FULLERTON – Participants at the Maryland Catholic Women’s Conference included many who were grateful for the retreat from quarantine life, among them Elizabeth Dalasio, a 29-year-old mother of two young children and parishioner of St. John Neumann Parish in Gaithersburg.
“Sometimes I need those little kick-starters to renew my faith as well,” she said. “With COVID and young kids I haven’t been able to go to Mass much, … I’m very much looking forward to some time with Jesus.”
She was among 200 who gathered in person Oct. 24 at St. Joseph Parish in Fullerton for four hours of prayer, worship and presentations from Catholic women, all available through a livestream for those participants who weren’t comfortable gathering in person.
All occured outdoors, on the youth soccer field that has served as a worship space for the parish since late May.
The event began in 2009, at St. John in Westminster, and spent several years at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg. This year’s was directed by co-chairwomen, Catherine Liberatore and Stephanie Clancy.
Kelly Wahlquist, founder of Women in the New Evangelization (WINE) and an author and editor of several books focused on women’s spirituality, travelled from her home in Minnesota to serve as the conference’s keynote speaker. Other speakers included Jeanne Link, founder of the conference, and Annie McHugh, a homeschooling mother of five. The program also offered recorded talks from Sister of Life Marie Veritas and Dr. Heidi Schrieber-Pan.
The theme was “Made for Joy,” selected before most had heard of COVID-19. For Liberatore, its universal significance goes beyond the current pandemic.
“We wanted to give women a day where they could say, ‘I have this faith that can transcend all the yuckiness we go through in life,’” Liberatore said.
Wahlquist touched on that theme, discussing how joy can be used as a form of evangelization. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Scripture, the sacraments, and the example of Mary, Catholic women can display the joy of God for others.
“Joy is an internal peace that gives rise to external happiness,” she said.
Link complemented Wahlquist’s talk, speaking about how to overcome fear in order to be joyful in the present moment. McHugh highlighted the ways in which joy can be achieved: prayer, the sacraments, spiritual reading and daily reminders of God’s presence.
Archbishop William E. Lori celebrated the opening Mass, with concelebrants being Father Jesse Bolger and Father Francis Ouma, pastor and associate pastor, respectively, of St. Joseph Fullerton.
“No human being was more receptive to the joy of the Holy Spirit than was Mary,” the archbishop said in his homily, “and no human being brought more godly joy into the world than Mary did.”
Mary was a central figure in the conference. A statue of the holy mother was placed in a prominent spot beside the altar and could be seen easily from any seat. Her story served as an inspiration for many of the speakers. Antoinette Persing, a five-time conference attendee in her 70s, views Mary as a perfect role model.
“Her story never gets old,” Persing said. “No matter how many times you think about it or hear about it.”
At the conference’s conclusion, attendees were invited to join in adoration of the Eucharist and reconciliation, as 12 priests took turns manning nine stations available for the sacrament. As Liberatore pointed out, it was likely the first time some of the attendees were able to make a confession since the beginning of the pandemic. There were alternating moments of musical and silent worship.
Many women left feeling a call to action, among them 20-year-old Chika Nwakama. A parishioner of St. Joseph Fullerton who is taking online classes from home, she was especially moved by Wahlquist’s talk on evangelization.
“Anyone can do that,” Nwakama said about evangelization. “It could be a little interaction that makes a difference in someone’s life.”
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