Women of the Year are recognized for their stewardship and ministry

Intermountain Catholic

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Women from throughout the diocese were presented with the Women of the Year award at the annual Diocesan Council of Catholic Women convention. IC photo/Christine Young

SALT LAKE CITY — Thirty-four women in the Diocese of Salt Lake City were congratulated by their families, friends and the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women at large for their time, talent and faith at the 2014 Annual Woman of the Year Banquet at the Sheraton Hotel April 26.

Monsignor Colin F. Bircumshaw, vicar general, also honored Monsignor Robert Servatius, the DCCW spiritual advisor, who will celebrate his Golden Jubilee in May.

"He has been most generous and happy in his priesthood," Msgr. Bircumshaw said. "He has been a beloved chaplain of this organization."

The convention theme "A Voice in the Desert" is a "wonderful theme," Msgr. Bircumshaw said. "We have a wonderful rich tradition spiritually of going to the desert in order to encounter the divine. The desert allows us to forget self and to focus on our survival and to listen to God’s voice in our lives. The desert can be a great blessing. …

"The DCCW is the body of Christ in our world today. Annually, if I want to come to experience the Church in Utah – the body of Christ risen – I want to be here with you," Msgr. Bircumshaw said. "There is more service, more faith, more tenacity, more goodness and sacrifice here than any other group of women I know of."

Bobbie Hunt, Woman of the Year co-chair and past NCCW president, thanked the women for their service and the lives they have touched. "You are an inspiration to each of us," she said, adding that the women’s stories are of "love, caring, giving and helping. Your stories of the work you do in your parishes and communities as committed Catholic women – you truly make Utah bloom."

The women were honored for a variety of ministries such as washing altar linens, cleaning the church, preparing funeral dinners, helping at parish carnivals and festivals, and caring for the elderly, and for having a tenacious faith. To highlight just a few:

Emily Shakespear is the first Woman of the Year Saint Gertrude Mission in Panguitch has nominated. She is an X-ray technician who puts in many hours at Garfield Hospital, but manages to teach Sunday classes after Mass to prepare the youth for their sacraments. She gives them encouragement and teaches them to put their trust in God’s love.

Rose Marie Hofer has been a member of Notre Dame de Lourdes Parish in Price for more than 65 years. She has given freely of her time to both the parish and the school. When the church was remodeled, she worked alongside many others stripping, sanding and staining the wood, according to her nomination.

At Saint Anthony of Padua Parish in Helper, Pamela Kirkwood trains new Eucharistic ministers and is also a Eucharistic minister for the sick and shut-ins. She has served as a catechist and continues to fill in as a substitute when needed. She currently chairs the post office booth at the annual carnival. She and her husband have been married 52 years and have faced some serious health issues in the past few years, read her nomination.

Ruby Davis has been a member of Saint Ann Parish in Salt Lake City for more than 60 years and all nine of her children received their sacraments at the parish. Her first five children graduated from Kearns-Saint Ann School, which was difficult because she was "a stay-at-home mom and sold Tupperware in the evenings to finance her children’s tuition," read her nomination. She has given countless hours helping people through difficult times and is on the bereavement committee.

Vi Barney from Saint Olaf Parish in Bountiful has been a member for more than 40 years and has spent many years volunteering at St. Vincent’s Soup Kitchen, serving on the parish council, and counting collections with her husband of 55 years, Bob.