Organizers of “Fearlessly Faithful, Let it be done Unto Me,” the first Cleveland Catholic Women’s Conference, are looking for a larger venue for the 2020 conference.
The sold-out inaugural event on Oct. 20 was hosted by St. Basil Parish in Brecksville. More than 400 women attended and the waiting list was capped at 200. The conference is dedicated to enriching the lives of women as they are inspired to grow in relationship with the Lord and each other.
After a welcome by Brooke Taylor, host of the podcast “Good Things Radio,” Bishop Nelson Perez celebrated Mass to open the daylong conference.
“Blessed are we among women,” he said to Deacons Joe Robinson and Josh Cochrac and the seminarians who were altar servers as he scanned the hundreds of women who filled the church.
“The Blessed Mother is not God – she is one of us, but special. She was the first disciple. God picked her to be the mother of his son,” the bishop said, noting Mary asked the angel how that could be. But she accepted God’s will and then hurried to help her cousin Elizabeth. “Never underestimate the power of God,” the bishop told the congregation.
Bishop Perez said he still calls his mother every day and she continues to remind him to “drink water and watch what I eat.” He told the women they have a special mission. “God has chosen you for a special role in the lives of your families, the Church and the world,” he said. “The women in my life in so many ways are the backbone of my service.”
The bishop shared some thoughts from St. John Paul II about the Blessed Mother. He said in Mary, we see “the wealthiest sentiment of which the human heart is capable of.” She has strength that is capable of the greatest sorrows, limitless fidelity and tireless devotion to work, the ability to combine penetrating intuition with words of support and encouragement, the late pope said.
“Behind the Church is the great woman. She is the strength for all of us,” Bishop Perez said. He recalled how at Cana Jesus told his mother it wasn’t his time. “But Mary said, ‘Yes, it is.’ Thank you for all you do for your families, the world and the Church,” the bishop said.
After Mass, the group headed to the Parish Center for breakfast before the program began.
Taylor Tripodi, a Cleveland-based worship leader, singer and songwriter, performed throughout the day.
Speakers were Mary Bielski, Father Patrick Schultz and Laura Phelps.
Bielski, who has been involved in ministry for more than 15 years, is a popular speaker at parish missions, ministry training, retreats and conferences. Her topic was “Fearlessly His.” She told the group they could think of the Church as “sin management.” She also reminded them that they shouldn’t look inward to find themselves – they need to look upward.
“We grow into our identity. We know who we are – and whose we are,” Bielski said.
The group was divided into half with one group heading to the Family Center for adoration and an opportunity for confession while the other half enjoyed lunch. Fourteen priests from throughout the diocese volunteered to serve as confessors for the event.
After lunch, Father Schultz mesmerized the audience with his talk on “Fearlessly Forgiven and Restored.” As he pondered what he would discuss, Father Schultz said the womb is an icon of the heart. “You’re meant to house another,” he told the women, “like Jesus in our heart. You’re strong; you have power over evil – the enemy. You point to her – the queen of heaven and earth. The enemy (devil) would like you to live in the father’s house and not know his love. But we are meant for infinite love and joy,” Father said.
“The enemy’s lie is that we’re not good enough to be in the father’s house and loved. He attacks our identity,” he added. Father Schultz told the women they were the last thing created. “You are the crown jewel and the enemy knows how exquisite you are.” He said women often think they’re never good enough and set impossibly high standards they never can meet, but the Lord is here to help them be alive and free.
“To be forgiven means to come to know something about myself – that I’m a gift, a blessing,” Father Schultz said. It’s more than simply taking away a stain from the soul. He said the enemy couldn’t touch Mary because she knew exactly who she was. By allowing Jesus to remove our makeup that’s caked on by fear, he sees the reflection in us of his mother who never hid herself.
“When Jesus cured or restored a woman, he always referred to her as ‘daughter.’ We’re not orphans – we are daughters in the father’s house,” he said.
The final speaker, Laura Phelps, focused on “Fearlessly Sent.” A national women’s speaker, writer, blogger and ministry coordinator, she shared ways that women can face their daily battles and win. Phelps and her husband have four children and she shared some of their personal challenges, including their son’s substance abuse problems and their daughter’s mental health struggles. The couple’s younger children were students at Sandy Hook Elementary School when a gunman killed 20 children and six staff members in December 2012.
She told those gathered that she “had been preparing for battle” as she dealt with the challenges in her life, but she learned that she had to accept God’s will. We may want instant gratification and we forget how to wait. She also reminded the group that Mary’s eyes are continually turned toward Christ. She said we need to ask, “Lord, what will you have me do?”
“It’s not that your troubles don’t go away – they don’t matter because of who you’re sitting with,” she said.
The conference grew from a discussion by a group of faithful Catholic women in the summer of 2018 who began discussing the possibility of a one-day Catholic women’s conference for the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. They had seen successful women’s conferences in nearby dioceses that have attracted thousands of women.
Committee members were Bernadette Boguski, Toni Esposito, Erin Hogan, Erin Hopkins, Nellie Krawczynski, Sue Lagoni, Diane Mackay, Tanis Merimee, Louise Miller, Charlene Paparizos, Dina Podnar, Tina Ranta, Emily Ricard, Jennifer Ricard, Maddie Ricard, Michelle Schultz, Maryanne Shaniuk, Taylor Tripodi, Jackie Vigneault and Maggie Zbiegien.