Registration open for 2019 Diocese of Salt Lake City Council of Catholic Women convention

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SALT LAKE CITY — The theme for this year’s Diocesan Council of Catholic Women convention, “Through the Grace of God,” was selected “because all is grace. We are gifted daily by grace, we are strengthened by grace, we are alive because of grace, we grow in Christ because of grace,” said Casey Pond, DCCW president.

Everyone needs to accept God’s grace and put it into action in daily life, Pond said, adding that all the women in the diocese are invited to this year’s convention, which will be April 27-28 at the Sheraton Salt Lake City Hotel.

“This weekend will be uplifting, spiritually enriching and educational – it will allow for fellowship with other like-minded Catholic women; the prayer services and Mass with the bishop will help us grow in faith; we will be offered opportunities for service; and it is a whole lot of fun,” she said.

The convention’s keynote speaker will be Marge Steinhage Fenelon, an award-winning author, journalist, blogger, and popular radio personality. She is a Catholic, wife and mother from Milwaukee, Wisc. The titles of her two talks will be “Spirituality of Womanhood: Living Our Faith with Mary as a Model,” and “When’s God Gonna Show Up? Spotting the Divine in Daily Life.”  

Fenelon’s “authenticity and warmth will help guide us to a greater understanding of, and love for, our Lord and his Mother in a joyful, everyday spirituality,” Pond said.

Fenelon will give two presentations, one during the morning on Saturday and the other in the afternoon.  Also in the morning will be a panel discussion featuring Catholic Community Services, the Road Home and Give Me A Chance.

“Their presentations will not only inform us as to the missions they embrace, but how we, as grace-filled Catholic women, can follow Christ’s directive to serve ‘the least of these’ – our brothers and sisters in need,” Pond said.

The full day of convention events on Saturday will culminate with Mass at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, with Bishop Oscar A. Solis presiding. A bus will take those attending the convention from the hotel to the cathedral and back.

The Saturday events will end with the traditional Women of the Year banquet.

The convention will continue Sunday morning, opening with a Taize prayer service. This worship service, with sung and chanted prayers, is returning after an absence of several years, Pond said.

After the prayer service and breakfast, the DCCW Spirituality Commission will offer a talk by Jennifer Carroll, executive director of the Catholic Foundation of Utah.

CFU is a nonprofit corporation created in 1984 to provide stable and lasting support for the Catholic Church in Utah through endowments and planned giving.

Carroll “has worked with non-profits for over 20 years and has witnessed firsthand how God’s grace works in the lives of both donors and beneficiaries,” Pond said.

People who are interested in participating in this year’s DCCW convention should contact their parish women’s organization president for registration information.

“If they don’t have an affiliated women’s organization at their parish, they can ask their pastor for more information or contact me” at casey.pond@comcast.net, Pond said. The deadline for convention and hotel registration and Woman of the Year is March 27.

WHAT: 91st Annual DCCW Convention

WHEN: April 27-28

WHERE: Sheraton Salt Lake City Hotel, 150 West 500 South, Salt Lake City

Visit www.dccwutah.org for details, registration forms and sponsorship information.