Prayers

Our thoughts and prayers join with all who grieve for the lives lost in Newtown, CT. May each family find peace and comfort through hands reached out in love and hearts joined in prayer.

One in the Spirit-Prayer is the Theme for 2013

We are One in The Spirit, We are One in The Lord...
And we pray that all unity may one day be restored
Earlier this fall, I had the delight of attending my first Province 7 Board meeting as your Diocesan DOK President. We met at the Monserrat Retreat Center in Dallas. It was a time of Fellowship, Prayer, Worship, Work, and Inspiration. Provincial President Brenda Amos shared her vision to "see Daughters across the Province grow closer to Jesus and to one another in fellowship, and to grow DOK in our parishes, dioceses and across the province." Part of this is through Communication with things like this blog and the e-newsletter.
Another aspect is to revisit who we are as DOK. Ask yourself 3 questions: "What did you expect when you joined the Daughters?" and "Where are you now?" and perhaps most importantly as individual Daughters and across the Diocese- "Where are we going?"

With the vision of Daughters as women empowered by the Holy Spirit to be prayer warriors who lead and inspire through service in order to bring others to Christ, the theme for 2013 is Prayer.

The Theme for the Triennium (3 years) of my Presidency is "One in the Spirit". At each of the next 3 Assemblies, we will explore an aspect of this hymn in light of our Rule of Life-Prayer, Service, Evangelism. I would encourage chapters to pick up on this theme for their study and service each year. Assembly 2013 (August 2-3 at All Saints, El Paso) will address how to be, as the hymn says, “One in the Spirit…[to] Pray that all unity may one day be restored”.
Leading up to Assembly, I'd love to hear from you all about special prayer devotionals, studies, retreats, etc. you have found. Below are a few I know about:

• Earlier this fall, a newsletter with a prayer partner card was sent out. Please continue to pray for your Sister in Christ, even if you do not know her.
• Peggy Way, 1st Vice President suggests the book Take My Heart, Oh God by Sarah Young as a rich daily devotion book for the year for individual Daughters and even chapters.
• The St. Agnes Chapter at the Cathedral has undertaken a study of the Spirituality of Prayer.
• A Lent Retreat with Canon Kathy McNellis is being sponsored by the Julian of Norwich Chapter in Ruidoso (March 23).

Share some of your own prayer aids by commenting here on the blog. Other ideas for building up chapters and for study and prayer will be posted regularly here on this blog, too. so check back.  

Province 7 Board meets

Nineteen Diocesan Presidents from around Province 7 gathered at the Montserrat Retreat Center in Dallas, TX in September for a time of fellowship, sharing, and learning. By the end, we had gained new friends and shared in worship and laughter. Each of us has a new prayer partner-a fellow diocesan president-with whom to share prayer needs and joys.
New Diocesan Presidents, like Cindy Davis of the Diocese of the Rio Grande, were warmly welcomed by returning presidents and by Brenda Amos, Province 7 President. Her vision is to see Daughters across the Province grow closer to Jesus and to one another in fellowship and to grow the Daughters of the King in our parishes, dioceses, and across the Province. 

Communication is a big part of that effort: Communicating who we are as Daughters of the King to others and communicating between and amongst ourselves! In the Diocese of the Rio Grande, blogs, newsletters, email, face-to-face, and other forms of communication will be used to help existing chapters grow stronger and encourage new chapters to form. Like the sun rising at Montserrat over Lake Dallas, we CAN be stronger and faithful to our vows!
One thing we are all aware of is the need to interest younger women and girls in the DOK. To that end, I'm challenging each Daughter to invite a younger woman to one of your meetings. The idea of a 'Bishop's Chapter' of Jr. Daughters that would be Diocesan wide is also being considered because some parishes really don't have enough girls to form individual chapters.
At the Prov. 7 Meeting we were encouraged to have each Daughter think about 3 questions: “What did you expect when you joined the DOK?” and “Where are you now?” and “Where are we going?” Post some of your answers here in the comments sections-one way to keep in touch!
During the meeting both the Prayer Chair and the Service Chair suggested that we consider looking at the way we do 'prayer lists' and 'service'. In fact, we were urged to think outside the box and maybe even rename these activities. Denise is calling the Provincial prayer list a "Symphony of Prayer" (lovely, don't you think) and Marilyn says we need to consider service as working with "Holy Urgency" (under the guidance of the Holy Spirit)! Remember there is a Prayer page on this blog. Remember, this is only as good as the prayers you send in. If you feel called to be the Diocesan Prayer Chair-contact for prayer requests and worship assistant at DOK gatherings, let Cindy know.
A "Service or Holy Urgency Page" can be added if there is interest in sharing service ideas around the Diocese-and I think we should be sharing.

All chapter presidents have received a letter with lots of other fun info from the Prov. 7 meeting. Ask them to share!  

