April 8 women's program at St. Thomas explores avenues to happiness, hope
Guest speaker will be Dr. Barb Jarvis-Pauls, a psychologist in private practice and a spiritual director and adjunct presenter at Mayslake Ministries, a Franciscan spiritual renewal center in Downers Grove. She will rely on her professional background and personal experience in her presentation, fashioning her stories of happiness and healing around faith, friendship, family and forgiveness.
Questions Jarvis-Pauls will consider include how women can stay happy and healthy in today's stress-filled world, how the church matters to women's health and well-being, how God calls women to holiness and wholeness, and how women manage the pain and suffering life brings in addition to its good experiences.
Jarvis-Pauls has been a pastoral associate at Notre Dame Catholic Church, Downers Grove, a staff therapist at Samaritan Interfaith Counseling Center, Naperville, and is former associate director for the Joliet Diocesan Family Ministry Office.
Jarvis-Pauls holds a doctorate of ministry in pastoral counseling and a master's in counseling psychology. She also holds certificates in pastoral leadership and family systems therapy. Her areas of specialization include grief, bereavement and loss adjustment, marriage and premarital counseling, and annulment advocacy.
"Opening New Doors to Women's Greater Happiness and Hope" is being sponsored by Sophia's Circle of St. Thomas the Apostle Church, a ministry that offers three micro-retreats yearly for women to explore topics related to spiritual re-connections of faith. Each three-hour evening program begins with wine and light refreshments.
Information about the evening's program or Sophia's Circle is available by contacting Chari Rosales, director of S.T.A.F.F. (St. Thomas Adult Faith Formation) at (630) 355-8980, ext. 138, or at crosales@stapostle.org.
Reservations for "Opening New Doors to Women's Greater Happiness and Hope, at $30 each, should be made directly with Mayslake Ministries at (630) 852-9000 or at www.mayslakeministries.org. Reservations are encouraged by Tuesday, April 5, because seating is limited to 75 people.
St. Thomas the Apostle, a parish of the Diocese of Joliet, strives to bear the Good News of God's unconditional love to all generations through worship, faith formation, witness and service. Organized in 1984, the St. Thomas faith community numbers more than 3,700 households of more than 11,200 people. Complete news and information on parish events, guest speakers and special programs is available at www.stapostle.org. For general parish information please call (630) 355-8980.