As Sydney gears up for the Anointed Women’s Conference on the 27 September at Royal Randwick Racecourse, keynote speaker, Sr Miriam Heidland has one message for the women of Sydney: “Prepare for new beginnings and a deeper longing for the Lord.”
Renowned worldwide, Sr Miriam has captivated audiences through her compelling story, bestselling books and popular podcast ‘Abiding Together’ which attracts thousands of listeners every week.
From the archdiocese of Milwaukee, she spoke to The Catholic Weekly of her excitement ahead of her appearance at the event.
“I hope it’s a great day of renewal and just refreshment and healing and restoration for their hearts. I’m so looking forward to it. There’s something really powerful that happens when a group of women get together and just praise the Lord and listen and repent and have their hearts open,” she said.
Sr Miriam James Heidland is a former star athlete and self-confessed party girl who had a radical conversion and joined the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT) in 1998. Her journey from addiction and reckless living to redemption, has seen her become a worldwide media symbol of hope.
Organised by the Catholic Women’s Network (CWN), within the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation, the event invites women to hear Sr Miriam speak with her signature vulnerability and authenticity, in what she promises to be a transformative day.
She will be joined by Selena Hasham, CEO of Harvest Journeys Australia, Helena Roumanus from the CWN and Louisa Daniels, a worship leader in music ministry.
“When women’s hearts come alive, there’s just nothing they can’t do. There’s just a renewal that happens when we get together and worship the Lord. So, we’re getting together for a purpose beyond ourselves, and that unites us and he refreshes us,” she said.
At the ‘Anointed’ Women’s Conference, Sr Miriam will be speaking about being “anointed” as “daughter and bride”, identities she believes are “relational”, adding: “It’s hard for us as women to become brides and mothers if we don’t have a strong foundation of being a daughter and a sister.”
She adds: “when we have a strong foundation, or we allow that foundation to be healed, we can give the gift of ourselves to others through, you know, bridehood, through motherhood, whether that’s spiritual or biological motherhood.”
Discussing her own journey, Sr. Miriam shared how honesty and vulnerability can be healing tools for women.
“When we look at how Jesus heals people, what Jesus does is he brings them into communion with himself and with others. And all of us have places in our life that we don’t want to be honest about, that we’re afraid of, that we’re that we hold a lot of shame with.
“All I try to do is try to help people encounter Jesus, in the sincerest form, and encountering Christ you can’t go away without be transformed.”
Whilst here in Australia, Sr Miriam with Fr John Burns, from their ministry ‘Friends of the Bridegroom’ will also be ministering to clergy and religious which she believes is vital to the spiritual health of the church.
“How can the church be well, if the spiritual mothers and the spiritual fathers are not well? And so, our heart is to pour into the priest and religious sisters, so then they can live their vocation and their call to love in the most beautiful way possible,” she said.
“To finish a retreat and to watch them go back to their diocese, or to watch religious sisters go back to their religious communities, more in love with Christ, and more radiant, it’s truly wonderful.”
She and Fr John Burns will also be appearing at a Fidelis and Scholarship at the Cathedral event, as part of their tour. She’s most excited about coming to Sydney after hearing her friends from clergy in Australia talk about a ‘second spring’ of faith.
“We know a lot of religious sisters and different priests from Australia. So, you hear that very thing, a ‘second spring’. And I know that Archbishop Fisher and some of the people from Australia came to the Eucharistic Congress and that’s tremendously beautiful.
“So, it doesn’t surprise me at all, that there’s more openness and more hunger, and that seems to be a global phenomenon right now, it’s incredible,” she reflected.
Her closing message to the women of Sydney is an invitation to join her on 27 September, emphasising: “We all have a deeper desire for fidelity and for service and humility and goodness and beauty. And to be a more authentic, vibrant witness.
“I think so often Catholics feel like they’re alone, and it’s so easy for us in society to feel alone, and so when we get together, we can walk away knowing I’m not alone. Christ is with me. And I can continue to say yes to him. I’m hoping our time in Sydney will give birth to a deeper yes for everybody.”
To register to hear Sr Miriam in person at the Women’s Conference on 27 September at Royal Randwick Racecourse, visit https://catholicwomensnetwork.org/conference/.
For more details about other speaking events on Sr Miriam and Fr John Burns’ tour please visit: https://www.sydneycatholic.org/events/sr-miriam-fr-john-burns-events/