St. Rose of Lima parishioner given highest honor for Catholic woman

IC photo by Marie Mischel

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Bobbie Hunt is shown with the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake, and Msgr. Robert Servatius, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Parish and chairman of moderators for the National Council of Catholic Women.

LAYTON - Bobbie Hunt, who has been active for many years in the Council of Catholic Women at the deanery, diocesan and national level, has been named a Dame of the order of Saint Gregory the Great by Pope Benedict XVI.

"It's the highest award that a Catholic woman can be granted by the Church," said Msgr. Robert Servatius, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish and chairman of moderators for the National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW.)

As an ex officio member of the NCCW board, Msgr. Servatius worked closely with Hunt during her two-year term as president, which ended in September. Traditionally, the retiring NCCW president is recommended for the Pro Pontificia Ecclasia Award, but "when I put together Bobbie's vitae to get ready to ask that this award be petitioned for her, I found she had already received the Pro Pontificia Ecclasia years ago," Msgr. Servatius said.

In discussing the matter with Msgr. Terrence Fitzgerald, the diocesan vicar general, Msgr. Servatius learned of the Dame of the Order of St. Gregory the Great Award.

That it was the Church's highest honor for a woman didn't give him pause. "Bobbie is so deserving of it," he said. "On the diocesan level she has held practically every office she can; she's been devoted to the Council of Catholic Women in every way possible and that certainly came out when she was a candidate for the national presidency; I think people recognized her talent, her ability and her devotion to Catholic women's organizations."

On a personal level, Hunt is "deeply, deeply devoted to the Church," Msgr. Servatius said. "She's a very spiritual person, [with] great, great organizational skills."

Hunt's knack for uniting people became evident at the last NCCW convention, where she had proposed extensive changes to the bylaws that eventually were approved by the membership, Msgr. Servatius said. "Personally, I think Bobbie had the toughest two years in recent history, simply because of the massive changes that needed to be addressed in terms of membership in NCCW, the financial situation of NCCW and the need to redo those bylaws for a variety of reasons."

The Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake, presented the award to Hunt during a Mass on Dec. 6 at Blessed Sacrament Parish. Among those who attended the event were Don Hunt, Bobbie's husband; Cheryl Johnson, president of diocesan CCW; Kathy Jones, treasurer of NCCW; Mary Adams, province director for NCCW's San Francisco province; and other CCW members.

"This is a great organization," Bishop Wester said. "It serves the Church in a lot of different ways. It does wonderful things for our parishes."

Bishop Wester also complimented Hunt on her leadership of the NCCW. "As president she had to make some very difficult decisions. Change is never easy and it required real sound leadership...to steer the council through this difficult time. Bobbie provided that leadership," he said. "It's not just what the ladies do, it's their love of the Church and their desire to be of service to the Church. This really is our Catholic faith in action. These ladies, both locally and nationally, give so much of who they are for this important work."

Hunt became involved with the CCW after her children were in elementary school. She was attracted by the organization's international involvement. "Our parishes are of course very important, and I never want to take away from the parish, but there's a bigger picture out there," she said.

Although she started at the parish level and eventually served as diocesan president and province director, she never had her eye on the national level. But, "We don't know the path that God has for us, and where it's going to lead us," she said.

With the encouragement of Msgr. Servatius and other friends, she put in for regional vice president, and then national president.

Although she would have preferred to concentrate on NCCW's programs, she felt that the organization's membership, finances and organization needed attention. Under her leadership, the NCCW modernized its bylaws and put renewed emphasis on membership. "I was a president of change," she said.

For the next two years she will continue on NCCW's national board and recently took a seat on the Religious Alliance Against Pornography committee, whose executive committee members include bishops of various denominations. Other Catholic representatives on the committee include Cardinal William Keeler and Archbishop George Niederauer.