Women's Conference

FEMININE, FAITHFUL AND FEARLESS  At the third annual Women’s Conference hosted at St. Paul Inside the Walls April 9 are (from left) Alicia Sicckowski, Anne Marie Casale, Denise Imperiale and Connie Cafone. The women are part of the Women’s Cornerstone retreats at Assumption Parish in Morristown and St. Joseph Parish in Mendham.

CLIFTON  For the Catholic woman, being feminine, faithful and fearless in today’s society can be a challenge. But more than 200 women were inspired to take on that challenge at the third annual Women’s Conference titled, “Feminine, Faithful and Fearless,” that was hosted at St. Paul Inside the Walls, the Diocesan Evangelization Center April 9.

Celebrating the Jubilee Year of Mercy, the conference featured three women of different backgrounds and experiences sharing their stories. Speaking at the conference were Valerie Lewis-Mosley, spiritual director and religious education director at Christ the King Church in Jersey City; Susan Timoney, secretary of pastoral ministry and social concerns for the Archdiocese of Washington; and Rosario Rodriguez, a blogger and Catholic speaker who survived two violent crimes.

The all-day conference also featured discussions and networking and closed with the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Keaton Douglas, a musician and parishioner of St. Thomas Parish in Sandyston, again served as host for the event.

Father Paul Manning, director of St. Paul’s, welcomed the women and presented a recorded video message from Bishop Serratelli, who said, “I’m so happy you are here today. As women, you have many gifts and talents not only for the Church but for all of society.”

Mosley began the day with a talk discussing what it means to be “feminine.” She started by calling all the women in the room her sisters. She said, “Many of us are coming together for the first time. We are bonded as one in Christ, one in spirit and one in solidarity to be feminine, faithful and fearless.”

Mosley reminded the women that God created each one of them in His image and because women are life givers, she used Mary as an example on how the Lord trusts women to be part of God’s salvation story.

She spoke about the word “feminine” and the traditional attributes usually associated with the word — delicate, pretty, soft and graceful. She also spoke about society’s use of the word feminine in relation to feminist, which often could be counteractive to the Catholic Church. She reminded women these meanings don’t define what is truly feminine.

“My sisters, what a good time to be in the essence of the feminine,” said Mosley. “We have the ability to be voice and action. Proclaim our faith because we, too, have a story to tell to the world.”

Using examples of women in the Bible, such as Esther and Sarah, and saints such as St. Veronica, Mosley said, “Feminine is not just about being beautiful, it’s about changing the world to be a place of holiness and justice. As women, we are called by name. Our response is to be a resounding ‘yes.’”

Speaking on being “faithful,” Timoney reflected on the first women at the tomb of Jesus. “Just two weeks ago, we heard the story about the women at the tomb who learned it was empty. They were asked by the risen Jesus to ‘Go and tell the others.’ This account is the first action of women who became faithful. They were willing to believe Jesus rose from the dead.”

To be faithful is to love God and love one another as God loved us, said Timoney. Using the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, Timoney said, “God’s merciful love and works of mercy are the best of the Catholic Church. The Corporal Works of Mercy are the fragrance of life, which permeates the world.”

Timoney challenged the women to incorporate works of mercy into everyday life. She said, “The Corporal Works of Mercy give us a chance to live out our faith.”

Rodriguez shared her personal story of being fearless following two violent crimes — one when she was 14 and attacked by a stalker who attempted to rape her and another as an adult when she was robbed at gunpoint and shot by a woman. In both experiences, she felt a divine presence intercede for her safety and protection.

While she was safe from harm from the first incident, it left Rodriguez with emotional pain. “I became bitter, my grades went down, and my relationships with my family became difficult. They say hurt people want to hurt people. I also hated men even though I knew good men. It really hurt my relationship with Christ,” said Rodriguez.

During her freshman year of college, Rodriguez admitted she was suicidal. Her mother sought help through her parish priest, who challenged Rodriguez to forgive her attacker, pray for him and receive professional counseling.

Rodriguez also sought the sacraments to find healing. She would attend Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. “Just being in the presence of the Eucharist is powerful,” she said. “They say when the priest consecrates the Eucharist, it is the most powerful moment in the world. It is when heaven meets earth.”

She also went to confession, which Rod­riguez considers one of the most unutilized sacraments. “We forget how amazing and loving God is and wants to heal us,” she said.

As she experienced healing, “I started to see my world go from black and white to color because I was starting to find joy,” she said.

Because she started to feel whole again, she realized she wanted to help other women. But her faith was challenged again when she was shot seven years ago. Through this experience, she knew she would forgive her shooter because she never wanted to feel empty again. She also learned the power of prayer. “To this day, I’ll meet people who will say, ‘I heard about your story on Facebook and your family asked to pray for you.’ I’m so grateful for those prayers,” said Rodriguez.

The conference concluded with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament led by Father Pawel Tomczyk, faulty member at St. Paul’s, with music by Lauren and Nicky Costabile.

Douglas told those in attendance to remember that, “We are called to be like Mary, loving our Savior from cradle to cross.”