“Mary’s Fiat” refers to her response of “Let it be” when the Angel Gabriel came to her and proclaimed that she would be with child, the Savior of the world. As Mary allowed God’s will to be her own, we desire to hand over to God all of our worries and stresses each day. We hope this group can be the start of something that encourages us in striving for holiness while supporting our family relationships, growing in community, and strengthening our identities as wives and mothers.
Faith
Faith is a support to us when we are struggling. It is a response of our souls to hearing the Word of God. It is a gift by which we are able to believe in God’s revelation. One goal of F.I.A.T. is to keep us, as Catholic women, aware that our Faith is a precious gift to be studied and exercised. We desire to know the truths revealed in Scripture and Tradition that our Faith gives us the grace to believe. We also want our lives to become pervaded by Faith, so that the effects of our Faith overflow into our families and the world. For this reason, members of F.I.A.T. pray together, support each other in living out our Catholic Faith, and study together to understand it more fully.
Identity
Our identity, which we can know by reflecting on who we are and whose we are, is the foundation of both our spiritual life and the service we are called by God to perform in this world. By faithfully living our vocation, we are called to grow in holiness and lead others, especially those entrusted to us in our families, closer to God. One of the goals of F.I.A.T. is to provide opportunities for us to better understand our identity and vocation as wives and/or mothers, so that we can live it out in an authentic and fruitful way.
Adoration
Life should never get so busy that we don’t have time to adore God. Unfortunately, many of us find it hard to make that time in our lives. Eucharistic Adoration is an essential part of the F.I.A.T. experience. Since babysitting is provided, the adoration time provided is a spiritual oasis for the members of F.I.A.T. Here we spend time adoring God, thanking Him for His blessings, and receiving from Him the rest, strength, and grace to go back into the busy world and fulfill our vocations. The blessed silence of Eucharistic Adoration refreshes our souls and refocuses us on the meaning and true goal of our lives.
Theology
St. Catherine of Siena says: “Upon knowledge follows love.” The more we know about God, the more we will love Him. Theology is the study of the nature of God. He has revealed Himself to us in many ways: Scripture, Tradition, the Sacraments, the Saints. An essential element of F.I.A.T. is study that brings us to a deeper knowledge of God. We are called by our baptism to bring Him to the world, and by our vocation to bring Him to our families. The better we know Him, the more we can share Him!