GREENWICH—Walking with Purpose announces BLAZE Belong, a program for middle-school girls to help them counter the lies they face about their worth and beauty with truths found in Scripture. Led by a parent, teacher or other adult, the program appeals to seventh and eighth-grade girls through fun activities and take-home gifts that reinforce a different truth from the Bible in each of the 20 lessons.
BLAZE Belong is a companion course to BLAZE Masterpiece, which was introduced by Walking with Purpose in August of 2018. Since then, BLAZE Masterpiece and Belong have been adopted at hundreds of Catholic parishes and schools throughout the U.S. Dozens of home-based study groups are being organized as well.
Requests from BLAZE Masterpiece leaders for additional instructional materials led to the development of BLAZE Belong. According to Julie Ricciardi, CEO of Walking with Purpose, “When groups finished Masterpiece, they didn’t want the journey to end, so we developed Belong, allowing girls to continue to learn from Scripture and grow closer to God in a unique, loving and engaging way.”
To run a BLAZE Belong program, a leader will need a BLAZE Belong Leader’s Guide as well as one BLAZE Belong Kit for each seventh or eighth-grade girl participant, which can be purchased at walkingwithpurpose.com/blaze. The BLAZE ministry name was inspired by St. Catherine of Siena who said, “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”
Research shows that BLAZE is working to transform the next generation. A 2020 survey of over 150 girls who participated in BLAZE groups throughout the U.S. shows that 86% feel closer to God, and 91% feel better equipped to challenge the lies of our culture after participating in BLAZE.
For over a decade, Walking with Purpose has been publishing Catholic Bible studies for women. Last year alone, over 40,000 women participated in a WWP Bible study, either through a parish-based program or independently.
Says Lisa Brenninkmeyer, Founder and Chief Purpose Officer of Walking with Purpose, “What BLAZE Masterpiece and Belong teach girls is critical at this time in their lives. Tween girls are constantly impacted with negative messaging, especially on social media. But through BLAZE, girls can hear Christ telling them how loved and beautiful they really are.”
Walking with Purpose is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with headquarters in Greenwich, Connecticut. Our mission is to help every Catholic woman and girl in America to open her heart to Jesus Christ. Learn more at walkingwithpurpose.com.
