"It's really like we're all sisters when we get together" ~ Dianne P.
"It's like Heaven on Earth. We nurture each other's souls." ~ Patti C
"MWOJ is a sisterhood of aspiring saints helping each other reach heaven." ~ Leia A.
Magnolia
St. Mark Huntersville, NC
Founding Chapter
Tiger Lily
St. Clare
Daniel Island, SC
Peony
St. Ann
Charlotte, NC
Yellow Rose
St. Therese
Mooresville, NC
White Rose
Christ Our King
Mount Pleasant, NC
Rose of Sharon
Holy Family
Winston Salem, NC
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Sisterhood
Six Chapters. Rooted in prayer.
Blossoming in friendship. Spreading joy.
Across North Carolina and South Carolina, six vibrant chapters of Mary’s Women of Joy are flourishing, each one a unique flower in Mary’s Garden.
From young mothers to wise grandmothers, single women, widows, from cradle Catholics to converts and reverts, we come together in every season of life, welcoming one another with open arms, just as Mary greeted Elizabeth. We lift each other up, bringing Jesus to one another with every prayer, every smile, every “yes.”
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Truth
Our Joyful Echo Podcast
Join Mary's Women of Joy Foundress, Jean Whelan, and her longtime friend Kathleen Lewis for Joyful Echo video series of heartfelt, Catholic conversations filled with faith, friendship, and encouragement.
With warmth, wisdom, and a good dose of laughter, Jean and Kathleen reflect on the joys and challenges of daily life through the lens of their love for Christ and His Church.
Their voices echo Mary’s fiat, a joyful yes to God’s will in every season.
May their witness inspire your yes, too.
Pro-Life
We stand for all life, from conception to natural death
Eucharistic Adoration
We lovingly sit at our Lord's feet.
Spiritual Motherhood of Priests
We pray and fast and gift our Priests with material needs as the spirit directs.
Our Pillars of Service
Mary’s Women of Joy is a sisterhood rooted in prayer, study, and service—where women come together to encounter Jesus through Our Lady, the Holy Spirit, and the wisdom of Saint Faustina. Each gathering feels like a retreat, beginning in prayer and song, resting in Adoration, and drawing from the Diary of St. Faustina before diving into study, small group sharing, and heartfelt “WOW” moments. Whether you're lifting up a petition, praising in unity, or simply soaking in His presence, you’ll find joy, friendship, and grace here. We serve in 3 ways:
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Encounter
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Love
We Welcome You
More than a ministry, this is a place of encounter.
Encounter with Jesus through Mary.
Encounter with truth through prayer and study.
Encounter with joy through holy friendships and grace.
You are welcome here, just as you are.
"Women join Mary's Women of Joy
because they want MORE..."
Each chapter carries its own special bloom. Together, we are Mary’s Garden—joyfully growing, spiritually blooming, always reaching for the Son.
Meet Our
Foundress
Jean Whelan, Foundress of Mary’s Women of Joy, is a woman anointed by the Holy Spirit. She's evangelical in spirit, deeply loving in heart, and joyfully charismatic in witness. Her passion for bringing women into a deeper relationship with Jesus through Mary is the foundation of this ministry. A natural leader and gifted speaker, Jean radiates the love of Christ and inspires others to embrace the transforming power of prayer, Scripture, and sisterhood. Her life is a living testimony to what it means to walk boldly in faith and to lead others with compassion, courage, and conviction.
Our History
Mary’s Women of Joy began as a quiet miracle more than 35 years ago, a fruit of Medjugorje. When our foundress, Jean, first visited as a young girl, she encountered the living presence of Christ and knew: the Eucharist is real, the Catholic Church is the one true faith, get me to confession. In the videos below, Jean shares how that moment blossomed into the community we are today, along with the story behind our founding saints, logo, prayer sheet, and more.
Part I: A fruit of Medjugorje
Part II: Our Founding Saints
Part III: Our Prayer Sheet + Logo
