ATLANTA—The speaker for the August Magnificat meal will be Lisa Wheeler, the founder and president of Carmel Communications, a Catholic agency that has brought to the public eye a wide array of uplifting films, books and music against every contemporary tide.

All women are invited to the Magnificat meal, which will be held on Saturday, Aug. 12, at Holy Cross Church, 3773 Chamblee Tucker Road, Atlanta, from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Magnificat is an international Catholic women’s ministry. The Atlanta chapter hosts four Magnificat meals each year.

Lisa Wheeler

A devoted Catholic, Lisa has handled some of the most successful publicity and marketing campaigns for the Catholic niche, including “The Passion of the Christ,” “The Chronicles of Narnia,” the YOUCAT Catholic youth catechism, Pope Benedict XVI’s books, Lent and Advent at Ephesus, and “Hacksaw Ridge.”

As a woman with the heart of a mother, she suffered through many years of infertility, which she describes as “one of the loneliest periods of my life.” Throughout, she relied on the providence of God and the promise that she knew he made.

Lisa and her husband, Timothy, have now been married for 20 years and are the parents of a beautiful 8-year-old daughter and an amazing 5-year-old son whom they adopted from foster care. They have been foster parents to almost 20 foster children and currently are parenting a sibling group of three boys, ages 4, 2 and 1.

Lisa will share how in her darkest nights of the soul, she clung to hope, how she drew closer to the heart of the Blessed Mother, and how she surrendered her desire as a sacrifice in faith. Lisa hopes that her story will be an extension of God’s grace to any woman who has longed for something not yet realized.

The Magnificat meal includes a catered breakfast, intercessory prayer and praise and worship led by the music ministry. The sacrament of reconciliation and the opportunity for individual prayer are available afterward.

Reservations are $15 and are made in advance. To register, please send your name, address, parish, contact information and a check made payable to Magnificat Joyful Visitation to Debbie DuPont, 315 Rose Court, SW, Lilburn, GA 30047. Reservations must be postmarked by Aug. 5. No tickets will be returned. Check-in will be at the door for those with reservations only.

The doors open early and guests are encouraged to arrive by 9 a.m. Holy Cross Church is located less than a mile from the Chamblee Tucker Road exit on Interstate 285.

Priests and religious are invited to attend free of charge, but reservations are requested to plan for the meal. Since the morning is designed to speak to the hearts of women free of distractions, it is respectfully requested that young children not be in attendance.

For more information, please contact Debbie DuPont at 770-696-6216. To receive an invitation to Magnificat meals by email, please send a request to joyfulvisitation@gmail.com.