OGDEN — "Women United…Making a Difference," is the theme of the Diocese of Salt Lake City Council of Catholic Women (DCCW) Convention April 22-23, at the Ogden Marriott Hotel. The hotel is located at 247 24th Street, Ogden. The Salt Lake Deanery will host this year’s convention. Margaret (Maggie) Gray, the National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW) past president will be the keynote speaker. Gray will speak in the context of the theme and integrate stories of women making a difference in her life personally, locally, and globally. Gray lives in Virginia with her husband John. She grew up in Florida, and graduated from the Florida Professional Academy. She worked 28 years in the medical field managing private and group physician practices. Her career on women’s councils has taken her from parish affiliate to serving on the NCCW national board as organization commission chairwoman, third vice-president, and first vice-president before being elected NCCW president in Sept. 2003, at the convention in Minneapolis, Minn. Linda Popish, DCCW organization chairwoman, has asked Gray to also speak of her experience as the national organization chairwoman for the workshop "The Difference We Need to Make… Sharing Our Gifts and Our Spirituality." Janet Healy, DCCW church commission chairwoman, has asked Holy Cross Sister Suzanne Brennan, president and executive director of Holy Cross Ministries, to be a guest speaker. Holy Cross Ministries has outreach programs which operate in health, education, immigration, and social services for the poor and under-served throughout the state of Utah. Sr. Suzanne has two Master’s Degrees and a Bachelor’s Degree in English and theology from Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Ind. Her topic is "Women in Scripture." By popular demand, the panel discussion on the functioning of our local councils, "Caring and Sharing of Our Councils’ Ideas and Concerns," will be held. Women are asked to come to the convention prepared to offer their suggestions and concerns. Each individual women’s council in the Diocese of Salt Lake City will handle the registration for their parish. The registration deadline is March 31. All registration requires prepayment. Package A is $75 and includes registration and all meals for both days. Package B is $30 and includes registration for April 22 only, a continental breakfast, and lunch. Package C is $30 and is registration for the Woman of the Year Banquet only. Package D is $20 and includes registration for April 23, and a brunch. Registrations postmarked after March 31, will incur an additional $10 fee for each package. The DCCW offers a sponsorship program for individuals who would like to attend the convention but cannot afford the costs. It is suggested that women who need sponsorship check with their parish women’s council first for any convention financial assistance that may be available before applying through the DCCW. All applications are kept strictly confidential by the DCCW president and the sponsorship committee. Applications for sponsorship must be submitted by March 15, to Susan Neilson, chairwoman. For more information, call Neilson at (801) 224-2692. Hotel registration is available for those attending the convention. The room rate is $79 per night for one to four people per room. All reservations received on or before March 31 will not be charged a room tax. Rooms reserved after March 31 will be charged a room tax, and are not guaranteed the convention room rate. Hotel reservations will be made through each parish women’s council. For more information on hotel registration, call Shauna McGill, chairwoman, at (801) 250-4235 after 6 p.m. Mass for the DCCW convention will be held April 22, at 5:30 p.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 514 24th Street, Ogden. The Woman of the Year banquet will follow Mass with a social at 6:45 p.m., and dinner at 7 p.m. at the Ogden Marriott Hotel. For more information, call DCCW President Pat Musich at (435) 722-1000.
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