This week, I am attending the annual convention of the National Council of Catholic Women. I have been serving on the Peoria Diocesan board since 2015; as President since 2016 (insert gasp!) Founded in 1920, NCCW has resources available for parishes across the country, and I am looking forward to meeting new friends and connecting with several women I have known via email and conference calls. I’ll finally know what they look like!
I spent a good chunk of time in the exhibit hall yesterday, and a good chunk of change on some new books. One can never have too many books! I met Catholic author and speaker Melanie Rigney, which was very fun. I also talked with a priest who is with the Fathers of Mercy, Chaplain for the shrine to Our Lady of Good Help, located in northern Wisconsin. Father Thomas gave me lots of other pilgrimage tips which I hope to take up in the coming year.
My photo for this post was taken before I experienced the Virtual Pilgrimage to Lourdes. It was amazing! I’ll have to write more on that later.
All to say that it feels good to connect with ministry-minded women from across the country. Personal connections make all the difference in the world, don’t they? Maybe I’ll get some pictures of actual people today!