All women of the archdiocese are invited to the Saturday, Nov. 10, Magnificat breakfast. Dr. Margie C. Sweeney will share her experiences and ministry.

Sweeney, a family physician and member of the Order of Secular Franciscans, lives in Louisville, Ky., with her husband and two children. She has worked in group practice, solo practice and in several clinics. In her work as a physician, she has also trained medical and nursing students and family practice residents. Currently Sweeney provides medical consulting services to psychiatric patients at two state-run facilities in the state of Kentucky.

In 2001, Sweeney made a life-altering trip to East Africa. She landed in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sept. 11 and found that her life was “forever changed” after visiting there, Tanzania and Zambia. The disease, poverty and devastation that she saw called to her to provide relief. As a result of this trip, she founded Helping Hands Healing Ministries, Inc., a nonprofit charity, to meet the medical, social and spiritual needs of impoverished people in developing countries. An Internet prayer ministry will be launched soon, as a part of Helping Hands’ work.

Sweeney believes in the power of prayer and the need for a God-centered approach to healing. On the Helping Hands Web site, she said, “If you are prayerful and listen to the desires of your heart, the Holy Spirit will enlighten you and send opportunities your way in which your gifts and talents can be used for the sake of the Kingdom.”

Magnificat is an international Catholic women’s ministry founded in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The Atlanta Joyful Visitation Chapter has been meeting for over a decade. All women are welcome.

The Magnificat breakfast is held quarterly at Killian Hall, 908 Killian Hill Road, Lilburn, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The morning is a time of friendship, spirituality and refreshment in the spirit of the biblical stories of Mary and Elizabeth who walked together in faith.

In addition to the meal and the speaker, there is a music ministry during the morning. Following the breakfast, the sacrament of reconciliation is available.

Tickets are available in advance for $10 apiece. Please send name, address, parish and telephone number, along with a check payable to Magnificat Joyful Visitation, to Lynda Cupell, 2140 Briarwillow Drive, NE, Atlanta, GA 30345. Please enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope for tickets to be returned to you. Please mail requests for tickets by Oct. 31. Seating is limited, and tickets are not sold at the door.

Regrettably there are no child-care arrangements. In order to speak to the hearts of women undistracted, it is respectfully requested that young children not be in attendance.