Above: Attendees listen to a guest speaker at the 2024 Women’s Conference at the OnCenter in downtown Syracuse. Sun Photo | Archives
15th Annual Syracuse Catholic Women’s Conference invites women to gather in sisterhood,grow together in faith
By Elizabeth Landry
Staff writer
For women in the Syracuse Diocese seeking ways to deepen their faith and strengthen their connection to our Holy Mother, the 15th Annual Women’s Conference will provide a list of opportunities to do just that — all in one day. This year’s conference features some new, exciting offerings while still following the familiar format of conferences in years past. During this day of faith, inspiration, and renewal, attendees will encounter grace-filled opportunities such as:
- a Marian Mass
- a Rosary procession, led by Bishop Douglas J. Lucia
- four inspiring Catholic speakers
- veneration of the Holy Face of Jesus, a Vatican-sanctioned relic
- the Holy Sacrament of Confession
- Adoration and Benediction
- Brown Scapular enrollment
- Catholic vendors
- a raffle for a statue of the Immaculate Conception, and more
The Conference will feature four speakers, each offering messages that will both uplift and challenge listeners.
This year’s speaker lineup includes Bishop William Shomali, General Bishop of all four sections in Jerusalem, who will talk about the icon of Our Lady Queen of Palestine, the work of the Equestrian Order in the Holy Land, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and the state of Christian life amidst the war in Gaza. Fr. Jacinto Mary, Fl will give a talk titled “The Rosary: Beads of Hope,” given that October is the month of the Rosary. Antonella Di Piazza, FKMI will speak about Our Lady as a “living spring of hope,” and how St. Maximilian Kolbe saw in her God’s chosen instrument and the embodiment of His amazing plan for mankind. Speaker Sr. Pia Jude, SV will give a talk titled “Blessed is She Who Believed: Becoming a Living Vessel of Hope like Mary.” For more information about each speaker, visit syracusecatholicwomen.org.
Connections to the Holy Land
The theme for this year’s conference is “Mother of Divine Hope,” inspired by the Jubilee Year of Hope. The event is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and coincides on the feast day of Our Lady Queen of Palestine. Together with guest speaker Bishop Shomali of Jerusalem, it brings a strong connection to the Holy Land. Jill Smith, chair of the Diocese’s Women’s Commission, also highlighted another tie to the Holy Land: veneration of the Holy Face relic.
“It’s very special,” she said. “The curator is from the Archdiocese of Detroit, and this special relic is Vatican-sanctioned. It’s been touched to the tip of the spear of St. Longinus, St. Veronica’s veil, and the wood of the True Cross, so it’s extremely holy and we’re just very blessed to also have this coming to the conference.”
What will attendees gain?
Smith said she hopes women who attend the conference will come away from it with “an increase in faith, an increase for the love of God, an increase for the love of our Blessed Mother, and thanksgiving for the gift of Holy Mary, as the Mother of God and as our Mother.”
Nancy Huffaker, conference chair, who refers to herself as co-chair, serving alongside the Blessed Mother, hopes attendees gain “a deeper devotion to the Blessed Mother, because many of the ladies already do [have a devotion to her] — but even deeper.”
An event that both women said has historically received much support from parishes and from the Diocese as a whole, the conference is organized entirely by a team of volunteers led by Smith and Huffaker.
“We’re so privileged to be able to do this for our Mother and for our Diocese,” said Smith. “It’s a great honor to be able to participate in such an amazing event.”
The Women’s Conference is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 25 at the Oncenter in downtown Syracuse. Doors open at 7 a.m., Mass starts at 8:30 a.m., and the day concludes at 4 p.m. A large number of vendors will be on hand, and lunch is provided. Parking is free and round-trip bus transportation from the Eastern region of the Diocese will be provided, courtesy of a grant from the Good News Foundation. For more information and to register, visit syracusecatholicwomen.org/.
