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Home  / News & Publications /  Michigan Catholic News / 2009 /  Women join together as 'Bearers of Hope'

by Kristin Lukowski of The Michigan Catholic
Published November 20, 2009

Kristin Lukowski | The Michigan Catholic Karen and Katilin Gaule were one of many mother-daughter duos to attend the seventh annual Catholic Women’s Conference last weekend.

Livonia - "The world urgently needs us women to fulfill our unique vocation," Mary Healy, professor at Sacred Heart Major Seminary and author, told a gathered crowd of several hundred women last weekend at the seventh annual Catholic Women's Conference.

She was presenting "Bearers of the Good News: Women in Scripture Inspiring Women Today," one of four presentations that were part of the day. "Without that (vocation), humanity becomes lopsided, distorted, dehumanized," she said. "The world needs us women to be bearers of hope."

The seventh annual conference, themed "Bearers of Hope," was held this year at St. Genevieve Parish, Livonia. Organizer Judy Maten also talked to the crowd about being bearers of hope, "and how we as women go forth in the world not only to be bearers of hope in our families, but are bearers of hope in our parish, our neighborhood, our state and our world, where we are so in need of life."

Kristin Lukowski | The Michigan Catholic Several hundred women attended the Catholic Women’s Conference, which included four speakers and ended with Mass.

In addition to Healy, other speakers were Msgr. McClory with "The Vocation of Women: A Voice for our Times," Socorro Truchan with "Bearers of Life: Companions on the Journey of Faith," and Paloma Cabetas, co-director of the Midwest Region of the Focolare movement, with "Building a Foundation for the Civilization of Love."

Healy mainly discussed three women from the Bible: Hannah, Mary the Mother of God, and the woman who broke an alabaster jar to anoint Jesus. She also pointed out that when God created man in His image, He also created woman, as a "helper fit for Him," but not as a helper who picks up his dirty socks and cooks dinner. Being a helper, in the Old Testament, most often applies to God, as in "God is my helper." "So the woman here is depicted with a quasi-divine role," she said.

Kristin Lukowski | The Michigan Catholic Healy

And when Adam receives Eve and responds with joy.

"Adam suddenly recognizes the deepest meaning and purpose of his life," she said. "It is to love. ... She helps him to recognize what it means to be truly human and to live out that vocation."

Healy discussed Satan tempting Eve in the garden, not because she was weaker, but, "Maybe Satan went to Eve because he knew if he got her, he got Adam too," she said. "He recognized the enormous influence women have on men, either for good or for evil."

Although Hannah was barren, considered to be a great misfortune and shame, she prayed to God for a child until a priest told her to go in peace. "She put her hope in the Lord," Healy said. "She trusted God would hear her prayer in some way." And in fact, Hannah did give birth to Samuel, who became a great prophet.

God could have chosen Mary to be the mother of Jesus without her consent, but he still sent an angel to her. Although it's impossible for a virgin to have a child, by the Holy Spirit she does just that: "Her faith opened the door," Healy said. "She does with God's power what couldn't be done with human's power."

During Jesus' public ministry, Mary probably didn't understand what was happening with her son, she said. "But she totally trusted in the Father and placed her hope in that message the angel gave to her."

The third woman, the woman with the alabaster jar named as Mary of Bethany in John's Gospel, broke the probably valuable jar to pour oil on Jesus' head. Healy said this would have been a gesture of kindness and hospitality, and a way to show love in the most extravagant way she knew how. Plus, Jews knew that anointing someone's head was the way to crown a king or ordain a priest.

Although the disciples gave her grief for wasting the oil, Jesus told the disciples to leave her alone, that she had done a beautiful thing for Him - prepared Him for His burial. "Her action in a certain way frees him to go to his Passion," Healy said. "We see with this woman the incredible gift of compassion and understanding that women have. ... This woman with the alabaster jar has become a bearer of the Good News to others, not by her words but by her gesture of love."

During a break between conference speakers, Karen Gaule of St. John Neumann Parish, Canton, said the conference was interesting to that point. She said Healy's presentation in particular brought up roles of women she hadn't considered before.

With her was her daughter, Kaitlin, a senior at Ladywood High School. For both, it was their first visit. Karen Gaule said she might bring her younger daughter to the conference when she's a bit older.

Rita Maher, of Marlette, in the Saginaw Diocese, came with her daughter, Denise Smith, a member of National Shrine of the Little Flower Parish, Royal Oak. "We both attended the conference three years ago and really enjoyed it," Maher said.

Maher said they were there to be "spiritually enriched." "That's part of us and who we are," she said of the women in the Bible and their accomplishments. "We do that by enriching ourselves."