Almost 20 years ago, my husband and I had just started dating when I decided to move back home with my parents.
It was a brisk winter Saturday when John and my father came to help me move out of my apartment. There must have been an instant where I got distracted. Maybe I was failing to hold the door just right for the couch to fit through. I can’t remember. But my father turned to me in frustration and said, “Rita, you can help, too.”
Nearly two decades later, John and I jokingly quote that line to each other. After all, I can help, too. We both can. All of us can. No family, no organization, and no community can succeed without those who are helping—in seen and unseen ways.
When I look around our Church, I am often struck by the incredible contributions of women. The Catholic Church is not always recognized as a place where women have a strong role and voice. Still, if you look at those doing a significant portion of the work to build the Church in homes, parishes, and communities, you’ll discover that women are having an extraordinary impact.
Sometimes that work is noticed. Often it happens more quietly. But the gifts that these Catholic women share with others are worth acknowledging. What a perfect reason to nominate someone for the Maryland Catholic Woman of the Year award.
This year, the Maryland Catholic Women’s Conference, “Holy Women, Holy Lives,” will be held on Nov. 11, at St. John the Evangelist in Severna Park, Maryland. The Maryland Catholic Woman of the Year award will be presented at the conference—and you have the chance to nominate a woman for that honor. All those who are nominated will be celebrated at the conference.
As the conference website shares, “The award is not intended to be a lifetime achievement award, rather an award to acknowledge our fellow women sharing their relationship with Christ with those in their lives. Whether the woman you think of as a leader in the faith is highly involved or quietly interceding, the ideal candidate is one who makes an impact by living their love of God.”
If you look around, you might discover that you know a woman who exemplifies faith, hope, and love. You may know a woman who intercedes for others and leads people to Jesus Christ. You may know a woman who demonstrates spirituality, leadership, and service to Christ, His Church, and society. You have the opportunity to nominate her by Sept. 1, 2023.
You can find more information and the nomination form on the conference website. You can also learn more about the conference on the Maryland Catholic Women’s Conference site. If you have any questions, write to mcwc.award@gmail.com.
What a beautiful difference women make in the Catholic Church through their leadership, their voices, their actions, their faith, and their love.
Find more information and nominate a woman for the Maryland Catholic Woman of the Year award here.
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