ATLANTA—Pat Jones, the leader of the ministry to the homebound at St. Pius X Church in Conyers, will be the speaker at the November Magnificat for women. It will be held on Saturday, Nov. 9, at Holy Cross Church in Atlanta from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. All women are invited to attend.

The speaker’s commitment to the ministry of bringing Communion to those who cannot come to church arises out of her caring for her late mother, who passed away in 2013 after a difficult illness.

This was a time of great loss in Jones’ life, in which she experienced a failed marriage and the passing of several immediate family members, including the tragic death of her daughter, Rebecca.

Pat Jones

She says that it was Mary, the Mother of God, who led her from despair into the arms of Jesus. Serving him through serving others has brought joy back into her life.

At the Magnificat meal, Pat will share her faith journey with those who attend. The Magnificat morning includes a catered breakfast, a time of praise and worship and the opportunity for personal prayer and the sacrament of reconciliation.

Each table has a hostess and seating is open so women are welcome to come either on their own or with friends.

Magnificat is a ministry to women within the Catholic Church that began in the United States and has spread throughout the world, including Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and Africa. Chapters are under the guidance of the local bishop. The Atlanta chapter has been active since 1992.

The heart of the Magnificat ministry is to hear the faith story of an ordinary person and to be encouraged and surprised by the actions of God in daily lives around us.

Its purpose is to help women open more and more to the Holy Spirit through a deeper commitment of their lives to Jesus as Lord and to impart the Holy Spirit to one another by their love, service and sharing the good news of salvation.

Pat Jones was raised in Maryland, first in Baltimore and later in Glen Burnie. She says that she learned as a child to love the Blessed Mother from her devoutly Catholic mother and grandmother. They taught her to pray the rosary daily and to come to Jesus through the heart of Mary.

The only girl in the family with four brothers, she relished living in a Catholic enclave in Baltimore amidst the descendants of immigrants like her grandparents with roots in Germany and Czechoslovakia. After high school she worked at the Social Security Administration for 51 years.

She will share how the sorrows in her life brought about a spiritual hunger that led her to the Bible and back to the Eucharist.

“I lost all of my immediate family and I was absolutely devastated, but God stepped in,” she said.

A resident of Conyers, she is active in several ministries at St. Pius X Church and is in formation as a Lay Cistercian of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit.

Reservations for the Magnificat meal are $20 and are made in advance. No tickets are returned. Check-in is at the door for those with reservations only.

To register by mail, please send your name, address, parish if applicable, contact information, and a check made payable to Magnificat Joyful Visitation to Debbie DuPont, 315 Rose Court, SW, Lilburn, GA 30047. Mailed reservations must be received by Nov. 2.

To receive an invitation by email and register online, please send a request to joyfulvisitation@gmail.com.

The doors open early and guests are encouraged to arrive by 9 a.m. Holy Cross Church is located at 3773 Chamblee Tucker Road, Atlanta, 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 still 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 attend.

For information, please contact Debbie DuPont at 770-696-6216.