Karen Hurley, president general of the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations, will be the keynote speaker at the Helena Diocese’s Council of Catholic Women annual convention June 26-28 in Kalispell.

Mary Frances Thompson, the National Council of Catholic Women’s province director for the northwestern U.S., will be the guest speaker.

The convention’s theme is “Catholic Women Through the Ages.” Open to all Catholic women, it will begin Friday evening with a themed dinner. All those attending are asked to dress according to the era in which they were raised.

Also on Friday night, the leadership of the DCCW will be transferred from Millie Mitchke, the current president from Bigfork, to the future president, Kitt Adams of Polson.

“This convention offers an excellent opportunity for Catholic women from all areas to meet joyfully and in prayer for a three-day convention with great opportunity for faith, hope and charity,” Adams said.

Convention costs, including registration and hotel/room arrangements, will be sent to parishes. Women interested in attending may contact Adams at 406-250-9698, or by e-mail at kitkat_lake@hotmail.com, and earmark it “Attn: Convention.” Or contact treasurer Ann Wohl at annwohl@dragonheim.net

WUCWO was founded in 1910 and now has a membership of almost 100 organizations active in 66 countries. It represents millions of Catholic women in every walk of life, according to an address Hurley made at the NCCW general assembly last fall in Salt Lake City.

She is the first woman from the United States to be the president general.

“The World Union’s canonical status as a public international association of the faithful honors the tireless efforts of faithful Catholic women active in our union at the parish, diocesan, national and international levels,” she said.

The organization also has general consultative status at the United Nations and the Council of Europe. And its canonical status of Public International Association of the Faithful means that they can speak and act in the name of the Church, as the voice of the Church as well as the voice of women in the Church, according to WUCWO literature.


Published in The Montana Catholic, Vol. 25, No. 3, March 20, 2009.