ROYAL PALM BEACH | It was a day to cherish as members of the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women and friends from across the region participated March 14, 2026, in the 15th annual Catholic Women of Faith, Women of Action conference.
Our Lady Queen of the Apostles Parish hosted the event, thanks to Father Andy Rudnicki, pastor and spiritual advisor for the diocesan council. The conference schedule included Mass, opportunities for Eucharistic adoration, the sacrament of reconciliation, praying the rosary, a relic tour led by Father Rudnicki, and veneration of the relics of St. John Paul II and St. Faustina, in keeping with the theme of Divine Mercy.
“We are so happy to be together during this Lenten event,” said Bobbye Dickerson, Central Deanery co-president. “We feel spiritually enriched, and we thank Jesus for this opportunity to gather in his name with our Catholic sisters.”
Teresa Cecil, DCCW president and emcee for the day, welcomed participants to the conference.
“You are here because you are a woman of faith, and that faith is your fuel that propels you to go into action,” she said. “And the things that you do are all holy and blessed things.”
The highlight of the Lenten day of reflection was the celebration of the Eucharist in honor of the council women, presided by the diocese’s new chief shepherd, Bishop Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez. He was joined by Father Rudnicki, Father Brian King, Father Patrick Akinjo, Father Valentine Umoh and Father Richard Figliozzi.
“It is such a joy and a wonderful blessing to join the Council of Catholic Women in your yearly women’s conference,” Bishop Rodríguez said. “I am very, very blessed and very happy to be here to support you, to support the amazing ministry, the amazing service, and your works of mercy.”
Expressing gratitude, he said, “Thank you, Father Andy, for having me and Father Brian here” and for having these “witnesses of faith, witnesses of love and charity and mercy, who are all these women, these ladies, belonging to the Council of Catholic Women.”
Extolling the virtues of the council women, the bishop said, “You are living ambassadors and living signs of the Blessed Mother’s presence, active presence, in our church today.”
Explaining that we are living in a “sick world” that “needs healing urgently,” Bishop Rodríguez said, “You are sent as God’s angels to change things around and to be God’s sign of salvation and of hope.”
The keynote speaker was Donna Cori, a Catholic singer/songwriter and lay Carmelite, who gave a presentation on Divine Mercy. She said, “The will of God is love and mercy itself, so we need to learn how to live in that love and live in God’s mercy, and extend his mercy to his children.”
Holding her rosary, Cori sang the joyful mysteries of the rosary and the chaplet of Divine Mercy, with council women joining her in prayer.
For more information on the DCCW, visit https://pbdccw.org. To connect with Our Lady Queen of the Apostles Parish, visit www.olqa.cc, call 561-798-5661 and check on Facebook.
