DCCW invites all Utah Catholic women to convention

Friday, Apr. 01, 2016

SALT LAKE CITY  — The 88th  annual Diocese of Salt Lake City Council of Catholic Women Convention will have the participation of Catholic women throughout the state; this year the Wasatch Deanery Council of Catholic Women is the host of the convention, which will be April 23-24.

“Our attendees are a diverse group of spiritual women who travel to Salt Lake City from all over the state,” said Bonnie Siegrist, DCCW president. “We are of all ages, from young mothers to great-grandmothers. For some this will be their first convention. Others have been coming for over 30 years.”

This year the theme is “Be the Voice of Catholic Women: Sowers of Hope.”

“Generally we follow the theme of the National Council of Catholic Women, which holds their annual convention in September. In 2015 NCCW followed the  ‘Sowers of Hope’ theme of the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations General Assembly in Fatima,”  Siegrist  explained.

Along with the theme, each presentation at the DCCW convention will relate to the Year of Mercy.

The DCCW mission statement includes the words to unite Catholic women in Utah in purpose through support, empowerment, and education in the areas of spirituality, leadership, and service. 

 “In addition to tying in with the Jubilee Year of Mercy, we feel the [convention] topics this year meet this goal,” said Siegrist.

The convention’s keynote speaker will be Gail Miller, owner of the Larry H. 

Miller Group  of Companies, who will be presenting the theme ”An Expanding Heart.”

“Gail Miller was referred to me by a dear friend. One Sunday after Mass I asked her if she had any recommendations for a keynote speaker. She said she had just been to a leadership seminar where Gail had spoken, and she was truly inspired by her talk,” said Siegrist.

Miller has been the recipient of many recognitions and achievement awards for her years of service and leadership.

“With Gail’s extensive work in community service, her leadership skills, and advocacy for those less fortunate, I felt she would be an inspiration and motivator for our convention attendees,” said Siegrist, adding that she suspects  the title of Miller’s talk,  “An Expanding Heart,” “was chosen to reflect no matter what our circumstances are in life, there’s always something we can do.” 

The convention will also have Leadership Commission speakers Maria and Tom Devereux, who will speak on “The Power of Forgiveness.” Jean Hill, director of the diocesan Peace and Justice Commission; Father John Norman, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish; and Dr. Catherine Stokes, MD will offer a panel with the topic “Dignity at the End of Life,” and Patricia Voorhes,  a social worker that along with organ recipients from the  University of Utah solid organ Transplant Department will present “The Gift of Life.” 

The annual Women of the Year banquet and awards presentation is open to all family and friends.

“The convention is a time to meet other Catholic women from all areas of Utah. Sometimes we’re secluded in our neighborhoods and in our own parishes,” Siegrist said. “The ladies from southern Utah say they often feel apart from the diocese. I still remember thinking at my first convention, ‘Wow, there really are a lot of other Catholic women in Utah.’  Being in a room with well over 200 Catholic women was and continues to be inspiring. If they’ve never been to a convention or it’s been a while, we encourage ladies to come. Come for Saturday, for Sunday, but hopefully for the weekend.  The consensus is, once you come, you’ll want to keep coming back.  I’ve been coming for 27 years.”

For information about the DCCW convention, contact a women’s parish organization or visit www.dccwutah.org.