Daughters First. Disciples Always.
October 1st to December 3rd
No one is exempt from the trials of life. Our crosses may look different through every age and season, but they often leave us with the same questions: Where is God in this? How do I pray? What am I being asked to carry and what am I being asked to surrender? How do I continue to follow Jesus when life hurts?
This semester, Held by Love invites us to explore these questions together. We will look at the Cross not simply as something to endure or “offer up,” but as a place where Christ meets us, carries the heavy lifting, and draws us into deeper union with Him. Together, we will explore surrender, redemptive suffering, holy boundaries, prayer and perseverance, forgiveness, gratitude, praise, and the surprising joy that can be found in Christ’s presence even in the midst of a trial.
Above all, we will remember that before there was a cross, there was Love. We do not walk through our trials alone. We are held by Christ through every season, and the Cross is never the end of the story. As women of the Resurrection, we are called to live with hope, trusting that God is always at work bringing forth new life.
-
"I have been Catholic all of my life and I deeply love our Faith. Being a member of DOV has increased my closeness to the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as well as the Blessed Virgin Mary our Mother and many Saints. I have learned to pay closer attention to the Holy Spirit’s movement in my life and I am on fire for Jesus and His Church! My fellow DOV sisters are invaluable to me as they have proved to be true and faithful prayer advocates and friends!"
— Carla S.
-
"DOV has been an answer to my prayers; I prayed the Lord would send me holy women who I could share my faith with and learn from. I prayed that I could be a part of a community of welcoming women who love Jesus and who love being Catholic. His answer to my prayers was more than I could have imagined! My sisters at DOV are the most exceptional, loving, holy women I have ever known! I learn so much from them and love to be with them. The Holy Spirit is moving and alive at DOV and thanks be to God, we help one another on our paths to sainthood!"
— Alicia S.
-
"In some ways, it is hard to find the words to express how grateful I am and how wonderful it has been to experience having and growing with my precious sisters. I can't imagine not having you all in my life and our sisterhood! But if I had to keep it simple, I would definitely have to say "I feel very blessed!" That would be how I would sum it up. Blessed by God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and by my sisters and the speakers and the time we get together!"
— Terri U.
Daughters of the Visitation (DOV) is a Catholic community of women from all walks of life, rooted in sisterhood, friendship, and faith. United in our desire for renewal in Christ, and affirmed in our God-given identity as beloved daughters, we commit ourselves to intentional discipleship—formed and equipped by the Word, strengthened through community and spiritual companionship, and led by the Holy Spirit. DOV is inspired by the example of Mary and Elizabeth, moving faithfully and purposefully beyond the walls of the Church - bringing hope, healing and truth to be a living Visitation to the nations.
We envision a generation of women fully alive in their identity as daughters of God, to be bearers of Christ’s transformative love—within the Church and beyond. Following Mary’s example in the Visitation, we seek to be vessels of joy, compassion, and mission wherever we are sent.
Jennifer
DOV Ministry Lead
Jennifer is a fire-filled Catholic who is passionate about her faith and witnessing revival in the church. She experienced a life altering reversion to the faith at 23 years old, and since then has been devoted to igniting the flame of the Holy Spirit. Jennifer has served in various leadership roles, speaking, teaching and facilitating, and has actively ministered in inner healing, physical healing, and the prophetic for more than 15 years. She works as a speech therapist, and in addition to her professional work, she offers spiritual direction—having recently graduated from the Cenacle School of Spiritual Direction as a way to accompany women on their spiritual journeys. Jennifer is especially drawn to ministering to women, helping them rediscover their God-given beauty and embrace their true identity in Christ. Born and raised in New York City, she now makes her home in a small mountain town in North Carolina with her husband, Jose, to whom she’s been married for nearly 20 years.
Carla
Leadership Support - Communications
Carla is a lifelong Catholic who loves every aspect of our Catholic Faith. She became a member of DOV at its inception and credits the group with a great deepening of her prayer life and love of The Trinity. Carla has worked for several Catholic organizations in the field of Development, Fundraising, and Special Events which reflect the charism of Administration. She has a special closeness to many saints of The Church including St. Mary Magdalene, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. Francis among numerous others, who are a great influence on her walk toward achieving the holiness we are all called to. She considers herself a beloved daughter of The Father, sister and friend of her Savior Jesus, and vigilant student of The Holy Spirit.
Kristi
Finance and Stewardship
Raised in the Baptist and Pentecostal churches, Kristi converted to Catholicism in 2013. Despite feeling the fire of the Holy Spirit in the Pentecostal church, she felt something was missing. The moment she walked in the Catholic Church the first time, she knew she was home. Although she didn’t understand at the time, it was the real presence she felt in her soul that was the missing piece. Through DOV she re-discovered the charismatic Holy Spirit fire she knew from childhood and realized that it was indeed Catholic. It was as if two pieces of a puzzle that, on the surface, didn’t fit together, were in fact a perfect fit. DOV introduced Kristi not only to life changing Ignatian mental prayer but also to powerful inner healing prayer that created in her a desire to help other women experience the transforming and healing power of prayer through the Holy Spirit. This, in turn, led her to the Encounter School of Ministry. Through Encounter and her own personal experience with inner healing, she has developed a zeal for praying for others whether it be for physical healing or inner healing. While devoted to the Blessed Sacrament and a life of continual renewal in the spirit, Kristi’s passion is leading others to experience personal relationship with Jesus and the transforming power of life in the Holy Spirit.
