September 9, 2009

Women’s conference to focus on living Christian virtues

By Julie Filby 

The theme for this year’s Catholic Women’s Conference set for Sept. 25-26 is “Living the Christian Virtues: Growing in Truth and Strength.”

“There is a distinct difference between cultural virtues and Christian virtues,” said Mary Sue Kenny, national facilitator coordinator for ENDOW, the sponsor of the conference. “However, cultural virtues are based on Christian virtues—and most people are not aware of that.”

ENDOW, an acronym for Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women, is a Catholic program that brings women together through study groups, conferences and retreats, to discover their God-given dignity and to understand their role in humanizing and transforming society.

The conference will feature prominent Catholic speakers including Auxiliary Bishop James D. Conley, S.T.L. Bishop Conley will deliver the keynote address “Ever Yours Affly.” His address will be based on the book of letters from the late Cardinal John Henry Newman—one of Bishop Conley’s spiritual mentors—to his circle of female friends.

“Newman once wrote, ‘Next to the power and force of supernatural grace, the greatest influence over the human heart is the example of goodness and virtue in another person,’” Bishop Conley said. “If we stop and think about this, we can see that it’s true in our own lives. Those who have had the biggest impact in our lives are the people who have truly loved us and spoken to our heart through their example.”

Additional speakers include Religious Sister of Mercy Timothea Elliott, S.S.D., a professor of sacred Scripture at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, speaking on “The Valiant Women of Sacred Scripture”; Jeanette DeMelo, S.C.L., director of communications for the Denver Archdiocese, presenting “Finding the Great Amid the Ordinary”; and Marilyn Coors, Ph.D., associate professor of bioethics and genetics in the department of psychiatry at the University of Colorado at Denver, discussing “Women’s Issues and Bioethics.”

The conference will offer a teen track led by ENDOW’s Kate and Brigid Sweeney on “True Beauty Revealed,” the program’s study designed especially for high-school-age women.

The conference will also offer Mass and opportunities for confession, training for new facilitators and a pre-conference day retreat, "Apart From Me You Can Do Nothing: Christian Prayer and Virtue," on Friday hosted by spiritual director Father Scott Traynor, director of the St. Thomas More Newman Center at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, S.D.

The conference will be held at St. Thomas More Parish, 8035 S. Quebec St. in Centennial. The fee of $119 includes the conference and all meals. Participants can register online at www.EndowOnline.com. For questions, call 303-715-3224 or e-mail marysue.kenny@archden.org.

When: Sept. 25-26
Where: St. Thomas More Parish, 8035 S. Quebec St., Centennial
Register: www.EndowOnline.com (by Sept. 23)
Fee: $119
Questions: 303-715-3224 or marysue.kenny@archden.org