Greensburg diocese seeks 'Spirited' participants in first women's conference

Bishop Larry Kulick was excited to hear the stories coming back from past attendees at the Diocese of Greensburg’s three annual men’s conferences.

“It turned out to be very successful, and we heard that many of the participants went back to their home parishes and became leaders,” Kulick said.

Not long after the first men’s conference, Kulick said diocese officials began to hear from the church’s female fellowship groups, and on Nov. 12 will host “Spirited,” the diocese’s first women’s conference, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Christ Our Shepherd Center in Unity.

“With all of the issues in our time — covid-19 restrictions, churches closing, the volatile political climate — we felt it was time to bring women back to embracing their faith, being inspired by something new and sharing their faith with other women in the community,” said conference chair Carolyn Cannizzaro of Belle Vernon.

“Spirited” organizers said they were excited to see the men’s conference take off.

“Their spiritual leadership and enthusiasm became contagious, and women wanted to share in the goodness of this idea,” Cannizzaro said.

The conference will open with registration at 7 a.m. and includes witness testimonies, praise and worship, crafts, prizes and lunch. It will feature St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary faculty member and psychotherapist Car Razza as keynote speaker, and will also include eight break-out discussion sessions. The cost to attend is $75.

Kulick said he hopes it will be a “fortified day of prayer.”

“We’ll have speakers touch on a number of different topics, and to use a term we hear in the secular community, it promotes networking,” he said. “It helps to not just renew their faith, but to see what some of the other women’s organizations in the diocese are doing.”

Kulick said more than 300 participants are registered.

“We can help cultivate future leaders in the parish community through something like this,” he said.

Financial assistance is also available.

“I don’t want cost to be barrier for those who want to attend,” Kulick said. “So we’re also offering financial assistance through the Francis Fund that the diocese administers.”

Cannizzaro said she hopes the conference can help Catholic women grow in their identity and faith.

“Maybe these times seem more difficult to us now, but I remember hearing my mother and my grandmother speaking to the same trials generation after generation,” she said.

For more on the conference, or to register, see DioceseOfGreensburg.org.