DCCW celebrates 40th Women of the Year awards
SALT LAKE CITY — At its 2017 annual convention, the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women recognized the Women of the Year.
During his remarks at the banquet, Bishop Oscar A. Solis said he was overjoyed to be around women of faith “who have a tremendous love for our community, and a tremendous love for God,” and he thanked them for “the tremendous work and contribution that you give in building God’s kingdom in every parish throughout the Diocese of Salt Lake City. … I am so blessed that I have great partners in the mission of evangelization.”
For the award, each parish in the diocese is allowed to nominate one woman who is outstanding in some way; the ministries of this year’s 32 recipients range from hosting faith-sharing sessions to serving in numerous parish ministries to serving as chairwomen of various special events.
Many of the women have been active in their parish for decades. For example, Erma Yengich of Blessed Sacrament Parish has been a parishioner at Blessed Sacrament for 45 years, and each year for the past 30 years she has crocheted many baby items and assembled them with other items into layettes to donate to parish fundraisers, to the Carmelite Fair and Saint Martha’s Baby Project.
“She feels blessed that she can still crochet, plant her geraniums and care for her yard at her tender age of 92 years young,” her nomination form reads.
At St. James the Greater Parish, Pearl Cook has served as an Extraordinary Minister of the Holy Communion for seven years and a CCD teacher for 11 years; she also cares for the altar linen, the priest robes and the altar servers’ robes. She has cleaned and decorated the church for years, helps with the annual Spaghetti Dinner, and donates goods and time for the Thanksgiving baskets, according to her nomination form. She has been a parish member for 43 years.
At the St. Paul Catholic Center’s thrift store, Sylvia Borowiak is the sorting and pricing coordinator and the youth volunteer coordinator. She also is an Extraordinary Minister of the Holy Communion, is a member of the Women’s Council and recently became the parish’s event photographer.
“She has a cheerful disposition and is willing to help where and when she is needed,” her nomination form reads.
At St. Ambrose Parish, Alexa Maland is an Extraordinary Minister of the Holy Communion to the homebound, has taught CCD for 20 years, chaired numerous parish and school fundraisers, has held offices in the HAS and St. Ambrose Women’s Guild, has been an RCIA sponsor and sung in the choir for 13 years. In addition, as a member of Catholic Woman’s League, she chaired the Girls’ State Scholarship Program and helped girls earn Marian Medals and volunteered at Primary Children’s Hospital and the St. Vincent de Paul Center.
The Woman of the Year for St. Rose of Lima Parish is Carmen Santos, who assists with both the English and Spanish Baptism classes, helps with Adult Confirmation and Holy Communion classes, volunteers for the funeral luncheon team, and teaches Quinceañera classes. She is an Extraordinary Minister of the Holy Communion, visits the homebound, and has been a member of the Council of Catholic Women for a number of years.
The complete list of Women of the Year, by deanery and parish, follows.
Wasatch Deanery
Blessed Sacrament: Erma Yengich
St. Francis of Assisi: Marie Murdock
St. Francis of Xavier: Judy Wolf
St. John the Baptist: Julie Wink
St. Joseph the Worker: Lydia Moore
St. Martin de Porres: Toni Gillett
St. Peter: Vanessa Jacobs
St. Therese of the Child Jesus: Hiliana Coronado
St. Thomas More: Annette Pressley
St. Vincent de Paul: Susanna Florez
San Andres: Monica Villar
Eastern Deanery
Notre Dame de Lourdes: Della Gurule
St. Anthony of Padua: Lenora Callor
St. Helen: Melissa Allen
St. James the Greater: Pearl Cook
Southwestern Deanery
Christ the King: Laura McAneney
St. George: Patricia Christensen
St. Paul Catholic Center: Sylvia Borowiak
Salt Lake Deanery
Catholic Woman’s League: Chris Young
Cathedral of the Madeleine: Janet Martineau
Our Lady of Lourdes (Magna): Bernadette Moore
St. Ambrose: Alexa Maland
St. Ann: Roxanna McCusker
St. Marguerite: Ella Anglada
St. Olaf: Krista Smith
St. Patrick: Susan Lindsay
Sts. Peter and Paul: Fabiola Trujillo
Northern Deanery
Holy Family: Alice Cipollini
St. Florence: Maureen Hamilton
St. Joseph: Maria Gandara
St. Mary: Josey Keller
St. Rose of Lima: Carmen Santos
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