More than 100 women attend Lenten Conference in Vestal
By Connie McKinney
Contributing writer and photographer
Judy Mangiacapra prayed, attended Mass and shared conversation and fellowship with other women during the March 15 Lenten Retreat for Catholic Women held in Vestal.
Dawn Dimock, vice president of the Diocese of Syracuse Commission on Women in Church and in Society, welcomes those attending the March 15 Lenten Retreat for Catholic Women. More than 100 women attended the event held at St. Vincent de Paul Blessed Sacrament Church in Vestal.
“There are plenty of opportunities during the year to attend things with a spouse or other family member,” said Mangiacapra, who attends Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Vestal. “There are few events that are just for us.”
Mangiacapra was one of 110 women who attended the women’s retreat held at St. Vincent de Paul Blessed Sacrament Church in Vestal. Activities included breakfast, Mass, Rosary, prayer, Confession and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. The event was organized by the Syracuse Catholic Women’s Commission, which also holds Lenten retreats in Syracuse and Utica, said Jill Smith, who chairs the Commission on Women in Church and in Society, part of the Diocese of Syracuse.
“It’s a special opportunity during Lent to have fellowship with each other to pray and to use the Blessed Mother as a role model in all that we do,” Smith said. “We hold the retreats at the beginning of Lent to renew our focus on prayer, fasting, almsgiving and to foster spiritual growth. Lent presents us with an especially meaningful time to connect with the Lord. These retreats bring ladies together to multiply God’s grace in our lives.”
Dawn Dimock, who attends St. Ambrose in Endicott and serves as vice president of the women’s commission, said the Broome County event started in 2021.
Rev. Amedeo Guida speaks about forgiveness, the theme of the March 15 Lenten Retreat for Catholic Women. More than 100 women attended the event held at St. Vincent de Paul Blessed Sacrament Church in Vestal.
“We want to help the ladies have a spiritually rich Lent,” she said.
Sister Mary Jane Florence Athieno, who serves the linked parishes of Thomas Aquinas and St. Patrick’s in Binghamton, said she hoped the women who attended would follow in the footsteps of the Blessed Mother. She said she wants those who attended to accept God’s will in their lives just as the Blessed Mother did.
“As women, that should be our way of life: Embracing her. If we embrace her, we are able to understand,” she said. “Be still and know what the Lord wants.”
This year’s theme for the women’s Lenten retreat was Ephesians 4:32: “Forgive one another as God has forgiven you.”
“I want the ladies to focus on the healing power of forgiveness as God brings it into our lives,” Dimock said. “So we can be healed and offer healing as well.”
Added Smith, “We hope our ladies take home that Lent provides the opportunity to be present to God in all things.”
During the March 15 retreat, Father Amedeo Guida celebrated the Mass and gave a reflection on the retreat’s theme of forgiveness.
“Withholding forgiveness is unbiblical and unchristian,” he said. “Forgiveness is needed for healthy survival.”
A statue of Mary, the Blessed Mother was on display at the March 15 Lenten Retreat for Catholic Women. More than 100 women attended the event held at St. Vincent de Paul Blessed Sacrament Church in Vestal.
Guida noted the words of the Our Father prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespassed against us.”
“God will not forgive us our trespasses unless we are willing to forgive others,” he said. People can choose to forgive others, Guida said. “Forgiveness is a conscious choice,” he said. “It sets us free to move forward.”
Guida mentioned several scriptures that mention forgiveness including Matthew 6:14: “If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you.”
His message didn’t go unnoticed by those who attended the retreat. Mangiacapra said that she’s been thinking about forgiveness lately and wanted to learn more about it. She was also impressed by what Guida said about being compassionate toward others.
Diane Breen, who attends St. Joseph’s Church in Endicott, said she was impressed with the retreat and its theme of forgiveness.
“You get the blessing by forgiving somebody else,” she said. “You get healing yourself.”
