AURORA—A record crowd of some 480 people packed the Gaslite Manor the evening of Sept. 14 for the Catholic Women of Inspiration Awards Dinner.
This was the 10th year for the annual event sponsored by the Aurora Deanery Council of Catholic Women. The event has grown from when about 200 gathered from a few parishes 10 years ago to this year’s banquet honoring women from all 14 parishes in the deanery. In addition, Springfield Dominican Sister Kathleen Ryan was honored for her contributions to the larger community as founder of the Dominican Literacy Center in Aurora.
The banquet is “a wonderful tribute to all of our Catholic Women,” said Msgr. Thomas Dzielak, moderator for the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, in his remarks.
“We’re always aware of what the women of the Church do,” he said. “Many of the women are really the backbone of the parish in many ways.” He encouraged all the women gathered together that evening to join the National Council of Catholic Women to be a part of their activities to “care about this world.”
Rebecca Woodhull, president of the National Council, was the guest speaker at the event. She thanked the honorees “for the good works you do in your parishes for the Church, your communities and your families to bring them closer to the Lord (and) for the time, talent and treasures that you bring to all of us!” She urged those gathered to put religious freedom “on your prayer lists and (as) action items for your parish women’s groups.”
The Aurora Deanery Award went to Sister Kathleen Ryan, OP.
Others honored at the 2014 Women of Inspiration banquet, and their parishes, are:
Aurora
Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Linda Wrona,
Holy Angels: Ellen Berg,
Our Lady of Good Counsel: Maureen Flinn,
Sacred Heart: Maria de Los Angeles Garcia,
St. Joseph: Julie Moore,
St. Mary: Mary Kackert,
St. Nicholas: Velia Lizalde,
St. Peter: Carmen Navarro,
St. Rita of Cascia: Mary George,
St. Therese of Jesus: Maria Vargas,
Batavia
Holy Cross: Debbie Glemkowski,
Geneva
St. Peter: Michele Sylvestro Doherty,
North Aurora
Blessed Sacrament: Jan DeBroux,
Sugar Grove
St. Katharine Drexel: Winnie O’Donnell.