‘God’s daughters’ shown their worth, potential at mother and daughter tea

By Tanya Connor | The Catholic Free Press

WORCESTER – Through teacups, SPICE, and a “letter from God,” women and girls were told about their worth and potential Saturday at Our Lady of Mercy, the local Maronite Catholic Parish.

They were 22 parishioners – mothers with their daughters ages 8-15 – attending a new event, a mother/daughter tea, according to organizer Marise Frangie and participants.
The tea exuded feminine touches with elaborate decorations, a song to the Blessed Mother, and tables named for female saints. There were talks, mother-daughter discussions and activities, and gifts.

Mrs. Frangie’s husband, Father Peter Frangie, parish administrator, opened with a prayer that the Holy Spirit would help attendees see they are God’s daughters.

Simona Hallal, a Catholic from Maryland, helped set the tone by telling the mothers, “I encourage you to focus on your own child,” listening and letting her know she is loved.
She had come to introduce “First Fruits,” a new program to strengthen Catholic family life. She described it briefly to attendees and, over the weekend, to more parishioners, Mrs. Frangie said.

The tea’s main speaker was Anne Marie St. Germain, a fertility care educator for girls’ and women’s health, who attends a Roman Catholic parish in Manchester, New Hampshire, where she and her husband live.

She told participants that God made them “beautiful, loveable, unrepeatable,” and illustrated that with photos of brilliant flowers and her newborn, identical twin granddaughters, who are, nevertheless, unique individuals.

God wants people to be themselves – each one is a glimpse of him – Mrs. St. Germain maintained. They should consider not just what they’re good at doing, but what they’re good at being. She talked about the girls discovering their gifts and said, “what you become is your gift back to God.”

Mothers and daughters decorated boxes for each other, put affirming notes in them, and were invited to look in the boxes - even when angry with each other.

Miss Hallal spoke about affirming words like those in the boxes as one of five “love languages,” which also include quality time, touch, gifts and service. When a daughter is seeking time with her mother she can let her know that by displaying the unique teacup each family was given.

“Just don’t break the cup if you don’t want to talk,” quipped Mrs. St. Germain.

To show the importance of becoming a well-rounded person who can give herself to another in marriage, or to God in religious life, she used the acronym SPICE - for developing one’s spiritual, physical, intellectual, creative/communicative and emotional sides. She suggested enhancing these by reading Scripture, listening to God, praying for one’s future spouse, playing sports, reading about what you’re interested in, choosing friends wisely and socializing with them (“put your phones aside”), talking to God about your emotions and bringing him into them.

Mothers and daughters were given papers to list “ways to show affection to each other.” They also got a list of suggestions for things they can do together and a “letter from God” and journal to use in the church. The letter, from “One More Soul” ministry (onemoresoul.com/product-category/youth-ministry-and-education), contained paraphrases of Scripture, beginning with, “I have created you in my image and likeness,” (Genesis 1:27) and concluding with, “I love you and will bless you with every spiritual blessing in the heavens” (Ephesians 1:3).