
Atlanta
Sandy Russman Fohs to speak at March Magnificat
Published January 23, 2025
ATLANTA—Sandy Russman Fohs, who received great comfort from the Lord after devastating losses, will be the speaker at the next Magnificat meal on Saturday, March 8. Attending parochial school for eight years, along with Sunday Mass and daily rosary with the family, formed the basis of her faith.

Sandy Russman Fohs
All women are invited to attend the Magnificat meal, which will be held at Holy Cross Church in Atlanta from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Atlanta chapter of Magnificat hosts the meal, which includes breakfast, a time of praise and worship with music and the speaker’s testimony.
The international Catholic women’s ministry is inspired by the joyful meeting of Mary and her cousin Elizabeth, related in the Gospel of St. Luke.
Fohs was born in a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was one of seven children. Tragically, when she was 9 years old, her mother died. A few days after the funeral, she received a sympathy card with a Bible verse in it. Psalm 23:4 gave her hope: “Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage.”
Fohs finished high school and graduated from Kent State University in Ohio with a bachelor of science degree, then began a sales career in Atlanta while attending night law school. She passed the bar exam but remained in sales. She later fell in love and married. Her husband, while not Catholic, attended Mass with her. Life was good.
When her husband left her, Fohs was again devastated. She found solace in Psalm 34:19: “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.”
Fohs trusted that the Lord would bring her spouse back to her. But the Lord had other plans. As she later described it, “He tricked me into going to daily Mass.”
Today, she is a member of St. Brendan the Navigator Church in Cumming, and joyfully participates in a half-dozen church ministries, and prays the rosary.
Fohs will share how becoming friends with Jesus has resulted in candid inspirations and amusing anecdotes.
The Magnificat ministry began in the Archdiocese of New Orleans and has spread throughout the world. Chapters are under the guidance of the local bishop. The Atlanta Joyful Visitation chapter has been active since 1992. The purpose is to help women open 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.
Advance reservations for the gathering are required and can be made online or through the mail. The cost is $25 per person. No tickets are sent. Check-in is at the door for those with reservations only.
To register online, visit https://tinyurl.com/Meal0325. Those who have provided contact information to the ministry will receive an invitation by email. To be added to that list, please send a request to joyfulvisitation@gmail.com.
To register by mail, 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. Online registration closes on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Mailed reservations must be postmarked by Feb. 22.
Doors open early. Guests are encouraged to arrive by 9 a.m. Holy Cross 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, contact Debbie at 770-696-6216.