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Walking with Purpose Brings Female Parishioners Together in Faith and Fellowship
In the Gospel, Jesus makes it clear that He does not intend for our spirituality to be an individual endeavor. Instead, He promises us to be present in a special way every time we choose to experience prayer, worship, and faith formation in community — “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). Here at Immaculate Conception, we are blessed to have a group that offers women an additional opportunity to learn and grow in their faith together — Walking with Purpose.
Our Walking with Purpose Bible study group started officially meeting three years ago. After two fellow parishioners organized a Lenten women’s retreat almost five years ago, many participants expressed a desire to continue gathering. A second Lenten retreat took place the following year, and then the group decided to really dig in and begin using the Walking with Purpose series of studies for Catholic women throughout the year!
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Walking with Purpose meetings follow the school calendar and typically take place on Wednesday evenings in Immaculata Hall. However, due to the COVID-19 restrictions, meetings moved to Zoom last spring and then to an outdoor setting in the fall. Wherever and whenever these faithful women have gathered, the experience has always been a blessing to all!
Becky Dearworth has served as the facilitator for the study since it began at our parish. She finds a special blessing in the fact that members of the group come from all ages and stages of life.
“Walking with Purpose is really open to women in all walks of life,” she says. “We have a 23-yearold in our group and then all the way up to seniors. It’s amazing because you get those perspectives from different age groups and really learn from each other. I think that’s the best part.”
This year, the group’s Walking with Purpose study is based on the book of Hebrews. Other studies in the series cover a wide range of topics, such as God’s unconditional love, keeping life in balance, and modern-day insights from Biblical women.
A few years ago, Becky had the opportunity to see the founder of Walking with Purpose, Lisa Brenninkmeyer, speak at Christ the King in Little Rock. A mother of seven herself, Lisa is a dynamic presenter. Her studies, typically designed to be explored for about 22 weeks, focus on bringing Catholic women into a closer relationship with Christ.
“It has been a great outlet to learn more about Jesus and our faith,” Becky says. “The studies are really interesting. They cover things that we wouldn’t otherwise think about or talk about, so I think we definitely all learn from it. It has brought us closer.”
In addition to the valuable faith formation that takes place in a Bible study, the women in this group also experience rewarding friendships.
“It’s also very social — we just enjoy getting together and the casual format,” Becky says. “I feel like everybody needs a sense of belonging — more than just going to Mass every Sunday, getting to know the people you are in church with and who have the same interests. It gives you that common link. We’re not from the same friend groups, and that’s amazing. We’re all friends and enjoy being around each other, but we’re all from different walks, so it’s neat that this brings us together.”
Thankful for the many ways this program continues to enrich her life, Becky would encourage any female parishioner interested in joining the Walking with Purpose group to come out and give it a try!
