Mary Our Model
Mary Our Queen
Saturday, March 21, 2026​
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Location
Emmaus House
3315 70th Street
Urbandale, IA
Facilitator
April Young,
Emmaus House Director
$50.00 includes lunch
Cost
Mary was not only Jesus' mother but also his first follower and she remained with him until the bitter end. She joined in his ministry and now holds a special honor in our faith.
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Is she more than a gentle face, smiling down from a pedestal?
Is she something more for us?
How are we called to follow Mary's lead in living out our call into Christ's mission as Baptized believers?
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Meek, mild, docile...Mary of Nazareth has been painted as a porcelain-skinned, submissive young girl for millenia. Yet her courage in the face of unimaginable threats has brought us our faith today. She is Our Lady of Mercy, Sorrows, Grace and Perpetual Help. She is Queen of Peace, Heaven, Apostles, Angels and All Saints. She is Star of the Sea, Gate of the Dawn, and Our Lady of Snows. Her patronage and intercesion is known on every continent and every corner of the world and the list of her names is inexhaustible.
Drawing from the works of Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Elizabeth Johnson and Wendy Wright as we reflect on Mary as eminently compassionate and as a woman of great strength and courage.
April M. Young
Emmaus House
Director
April Young, M.A., received a master's degree in Pastoral Care from Fordham University in New York and a graduate certificate in Spiritual Direction and Retreats from Creighton University in 2023. She also has a BS in English from Iowa State University. April joined Emmaus House in 2022 and assumed the role of Director in December 2024.
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With years in pastoral ministry, April brings Ignatian roots, formation, and personal practice to Emmaus House. As a spiritual director, she feels honored to accompany others on their spiritual journey. Her own experience in spiritual direction helped her to hear the call to share its gifts with others and she is grateful to walk with others in their journey with God.