ROYAL PALM BEACH | Women from across the Diocese of Palm Beach participated in the 14th annual Catholic Women of Faith, Women of Action conference March 15, 2025, at Our Lady Queen of the Apostles Church in Royal Palm Beach.
The Lenten day of reflection, organized by the Palm Beach Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, included spiritual encouragement, enrichment and growth mixed with joyful fellowship, with the theme of “Keeping a Mary spirit throughout a Martha day.”
Dorothy Harper, diocesan council president and emcee, welcomed everyone: “Today, as we gather to share our faith and renew our spirituality, we will grow as humble, loving handmaidens of the Lord.” Father Andy Rudnicki, pastor of Our Lady Queen of the Apostles and Palm Beach diocesan council spiritual adviser, officially opened the event with a blessing.
The highlight of the day was the celebration of the Eucharist, led by Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito. There were opportunities for Eucharistic adoration, reconciliation, rosary, veneration before the relics of St. John Paul II and St. Faustina Kowalska, and a relic tour led by Father Rudnicki.
Introducing the keynote speaker, singer/songwriter Donna Cori Gibson, Harper said she “formerly worked in the secular music world and now dedicates her talent to helping people to pray and draw closer to God.” Her music is “heard on Catholic radio and TV nationally, and around the world through EWTN.”
Gibson gave a dynamic presentation that included singing the rosary and favorite prayers of the saints with a captivating, angelic voice. “I am a contemplative, and I really rather just stay home and pray,” Gibson said. “I have a Carmelite charism of prayer, and I have been a lay Carmelite since 1999.
“Being here is a good step if you want that Mary spirit throughout a Martha day,” she said. And if you want more of God, “you got to want it so bad that it takes a priority in life.” Then, when you have more God, “the other things fade away and you’re not so frazzled.”
Many people are so “busy doing good things, that maybe God wants us to put some of those things aside and make room for him,” make room to “prepare that soil so that we can become great saints, be living witnesses of his love and his peace and his joy,” Gibson said.
Giving additional advice on how to maintain a Mary spirit, she said, “Whatever you are doing now, wipe it clean and rebuild it and start over with that one thing necessary as a priority,” which is to focus on listening to God and not being so distracted like Martha. “Mary has chosen the better part,” Gibson added.
“As a lay Carmelite, we are required to pray half an hour a day. Mother Teresa spent two hours in front of the Blessed Sacrament,” she said. “The Fatima message is still for today, doing the first Saturdays, pray the rosary, and then spend 15 minutes meditating on the mysteries of the rosary, which means Scripture, which means the life of the Lord.”
Attending the day of reflection were lay Carmelites from 11 parishes in the diocese. They meet at Holy Name of Jesus Parish in West Palm Beach on the second Saturday of each month to attend the 8 a.m. Mass, followed by their monthly meeting. They had a vendor table at the women’s conference.
For more information on the Palm Beach Diocesan Council of Catholic women, visit https://pbdccw.org.
The Palm Beach Diocesan Council of Catholic Women is again offering Father Clem Hammerschmitt $1,000 Catholic high school scholarship awards for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Scholarships are awarded each year to young women from each of the three Palm Beach diocesan council deaneries who are planning to attend a Catholic high school in the fall of 2025 as an incoming freshman. The awards are presented to each recipient at the annual diocesan council meeting in May. The organization has offered scholarships to outstanding young Catholic women for more than 15 years.
The application to apply for the scholarship is available at https://pbdccw.org. All fully completed applications must be received no later than April 1, 2025. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
The completed application can be mailed to Myrna Wong, 1480 S.E. Colchester Circle, Port St. Lucie, FL 34952, or emailed to pbdccwscholarship@gmail.com. If emailing your completed application, include the applicant’s full name and the word “Scholarship” in the subject line.
