NCCW conference offers spirituality, learning and friendship for women

IC photo by Marie Mischel

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Kay Horsell, a representative of World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations from Dublin Calif. and a past NCCW president, has been involved with the Council of Catholic Women since 1941. She is shown with Mary Adams (seated), the current Province of San Francisco director.

SALT LAKE CITY - For three days, women from the National Council of Catholic Women's (NCCW) Province of San Francisco shared information, prayer and laughter at the Sheraton in Salt Lake City during their annual meeting.

Utah is part of the NCCW's Province of San Francisco, which also includes northern California, Hawaii, Nevada and Guam. The 2010 annual meeting was held in Salt Lake City because Mary Adams, a member of Saint Rose of Lima Parish in Layton, is the current province director.

While the formal presentations each day provided information about topics of interest to NCCW members, the informal discussions let them know how women in other dioceses and parishes tailor NCCW programs to meet their needs, Adams said. "It's difficult to be a Catholic in Utah," she said. "You really have to work hard at it. And when you see what other parishes are doing ... it gives us an inspiration. It gives us a shot in the arm so that we really want to work harder at our faith."

Michael O'Shea, from Saint Anthony Parish in Helper and president-elect of Diocesan CCW, agreed. "It's a fact that we are a minority in Utah and it is so fun to come to a convention where we share our values," she said. "I think we need each other to keep our faith strong."

During the conference, the presentations were "uplifting and spiritual and it was also very informative," O'Shea said. She particularly found Juvenile Court Judge Andrew Valdez' presentation on troubled children applicable to her teaching career, and also thought the first speaker, Casey Pond, gave helpful information on leadership. "I'm on the docket for the next presidency so it's very timely for me," O'Shea said.

Kathryn Parish-Reese and Lois Agresti, both from San Francisco, said the conference allows them to bring information from the national level back to members in their local diocese. In addition, it's a way to establish "lifelong friendships," said Parish-Reese.

Having the meeting in Salt Lake City makes it easier for Utah women to attend, said Pat Musich of Saint Helen Parish in Roosevelt, a DCCW past president. "Most Utah Catholic women cannot afford to go to California. I enjoy it because ... in our rural area, we are a very small group and so it's always inspiring to me when you get back into a large group of Catholic women and you have that renewal. It's a wonderful spiritual renewal. Attending Mass in the cathedral is just a special thing for us when we live in the rural areas, and to see the bishop and to have a contact with him, it's just really inspiring. You get inspired again to go back and say, ?we can do this!'"