Love

Here are five reasons why we love our Rosary group – and highly recommend you start one too

1. 1. 1. Friend Therapy–  Before praying the Rosary, we would each take a turn sharing our intentions.  When we first started, most of us were having quite a hard time understanding “why” we were in certain situations and enduring certain heartaches. Saying our intentions out loud often led to great discussions among people who truly cared for one another.  Lots of listening, advice giving and tears were shed.  All of it was therapeutic.  Bonds of trust and friendship were formed in ways only pray allows.  It still provides a safe place for each of us to discuss our greatest challenges – and enables us to hand them over to Our Lord and His Blessed Mother.

         

      2. The Promises of Our Lady to those who recite the Rosary – Ideally, I know I should pray the Rosary on my own, daily.  Realistically, it doesn’t happen all that often.  I know this is something in my life that needs work. But in the mean time, planning Rosary Group with friends gets me to pray the Rosary more than I would if this group didn’t exist.  And Our Lady has made twelve promises to those who recite the Rosary in a devout way!  Some of those promises include: receiving signal graces, help lifting our hearts to desire eternal things rather than worldly prizes, obtaining what we ask for, and receiving Our Lady’s special protection and greatest graces.  You can see all twelve promises of the Holy Rosary by clicking here.

   3. You gain the merits of each person’s Rosary! – Saint Louis Marie de Montfort wrote a book titled The Secret of the Rosary.  In this work, Saint Louis gives numerous reasons and benefits to praying the Rosary in a group. Saint Louis said it is better to pray the Rosary with a group than alone.  One reason is simply because our minds are far more alert during public prayer than when we pray alone. Other reasons include that when we pray in a group, the prayer of each one belongs to all. “We make one great prayer together, so that if one person is not praying well, someone else in the same gathering who prays better may make up for his deficiency. In this way, those who are strong uphold the weak. Those who are fervent inspire the lukewarm. One who says his Rosary alone only gains the merit of that one Rosary. But if he says it together with others, he gains the merit of each Rosary. This is the law of public prayer.”(Saint Louis de Montfort) You can read more about Saint Louis and his wisdom of the Rosary at How to pray the rosary everyday.  Gaining the merits of each Rosary helps me make-up for the days I didn’t get to saying it!

2. 4. The Rosary is a form of meditation.  The benefits of meditation extend to every aspect of our health – physical, mental and emotional.  In other words, IT’S SO GOOD FOR YOU!  The benefits of the Rosary extend from our spiritual health to our physical, mental and emotional well-being.  Scientific studies have shown that those who meditate decrease stress, improve their immune systems and even achieve better academically. Meditation has even been effective in helping addicts overcome addiction.  Meditation also helps those who have been diagnosed with ADHD.  It lowers the risk of heart disease and improves blood pressure!  There are studies upon studies that show the benefits of meditation.  It’s a scientific fact that it’s good for you!

5 .It’s a BREAK from all of life’s WORK!  Planning this time on the calendar is     important.  Since people you love – who are in need of prayers – are often requesting the group meet, the event gets a level of importance and prominence on the calendar.  When one of the women in the group calls and says, “I need to pray”; you make arrangements to get there – with or without kids.  When you plan for a “girls’ night”, and get the opportunity to “get away”, it really is a refreshing, re-charging evening.  It’s an opportunity to reconnect with friends and enjoy adult company.  And if there is no one to watch the children – bring them.  It’s worth it.
I hope you ask some friends to start a Rosary group with you soon!  I love to hear about it! God Bless You!  Thanks for stopping by  Cheers!

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