All women of the 12-county Diocese of Rochester are invited to attend a one-day conference taking place Saturday, Oct. 18.
With a theme of “Woman: A Gift of God,” the event will run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Parish of the Holy Family, 4100 Lyell Road, Gates. Highlighting the conference will be a keynote address by Lisa Lickona, theology professor at St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry in Pittsford, and morning Mass celebrated by Bishop Salvatore R. Matano.
Elizabeth Johnston, conference coordinator, noted that the event’s top objectives are for women to give thanks, bring hope and celebrate faith.
“It’s just thanking women for who they are, so we can empower each other and lift each other up — and for them to know the church is here to help us in that,” said Johnston, who is also coordinator of life issues and of cultural ministries in the diocesan Department of Pastoral Services, which is co-organizer of the conference with St. Bernard’s.
Women’s conference in Gates will highlight 1995 papal letter by St. John Paul II
According to Johnston, a key focus of the conference will be St. John Paul II’s “Letter to Women,” issued in 1995. Johnston noted that the conference will celebrate all women and their various vocations — mothers, wives, daughters, sisters, women who are employed, and consecrated women — just as John Paul II’s letter does. “The different vocations we live, we all have different roles in our lives. How can we give life in all areas and in all our different experiences?” Johnston asked, rhetorically.
She observed that Lickona is an ideal choice to address this theme. The professor has an extensive background in studies of St. John Paul II and his documents, and she is an experienced and popular retreat leader who — both as a mother and professional — “speaks to women on a level of understanding,” Johnston said.
Johnston said the conference will highlight the Blessed Virgin Mary as the supreme example of womanhood. It also will recognize the many female saints throughout history. Additionally, Johnson noted, the conference’s emphasis on hope links to the central theme of hope as stressed by the late Pope Francis for the current Jubilee Year 2025.
Supplementing the keynote talk and Mass with Bishop Matano will be several opportunities for confession throughout the women’s conference. Exhibitors’ tables will be available as well, with lunch and refreshments included in the $20 registration fee.
Event offers opportunity for women in all parts of Rochester Diocese to come together
In addition to promoting the women’s conference through all diocesan parishes, Johnston said she’s reaching out to area colleges as well as the dioceses of Buffalo and Syracuse. She noted attending the conference may prove valuable for non-Catholic women as well as Catholics.
The upcoming event will mark the first diocesan women’s conference since 2019. It was suspended for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and had not returned until now.
“The bishop has been really desiring for a women’s conference to resume. He saw the need as a shepherd of his people to show women that the church is here for them and they’re not alone,” Johnston remarked, adding that she hopes the women’s conference will return to being an annual event.
The diocesan pastoral-services department also is organizing a conference for men — the first since 2022 — on Nov. 15 at Parish of the Holy Family. The scheduled keynote speaker is Father Gerard D’Souza, OSCO, the abbot of Trappists at the Abbey of the Genesee in Piffard, Livingston County.
EDITOR’S NOTE: To learn more about the Oct. 18 women’s conference and to register, visit stbernards.regfox.com/dor-womens-morning-oct-2025.
