By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
DAVENPORT — Touched by the success of a program at her parish for men called That Man is You, Cheryl Wagner sought information about the possibility of a Catholic women’s spiritual formation program at Our Lady of Victory Parish.
With more men volunteering at the parish, involved in spiritual groups, finding time for their families and interested in a relationship with the Lord, she thought, “If this is so effective for men, how much more might a similar program be for women?” She visited the Paradisus Dei website that offers That Man is You among other retreats and programs and found She Shall Be Called Woman.
Our Lady of Victory Parish will host She Shall Be Called Woman (SHE) beginning Sept. 7 and That Man is You (TMIY) beginning Sept. 13. Both programs are open to all parishes. This will be the fourth year for the men’s program and first for the women.
Each of the 18-week programs (nine in the fall and nine in the spring) offers different topics or focuses each year. Matt Riesberg leads the men’s program and Wagner, the women’s program. Participants may attend any session because each week’s session is not dependent on the one that preceded it.
She Shall Be Called Woman
The women’s group will meet from 1:30 p.m. until about 3 p.m. Sept. 7 through Nov. 9, with a one-week skip. The spring session will begin in January and finish before Easter. Although Wagner leads the program, she is part of an 11-member team. “Without these women, it would be difficult to do this on my own.”
Paradisus Dei provides all of the speakers, who appear in 20-minute presentations that the speakers have created. Each session begins with a light meal, followed by the video presentation and small group discussion. Childcare services are available.
That Man is You
Riesberg became interested in the program because his father, Deacon Roger Riesberg, led it in Dyersville, Iowa. “He always told me about the tremendous impact it had on the men who participated.” Matt Riesberg attended and recognized the benefits in “how it positively impacted me.”
TMYI began four years ago at Our Lady of Victory with the help of Deacon John Wagner (Cheryl Wagner’s husband) and has grown from 17 participants to nearly 30 men per year.
The program’s first session begins at 6:30 a.m. on Saturdays, Sept. 13 and continues (with a break for Thanksgiving) through Dec. 13. The program’s second session begins in late January and runs through April. The program includes a breakfast at no cost.
A video presentation of about 30 minutes follows breakfast. Small-group discussion concludes the session and participants are dismissed at 7:55 a.m., Riesberg said. The theme this year is Thy Kingdom Come.
Both programs are free to participants but donations are welcome to offset snack and food offerings. Paradisus Dei conducts a pledge drive each semester to help cover content production costs, Wagner said.
Women may sign up by calling the parish office at 563-391-4245, Wagner at 563-391-2805 (leave a message with contact information) or just show up Sunday afternoons at the parish center at 1:30 p.m. to register.
Men may sign up on the tmiy.org website, contact the parish office or show up Saturday mornings at the parish center at 6:30 a.m. to register in person.
