Join GIVEN in the Diocese of Arlington for a GIVEN Gathering! Open to women of all ages, this gathering will be a taste of GIVEN and an opportunity to hear speakers who inspire you to receive the gift that you are, realize the gifts you’ve been given, and respond with the gift only you can give.

Schedule

9am              St. Thomas à Becket Daily Mass
9:30am        Check-in
10:30am      Welcome
10:45am      Talk: Receive the Gift that you Are with Mary Lenaburg
11:30            Break
11:45pm      Talk: Realize the Gifts You’ve Been Given with Sr. Mary Gabriel, SV
12:30pm      Lunch and Networking; Visit Exhibitor Tables
2:00pm       Holy Hour and Confession
3:15pm        Talk: Respond With the Gift Only You Can Give with Katie Weiss
4:00pm       Closing Remarks

Speakers

Mary Lenaburg: Receive the Gift That You Are

Mary Lenaburg is a full-time speaker, entrepreneur, mindset coach, and author. Her first book, Be Brave in the Scared, earned a 2020 Excellence in Publishing Award from the Association of Catholic Publishers.  Her second book Be Bold in the Broken, was published in 2021.  She has given keynotes at conferences and led retreats internationally. Her written work has appeared in five meditation books as  well as several other works.

Mary and her husband Jerry have been happily married for 33 years, and were blessed with two children, their son Jonathan, and daughter Courtney.  For twenty-two years Mary was the primary caregiver for her daughter Courtney who suffered from a seizure disorder. Along the way, Mary and her family came to understand that every human life, no matter their ability or disability, has value and worth. Courtney’s unique ability to love without ever speaking a word, taught Mary, and her family that  everyone has a purpose and a mission. Words are not required. They came to accept that Courtney would never be healed on this earth and allowed  God’s plan for their family to unfold, trusting in His plan for each of them. Courtney took her last breath on this side of heaven on December 27, 2014,  the feast of St. John the Beloved, while in her mother’s arms. She is now her parent’s and big brother’s most powerful intercessor.

Mary continues to embrace her father’s advice daily: “Never quit,  never give up, never lose your faith. It’s the one reason you walk this earth.  For God chose this time and place just for you, so make the most of it.”

Sr. Mary Gabriel, SV: Realize the Gifts You’ve Been Given

Sister Mary Gabriel is a member of the Sisters of Life, a religious community founded by John Cardinal O’Connor and dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the sacredness of human life. The community’s apostolates include direct services to women in need and evangelizing on God’s plan for life and love (www.sistersoflife.org). Originally from Long Island, NY, Sr. Mary Gabriel earned a degree from the University of Dallas before entering the Sisters of Life in 1999. She assisted the development of the community’s evangelization mission and served as Vocation Director for 5 years and Novice Director for 10 years before completing a graduate degree in theology at the John Paul II Institute in Washington, DC, in December 2022. She has been involved with GIVEN since its inception and is in awe at the ways Jesus brings her passion for his Gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit to bear on her love and concern for his daughters and highlighting the gift of their lives and love.

Katie Weiss: Respond With the Gift Only You Can Give

A participant of the first GIVEN Forum in 2016, Katie Weiss (Woltornist)’s action plan was to lead a small group program on prayer and art. This action plan later developed into Behold Visio Divina, a ministry that helps women understand their dignity through pondering the feminine genius in art.

Through books, group formation, online community, museum days, and workshops, Behold gives women the opportunity to grow in their relationship with God and one another. Currently, Behold has 9 published books and has groups both within the United States and internationally.

Katie is a New Jersey native and received her undergraduate degree in Theology from Catholic Distance University. Her talks and workshops have been featured in multiple venues, such as the Frassati Fellowship of New York City, the Edith Stein Project, and Franciscan University. Katie speaks often on the topics of: Prayer, Theology of the Body, Beauty, Healing through Art, and the Feminine Genius.

Mel K. Palaca ’21: Emcee
Mel Kathleen Palaca is an extroverted cradle Catholic who had a reversion her sophomore year of college. After living like the world, she found herself broken and hollow. In the quiet adoration chapel of St. Kilian, alongside her mother and sister, she found a quiet invitation to know the Lord intimately for the first time. A lot of adventures and prayer has taken place since that fateful night but to this day, her favorite way of knowing the Lord has remained weekly Eucharistic Adoration. “It’s the place where I am invited to be rather than do. When I am there, I remember who I am.” During the day, Mel has the great delight of working as a makeup engineer.

Please contact us with any questions!