Sisters honor women of the Bible

By Michelle Martin
Staff Writer

It was the death of their own mother that led two Southwest suburban sisters to celebrate the strength of biblical women.

Joan Fraser-Scannicchio and Denise Fraser-Vaselakos had always wanted to find a Christian, creative business they could do together. After their mother died, they decided to move forward to make sure the idea did not fall by the wayside.

And thus, Womynsense was born. The company makes a line of greeting and note cards that glorify the women of the Bible—particularly the mothers.

“We thought there was this kind of void when it came to recognizing women of the Bible,” Fraser-Vaselakos said. “We’re both Christian, and we knew you don’t really hear many sermons about the interesting women of the Bible.”

And from their upbringing, they knew there were plenty of interesting women to talk about.

“We were raised to be Christians, and there were no second-class citizens in our house,” Fraser-Vaselakos said, remembering that men and women were treated equally. “And Joan and I do think that being a mother is the most important job in the world.”

The Mother’s Day set of cards honors women most Catholics have probably heard of: Mary, Elisabeth, Eve, Ruth. But other cards honor Hannah, the mother of Samuel; Jochebed, the mother of Moses; Eunice and Lois, the mother and grandmother of Timothy; and Elisha’s mother, who is not named. Although she is not named, she was so important to Elisha that he asked leave to say goodbye to her and his father before carrying on his work.

Other sets of cards honor women of the Christmas story and women of the Easter story. Some women are honored on more than one card, with different aspects of their contributions brought forth.

One of the most difficult things, Fraser-Vaselakos said, was narrowing down their list of possible women.

“We wanted cards that would reflect older women, we wanted cards that would reflect younger mothers,” Fraser-Vaselakos said. “We used Lydia, who was a smart businesswoman. We picked stories that show how intelligent and really smart women are.”

Part of the process was what would work visually, she said. The front of each card is a still-life photograph that includes objects that might recall the life of the woman honored. The card honoring Eve, for example, features gardening tools and produce; the one honoring Jochebed shows a wicker basket.

Each picture also includes an item of personal value to the sisters. For example, on the popular note card entitled “God Exalts Women,” the photograph in the background is the sisters’ parents’ wedding photo.

Fraser-Vaselakos, 54, has two grown sons. Her sister, 43, has two young daughters. Fraser-Vaselakos said both of them wanted the series of cards to reinforce in their children that women are to be respected.

“We really wanted them to know that women have done good things,” said Fraser-Vaselakos, a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating women who have been victims of abuse.

The cards are available at Christian and secular shops. Also, anyone interested in seeing samples of the cards can see them—and order them—at www.womynsense.com.

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