OUR STORY
What we are.
Why we serve.
How we serve.
What's in it for you.
How can you get involved?
We are pleased to announce a new ministry in our area that seeks to assist women and men in our community who have experienced separation or divorce. Women at the Well of Love Ministries was founded at the cross of Fr. John Joseph, who noticed that many people were not eligible to take communion post-divorce. Upon meeting Alison Renee' Howard, a newly separated Catholic woman in our diocese, a partnership was formed to restore faith, connection, and joy for these people.
Father John Joseph was open-minded as he welcomed a conversation with Alison and what she was experiencing as she navigated her unwanted journey through divorce after an 18-year marriage. He found that there are limited services for a person in her situation, which he believes may have contributed to many people being separated from the church post-divorce and thus unable to take communion. Several round table conversations occurred with other divorced people in our diocese, and the same conclusions were found. The question was raised: what will we do about this dilemma?
Alison suggested a day retreat, and we did. The first Day Retreat was held at the Diocese of Lafayette on March 25, 2023, and was attended by over 75 women. Alison later traveled to the Diocese of San Antonio in May and delivered the Day Retreat at Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church. Considering the overwhelmingly positive response, we have decided to continue this effort and make Women at the Well of Love Ministries a 501c3 non-profit organization. The ministry is working with our Diocese of Lafayette – Marriage and Family Life Office to host ongoing Day Retreats, Divorce Recovery, and Declaration of Nullity Workshops.
Attendees experience the community of others on the journey, expert testimonies, and tools to help them heal, information on how to remain an active church member as a divorced person, and the Declaration of Nullity process. We pray this effort helps support people on this journey while staying close to Jesus and the Church and to help them know that they belong in church, even if they are in a situation where they can’t receive the Eucharist.
Please pray for the ministry and for the people who find themselves facing broken family life. Please help us spread the word about Women at the Well of Love Ministries to your community by talking to your Church leadership, putting ministry events and information in your church bulletins, and posting the information on your social media pages. Please subscribe to our website and we will provide a schedule of upcoming events and the necessary promotional materials to share these valuable events. Finally, we kindly ask you to consider a monetary donation. Our events are at or below cost for attendees. Your donation sponsors women and men who cannot afford to attend an event by having their admission fee waived.
