Council of Catholic Women Call to Convention

Call to Convention: The official call to the 81st Annual Convention of the Diocese of Salt Lake City Council of Catholic Women.

April 25-26, 2009

The Diocese of Salt Lake City Council of Catholic Women (DCCW) cordially invite you to attend their annual convention Saturday, April 25, and Sunday, April 26, 2009, at the Marriott Downtown, 75 South West Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah. The Northern Deanery is the proud host of this year’s convention. The theme of the convention is: "We are Women of Faith, Women of Action," and the two commissions being addressed this year are Church and Organization.

The Most Reverend John C. Wester, bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, has graciously accepted our invitation to be the keynote speaker. Bishop Wester is a native of San Francisco. He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest for the Archdiocese of San Francisco May 15, 1976. He earned degrees from Saint Joseph College, St. Patrick Seminary, the University of San Francisco, and Holy Names College. He was appointed auxiliary bishop of San Francisco June 30, 1998, and ordained Sept. 18, 1998. He served as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco until his appointment Jan. 8, 2007 as bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City. He was installed March 14, 2007, in the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

Church commission co-chairwomen Janet Healy and Linda Popish have invited Order of St. Clare Sister Eymard Flood, vicar for religious for the Diocese of Orange, Calif., to be the presenter for their commission. Sr. Eymard was born and received her education in Ireland. She entered the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Clare Dec. 7, 1962. She came to the United States in 1967. She has taught junior high students in the Diocese of San Diego and was a principal there for 16 years. She has served as director of Faith Formation, is a master catechist, and was appointed vicar for religious for the Diocese of Orange. Sr. Eymard has served eight years as National Secretary for the Conference of Vicars for Religious, two terms as National vice president and in March 2008 was elected president. Her presentation is titled: "Women: Keepers of the Promise."

Organization Chairwoman Casey Pond has invited Rebecca (Becky) A. Kearns to be presenter for the commission. Kearns has a B.S. in marketing from Idaho State University, attended one year of an M.B.A. program at Idaho State, and graduated from Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington. Kearns is married and the mother of two sons. She is a member of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Park City. She serves as president of Resort Banking, a division of Zion’s Bank and has over 29 years experience in financial services. Her presentation is titled: "Creating Balance: Faith, Family, Community Service Work – in a Hectic World.

Convention Registration: Obtain registration forms from your parish representatives. The registration deadline is March 31, 2009. All registrations require prepayment. Make one check, payable to DCCW Convention. Please fill out the form completely and legibly. Please check spelling of all names, as this list will be used for name badges. Please note any dietary restrictions and list them in the space provided on the registration form as well as those attending with special needs. Please indicate your first timers with an asterisk. Please encourage everyone to attend. It could change their lives.

The Sponsorship Program is offered to individuals wishing to attend the convention, but are unable to do so because of the costs involved. Enclosed in every parish packet is a sponsorship application and guidelines. The DCCW president and sponsorship chairwoman keep all applications strictly confidential. For more information or to donate to the sponsorship program, please contact Jeanne Audiss at (801) 955-6054. The deadline is March 1, 2009. We advise all women to check with their parish organizations first for any convention financial assistance they may have available.

Hotel Registration: Convention room rates are $99 per night (1-4 persons per room) Please note the hotel is smoke free and guest rooms are furnished with double beds. Also, DCCW does not pay to have extra beds put in hotel rooms. This will be the responsibility of the person(s) booking the room. All reservations received on or before March 31, 2009, will not be charged a room tax. Rooms reserved after March 31, 2009, will not be tax exempt and are not guaranteed the convention rate. All rooms are provided with the usual amenities and hospitality items. Please use the Hotel Reservation Form provided. Make check payable to DCCW Convention and send to the address listed on the form. Payment in full is required with each reservation. Incidental room charges are the responsibility of each person. Time will be allotted during the Sunday program to facilitate the noon check out time. Hotel parking is available to hotel guests at a cost of $6 per day.

Woman of the Year: You will receive information from Bobbie Hunt, chairwoman, regarding the selection of Woman of the Year for your parish organization. The deadline for submitting the name of your Woman of the Year, along with a brief biography is March 31, 2009. We cannot guarantee that selections received after the deadline will have their names included in the convention program. Please understand that all family members and friends accompanying a Woman of the Year to the banquet are considered banquet registrants, and their names and registration fees must be included on the convention registration forms. Deadline for registration is March 31, 2009.