Daughters of the King Assemble at the Cathedral

The Cathedral of St. John was the location for the annual Diocesan Assembly of Daughters of the King on August 2-4. About 50 ladies from around the Diocese gathered for a time of fellowship, worship, business, and retreat led by Diocesan President Sandy Martin from the St. Mary and Martha Chapter, Mesilla Park. The St. Agnes Chapter at the Cathedral hosted the event with help from the Light in the Desert, Catherine of Sienna, and St. Chad’s Chapters in Albuquerque.

Blankets collected by the Shepherd’s Daughter Chapter (thanks to Evelyn Yates) for the BethanyKids Ministry in Kenya were blessed by the Very Rev. Mark Goodman during the Eucharist on Friday. Even the Jr. Daughters participated with Darcy Robinson of the St. Brigid Chapter reading the Old Testament lesson.  

A teaching by the Rev. Dan Tuton of Hope+in+the+Desert, Albuquerque about the Sevenfold Gift of the Holy Spirit and a workshop led by incoming Diocesan President Cindy Davis rounded out the Assembly. Cindy’s Saturday morning workshop was based on her novels about women in the Bible. She shared how these Biblical women learned that God’s Spirit works to heal as we listen to each other and turn to God. Cindy challenged each Daughter to be part of “an empowered cadre of prayer warriors who lead, support, and minister within and outside our congregations…who are willing to heal divisions by listening and building unity in the Diocese as we live into our vows of Prayer, Service, and Evangelism.”

The newly elected Diocesan Daughters of the King board is Cindy Davis, President; Peggy Way, 1^st Vice President; Anna Marie Dugan, 2^nd Vice President; Carol Ast-Milchen, Secretary, Brenda Restivo, Treasurer; and the Rev. Jeanne Lutz, Chaplain.

On the National DOK Website you can see photos and articles about Trienniel, just completed, and the new National board. Our Diocesan President Sandy Martin attended as did other Daughters from the Diocese.

 (The Executive Board members are: Pam Runyon, National President; Jen Mariano, 1st Vice-President; Missy Denney, 2nd Vice-President; Susan O'Brien, National Secretary; Annemarie Delgado, National Treasurer; one more appointed position TBA; Bishop Romero, National Chaplain; and Grace Sears, Advisor.
The National Council Chairs are: Emily Thrasher, International Chair; Susan Keith, Junior Daughters; Ann Holmes, Royal Cross Editor; Chesley Vohden, Daughter-At-Large Chair; Mariana Bauman, TBA; Christine Budzowski, TBA; Metro Griffith, TBA; Viviana Young, TBA; Patsy Thomson, TBA.
The Province Presidents are: Donna Abramov, Province I; Janet Papa, Province II; Laura Richards, Province III; Lindy Kirk, Province IV; Pam Sebura, Province V; Lyn Zolman, Province VI; Brenda Amos, Province VII; and Carrie DaCosta, Province VIII.)

Remember to pray for your National Board and offer thanks for a blessed Trienniel:
Most Holy Triune God, our hearts praise songs of praise and thanksgiving for the amazing abundance of Your love and blessings poured out upon us during the recent Triennial gathering of our Order. Your gracious providence opened wide the space for joy, much prayer, laughter, the fruit of countless hours of hard work, shared gifts and talents, and connections of the heart that words cannot convey. We see no boundaries. We are grateful for those Daughters and friends in attendance and for the countless others who were with us in spirit and prayer. Now give wise, loving and discerning hearts as we move into a new Triennium, grateful for the past leadership and hopeful under the guidance of those newly-elected to the National Council. we pray that Your will might be perfected through each one of us for what lies ahead. May we delight in Your way, dance with Your Holy Spirit and continue to spread your boundless love throughout your world. Amen.

DRG-DOK

Check out the info about the Daughters of the King on VarietiesofGifts.blogspot.com, posted June 3, 2012! What are you doing to live into your vows of Prayer and Service?

Don't forget DOK Diocesan Assembly will be August 2-4, 2012 at the Cathedral. Members of the St. Agnes Chapter (above) are excited to welcome you all. Watch your email and mail for registration and information about this important gathering. We will elect new officers!

Who Are We?

Welcome to the new location for information about the Daughters of the King in the Diocese of the Rio Grande.
We are a diverse membership of women seeking to follow the Rules of the Order: Prayer and Service, esp. to women and girls.
We serve at the altar and we serve in the community through food banks and other outreach.
We are active in church activities and in the workplace and home.
We are students, mothers, lawyers, administrative workers, wives, teachers, and many other titles.

We are most completely Princesses-Daughters of the King (of Kings).

We are women and girls from age 7-107 who seek to be faithful Christian women.
Each of us is led in our calling by our Lord and Savior and inspired by the motto of the Order:

For His Sake

I am but one, but I am one

I cannot do everything,

But I can do something.

What I can do, I ought to do.

What I ought to do,

By the Grace of God, I will do.

Lord, what will you have me do?

  This photo shows the National DOK board at the altar during the closing Eucharist of the last Trienniel Convention of the DOK. All interested women in the Episcopal, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican Communions are welcome to join. Click on the Chapters tab to find a church and chapter near you.