After the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a year of people “staying apart,” the chiefly virtual women’s ministry Blessed Is She is bringing women together for prayer and worship — in person — through a series of “Fly Revivals” across the county. The first stop is Minnesota, with a two-night event June 11 and 12 at St. John the Baptist in New Brighton.

Nell O’Leary, Blessed Is She’s managing editor, recently joined “Practicing Catholic” host Patrick Conley to discuss the upcoming event for an episode airing June 4.

Nell O’Leary

Nell O’Leary

The revivals, which will be happening across the U.S., bring women together for worship, adoration, confession and two talks each evening. Instead of attending “a full-blown retreat,” as BIS has offered in previous years, “it just felt like the Spirit was calling us to go and meet with women where they are, and provide that spiritual nourishment that we’ve all been longing for in this time of pandemic,” O’Leary said.

Other “Fly Revival” locations include Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, Georgia, Texas and two sites in Louisiana.

“I’m not sure where the Spirit is going to take us, but it’s sweeping the nation,” said O’Leary, a parishioner of St. Agnes in St. Paul.

The revivals include a talk from Arizona-based Blessed Is She’s director of ministry, and other speakers can vary by location. It could be a priest, another woman, a grandma, mom or sister, O’Leary said. At St. John the Baptist, Debbie Herbeck, a national speaker from Michigan, is on the docket.

“We wanted it to feel like a retreat in a night for women, since this is a time when people aren’t necessarily doing a whole day away from their families, their whole day in community, to just really take that time … and worship together, praise God together, to pray with our sisters,” O’Leary said.

Recent times have been challenging, O’Leary said, and “we’re not meant to be alone.” God lives in relationship, she said. “As we step back into our communities and try to reconnect or reengage with our sisters in Christ (it’s key) to not feel embarrassed about whatever it is that we’ve gone through, to truly bring who we are — our struggles, our joys back into our friendships, and to let the Lord reignite our hearts for community,” she said.

Attendees can register for one or both days. Details are at BlessedIsShe.net/revivals.

To learn why the name “fly revival” is being used and to hear the full interview, listen to this episode of the “Practicing Catholic” radio show. It airs at 9 p.m. June 4, 1 p.m. June 5 and 2 p.m. June 6 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes interviews with Erika Kidd. from the University of St. Thomas, who discusses women’s roles in the Church and what drew her to convert to the Catholic faith, and Kim Bennecke and Marie Zeismer, who talk about what it’s like to move a pregnancy resource center.