As an interactive part of her talk, Yen Fasano invited convention attendees to invoke God’s blessing on the women next to them. (Catholic Herald photo by Jenny Snarski)
Jenny Snarski
Catholic Herald Staff
St. Anthony the Abbot Church in Cumberland hosted the 74th Annual Diocesan Council of Catholic Women’s annual convention June 27-28. This year’s theme was “Sowing Abundant Seeds.”
SDCCW President Bridgette Adler explained the inspiration behind the theme was taken from Pope Francis’ 2020 encyclical, Fratelli Tutti: “We are invited to renew our hope, the despite difficulties, God continues to sow abundant seeds of hope amongst us.”
Keynote speaker Yen Fasano is the new director of the Bethany Center for Prayer and Renewal in the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul. She has served in various leadership roles for the archdiocese and, with husband Frank, has three children.
“You and I were made in love, by love and for love,” Fasano began. “Before any talk of seeds, we need to get this right,” that there is no expiration date or fine print attached to God’s love for us.
“Repeat after me,” she said. “I am the beloved.” After it was said by the attendees, Fasano asked them to repeat, “You are the beloved” to women both to the right and left.
She offered three “I am” statements, only one of them being true: I am who others say that I am; who I say that I am; and who God says that I am. Concluding her introduction, Fasano stated, “God always calls you by your name; never by your sin or by your shame.”
Referring to God’s Word as a living seed and himself the divine sower, she added, “Your identity is the critical and most foundational seed.”
Fasano spoke at length about gratitude, saying it is what makes love concrete. “Gratitude is the Catholic response to God’s love.”
She shared about her oldest daughter and how they developed a daily practice of writing five things that she was grateful for in a journal in addition to two ways she showed love and one thing from the day at which she can improve.
Combining this with Ignatian practice of a daily examen, Fasano offered an acronym for GRACE: Gratitude, Reflect and Review (the day and dispositions of the heart), Ask (for forgiveness and grace), Call on God’s help for yourself and others, and End with hope for a better tomorrow
She also spoke about her family’s practice of sharing blessings through a laying of hands or making the Sign of the Cross and invoking God’s blessing and calling each other to holiness. The formula she uses is, “God bless you,” inserting the name of the child. “May you become a holy woman (or man) of God.”
Fasano asked the women again to turn again to those next to them, invoke the Holy Spirit and offer each other a blessing with words and some physical gesture.
Fasano noted the frequent references to seeds in the Scriptures, parables and preaching of Jesus on growth, fruitfulness and pruning. She connected the concept of seeds to the Eucharist, the gift and prayer par excellence. She also said how the multiple factors needed for seeds to grow highlight our dependency and need for relationship.
Fasano’s presentation included everything from humor and personal storytelling to profound insight and spiritual conviction. Women were taking notes and attentively participating, engaged in the relational ministry the speaker noted “is only as robust as our vulnerability.”
“We are dealing with a God who is love, and a God who is in love,” Fasano said. “Jesus didn’t say, come to me all who are crushing it,” she added, explaining that the world needs women with courageous vulnerability, just as Jesus in the Eucharist is broken before he can be given and shared.
“Let go of the idea of perfection,” she added; rather, accompany each other in Christ, toward heaven, she encouraged. Fasano offered the Blessed Mother as “the perfect receptacle of the seed.” Her fiat is an example the being needs to come before doing. All she had to give was herself, but that was precisely what God wants from all of us, because he is the one who can accomplish all things.
Fasano concluded with encouragement.
“Resist the temptation to do before trying to be, she said. “We are seeds who are meant to grow into son-flowers,” always turned towards Christ, bearing fruit for and in him.
During the province director’s message, Jane Schiszek of Medford asked for those who were first-time participants at a CCW convention or hadn’t been for a number of years. About 40 percent of the women raised their hands.
The Golden Rose award recipients and their guests were among that group. Five teens received a yellow rose and certificate of recognition for their spirituality, leadership and service in their home parishes and communities.
Mass
Bishop James P. Powers concelebrated the Mass with SDCCW chaplain, retired diocesan priest Fr. Jim Brinkman and Fr. Ron Serrao, assisted by Cumberland cluster Dcns. Steve Linton and Greg Ricci.
He began his homily commenting on the saint of the day, St. Irenaeus, one of the early church fathers who worked extensively to combat heresies and helped formulate the doctrines that have and continue to define us as Catholics.
“How important that we hang on to the past,” he said, including the Jewish roots that Irenaeus was instrumental in integrating as essential to the foundation and understanding of Christianity and the wisdom and providence of the church’s liturgical cycle. Even though the readings for that day’s Mass, he admitted, weren’t cheery and comforting for the occasion, “We celebrate what the church gives us. How important they are if we really let them speak to us.”
Turning to another important saint, Bishop Powers mentioned St. Ignatius of Loyola.
“In his spiritual writings, St. Ignatius acknowledges that every spiritual life and journey has its ups and downs. He says to try and deny that is spiritual suicide … When we experience desolation, it’s hard to be aware of God’s love around us and in our lives … When we experience an increase in faith, hope and love comes consolation … We know how real God is here and now,” he said, adding that Ignatius states how important it is to remember that the God we feel in consolation is the same one present in the midst of desolation.
Referring to the readings – from 2 Kings, the sieging of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar and the Israelites being taken into captivity by the Babylonians; from Psalm 137, “Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you”; and from Matthew 8, the Gospel story of Jesus healing a leper.
In the difficulties, we need to remember that God’s love is everlasting: “How important it is that we remember … that we allow the love of Christ in our hearts to shine and carry us as the one constant presence.” He ended by drawing the connection to the love of God present on the altar at Mass, giving what we need in this moment.
Following the Mass, new officers were installed with the established prayers and Pax Christi deanery finalists called forward. Bishop Powers congratulated each woman ending with presenting a gift to the winner, Gwen Nies, a member of Webster’s St. John the Baptist Parish.
During a scheduled time of comments from the bishop, Bishop Powers began, “There’s just no way that enough thanks can be expressed” for all that the CCW members do in the diocese. He mentioned being asked what they can do to expressly help him.
“Pray for our country,” he asserted. “I don’t care what side you’re on … We need to pray for whoever will win the election.
“If we believe anything we say about our faith,” he continued. “One Haily Mary can be more powerful than three days hard labor,” he assured but added that only the naïve think God usually answers our prayers immediately.
Bishop Powers then asked them to continue partaking in the diocesan Maintenance to Mission planning, to offer their good ideas and “that you as leaders help to be a voice of calm, a voice of support, especially if its your church something is changing in.” He acknowledged change is difficult but said, “A whole lot of it depends on how we deal with it. The disposition of receptivity can make all the difference.”
He then commented on the church’s work of evangelization and how it was complacency that has gotten us to where we are today, that it is essential for laypeople collaborate in the efforts to evangelize, to support parents in raising children in a post-Christian environment and carry on the relationships built once a parish program ends.
Fr. Brinkman, in his comments, encouraged attendees not to be overwhelmed by evil.
“Part of Satan’s power is to distract us,” he said, sharing the conviction that all will be lost only if we cease to rely on the Holy Spirit. He echoed a call the bishop made during the Mass, for CCW members to encourage and invite their priests to next year’s convention.
