Quenching our Thirst: The First Catholic Women’s Conference
By Tracy Johnson
November 7, 2015: in one amazing and historic day, 675 women from every part of the Archdiocese of Louisville gathered at St. Patrick Parish to pray, sing, worship, learn, and grow together in faith. I was one of those women, however I had the unique opportunity to attend as a committee member, presenter, and Catholic wife and mother. I am still processing all that I experienced in each of those roles, but I will attempt to convey some of it to you now.
First, I must say that the day went by all too quickly. The road to get there, however, was quite the opposite. As a member of the planning committee, it had taken over a year to bring this about. From the beginning, there was a spiritual yearning for this event and a desire to reach out to all parishes in our Archdiocese, gathering us together as sisters in Christ. The Bible passage regarding the Samaritan woman encountering Jesus at the well is truly representative of that:
“…but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.'” (John 4: 14-15)
The planning committee wanted the Conference to reflect diverse women sharing their faith, and as we planned, we went to great lengths to spread the word and ask for involvement and feedback on possible themes and breakout sessions, holding listening sessions locally and in Bardstown. The excitement was palpable and discussions lively, which provided direction and strength to the planning committee. We prayed at each meeting for God’s grace to serve well the needs of our sisters and to bring about a successful conference. To be honest, we hoped and prayed…Read More