By Celine Klosterman
IOWA CITY — To help women grow in love for God and neighbor, two members of St. Wenceslaus Parish invite Catholic women to the fall conference “Journey to the Heart.”
Mila Grady and Mary Anderson are organizing the Nov. 2 event at St. Patrick Church, where Father James Kubicki, SJ, will explore “Meeting Jesus through the Word of God” and “The Transforming Power of the Eucharist.” Colleen Pasnik of Dubuque will discuss “The Heart of a Woman,” and Anne Mallampalli of Pennsylvania will present “Travelers on the Journey.”
The day includes Mass, praying of the rosary, discussion on “Nurturing a Life of Prayer” and opportunities to receive the sacrament of reconciliation.
Fr. Kubicki is a national speaker, retreat director and author who has appeared on EWTN. Pasnik is president of The Power of Prayer, Inc., and co-founder of Springtime of Hope, which promotes the New Evangelization. Mallampalli is a wife, mother and former resident of Iowa City.
Grady said that she, Anderson and fellow parishioner Megan McDonald discussed offering a women’s conference after they attended a Martha and Mary Women’s Conference in Dubuque. “We felt uplifted and inspired by the speakers and also by the women attending, who were of all ages. Megan remarked that she wished we could have something like it here in Iowa City, and I mentioned that I had been pondering planning a conference for the past year. Because this is the Year of Faith, we thought the timing was right.”
Anderson and Grady later met with Pasnik and Ruth Becker, organizers for the Martha and Mary conference. “They were extremely encouraging and gave us many helpful, practical tips,” Grady said.
The Iowa City parishioners also found inspiration in Catholic Evangelization Outreach, which sponsors witness talks and retreats in Cedar Rapids.
Students designed a brochure and website for the conference. The event is sponsored by Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court Craigie 94 and the Knights of Columbus councils at St. Wenceslaus and St. Patrick parishes.
The conference begins with registration at 7:30 a.m. and ends with opportunities to receive the sacrament of reconciliation from 3-4 p.m. Cost is $20 until Oct. 6, $30 until Oct. 19 and $35 after Oct. 19 and includes a light breakfast and lunch.
To sign up or get more information, including a full schedule, talk summaries and speaker biographies, visit www.ic-cwc.com or call Anderson at (319) 354-5303.