Maria
Hospitality and Visitation
In 1997, Maria experienced a powerful reversion to the Catholic faith that radically transformed her life. Since that moment, her deepest desire has been to live in intimate friendship with Jesus and to grow daily in His love. Drawn to the life of the Spirit, she became active in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, where she discovered a passion for helping others encounter the living Lord. A woman of prayer and deepening compassion, her ongoing prayer is to see others through the eyes of Jesus—loving them as He does. She finds great joy in walking with others on their spiritual journeys, facilitating spaces where hearts can open to God’s grace and presence.
Alicia
Hospitality and Visitation
Alicia has been blessed to be married to her husband, Joe, for 34 years. Together, they have four wonderful children and two precious grandchildren, and family has always been at the center of her life. She grew up in an Air Force family, which was a wonderful way to grow up. Moving frequently and experiencing different places and communities strengthened her Catholic faith in a very meaningful way. Through all the changes, she learned to depend upon the two constants in her life: her faith in God and her family. In 2022, four generations of her family made the move to western North Carolina, and they have loved making their home here. Her family and church family are at the heart of so much that she does. Some of the things Alicia most enjoys are traveling to beautiful National Parks, gardening, baking, and writing children’s books. She has a special devotion to Padre Pio and St. Monica, whose lives and intercession have been particularly meaningful to her. Her Catholic faith, love for Jesus, and her family bring tremendous joy to her life. She is deeply grateful for the beautiful women of Daughters of the Visitation and feels very blessed to be part of a ministry that brings women together each week in fellowship and prayer. “It is a privilege to pray for the intentions entrusted to us and to share in the gift of intercessory prayer with such a faithful community of women.”
Ana
Design and Media
After moving across the country at fourteen years old, Ana was captivated by a personal relationship with Jesus while attending youth ministry. After learning about God and her Catholic faith in a deeper and beautiful way, she fell in love with Jesus and her life changed forever. Ana attended Appalachian State University where she was president of the Catholic Campus Ministry and led women’s group. While in college she met her husband Jack and graduated with a B.S. in Commercial Photography. Ana is now loving being a stay at home mom with her two precious daughters. She enjoys surrounding herself with beauty and simplicity, reading books with her husband, cooking new recipes, and everything floral print. DOV has been an answered prayer in her life and she couldn’t be more grateful for the women she gets to meet and grow with in this community.
Linda
Small Group Coordinator
Linda is a lifelong Catholic whose faith was profoundly renewed during a powerful Emmaus retreat in 2015. That experience opened her heart to a deeper relationship with Jesus and, most especially, to a greater understanding of what it means to truly trust in God. Since then, she has continued to seek Him through prayer, Scripture, and growing in her understanding of the Catholic faith. Her journey has taught her that trusting God is an ongoing invitation to surrender, listen, and allow Him to lead. Linda has been married to the love of her life, Mike, for 45 years. Together they have raised three children and are blessed with four grandchildren. She finds great joy in her family and in the many gifts God has given her, including acting, gardening, fitness, cooking, and travel. Linda is grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Daughters of the Visitation. She has a deep desire to walk alongside other women in their journeys of faith—to listen, share, and encourage, while creating a space where hearts can open to God’s grace and each woman can discover more deeply the joy and freedom that come from trusting in Jesus.
Maria Teresa
Worship
Maria Teresa is a cradle Catholic from South America, raised in New York City’s largest melting pot neighborhood where she had her first encounter with the person of Jesus. This caused her involvement in youth ministry as the worship leader of the parish's youth group. Maria Teresa has earned a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A. in Education from the City University of New York at Hunter College. Before moving to rural North Carolina, she spent her last years in New York City getting married and birthing her two boys. Her desires and dreams for her children have led the couple to now reside in rural North Carolina. She is blessed with a husband who can fix and make all things needed for their household to be a place of life and restoration for the whole family and their guests. Maria Teresa likes to spend her time reading books that transform her life, grilling steaks with her husband while sippin’ on a glass of wine, swimming in any body of water, singing and dancing with her sons, and sitting at a table full of friends, planning to make way for the Holy Spirit to take over our parish, our city, and beyond!
Alice
Intercessory Prayer Liaison
Alice Elio has been a participating Catholic since her baptism. Her first encounter with the love of the Eucharist came at 6 years of age, simply because she knew it was Jesus. At Confirmation she became a soldier, but really did not catch on to the Holy Spirit until her Baptism in the Holy Spirit with Catholic Charismatics her last year of college. She was encouraged to make a Cursillo, where Catholic and Charismatic came together. With marriage, 5 children and multiple moves courtesy of the Air Force she was always provided with a group to pray and fellowship with. Some groups were calling her before she arrived, and others like Daughters of Visitation were sought out to be found. As a nurse, she enjoyed ministering to children and families. Now, in retirement, she is called to pray, visit with elderly to bring them the Eucharist and just be in God’s service as able.