NORTH CHARLESTON—“Come and see!” was the theme for the 88th annual convention of the South Carolina Council of Catholic Women.
More than 160 women responded to the call and enjoyed a weekend of spiritual inspiration and social fun March 9-11 at the North Charleston Marriott.
The theme was based on the story in the Gospel of John when Philip urges Nathaniel to come and see the work that is being done by Jesus. The women spent the weekend discussing how this related to their personal call to share the Gospel with other women and to invite them into fellowship to see how God is at work in their organization.
The weekend included workshops, celebrations and time for group prayer and worship. Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone celebrated Mass for the attendees on March 10.
Carol Lintner, from the Rock Hill Deanery, was named the 2018 Catholic Woman of the Year at the organization’s annual banquet on March 10. She has been a member of All Saints Church in Lake Wylie for 10 years and is a founding member of the Rock Hill Deanery.
“I was very honored and humbled by the award,” Lintner said. “It was just very special to receive it because there are so many other women who are very deserving of it. To receive it was a very wonderful experience.”
She is married to Nicholas Lintner and is the mother of four children. The couple moved to South Carolina from Pennsylvania a decade ago, and she immediately became an active member of the All Saints parish. She has served as treasurer for the church women’s organization, done charitable work with the Legion of Mary, and served in other ministries including Respect Life, the Prayer Shawl Ministry, Friends of the Oratory and the Marthas and Marys. She also serves as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion and as a lector, and leads Bible study.
Lintner loves working with senior citizens and is especially proud of sharing the faith at Lake Wylie Assisted Living. She has prayed the rosary with residents, brought Communion to them, and coordinated weekly services for them.
She also loves children and especially enjoys promoting the Box of Joy ministry run by Cross Catholic Outreach. She is South Carolina captain for the program, which collects boxes of Christmas gifts for needy children. Because of her efforts, parishes and schools around the Rock Hill deanery now participate and have a goal of collecting 1,500 boxes this year. Lintner also coordinates collections of funds and supplies for organizations that help victims of domestic violence and human trafficking in the Rock Hill area.
The banquet also honored women who were named Catholic Woman of the Year in each deanery. The honorees were Eleanor Krebs of the Beaufort Deanery, Mary Lou Taylor of the Charleston Deanery, Catherine J. Weedon of the Columbia Deanery, Patricia Webb from the Greenville Deanery, and Mary Mann of the Myrtle Beach Deanery.
Sister Pamela Smith of the Sisters of Sts. Cyril and Methodius was honored as the 2018 Woman Religious of the Year. She serves as Secretary for Education and Faith Formation for the Diocese of Charleston, has served as a school principal in the diocese, and is an author of several books and many articles.
The SCCCW has been focusing on the issues of human trafficking and domestic abuse for the past two years, and this year’s convention included a workshop on advocating for and assisting victims of domestic violence, presented by Yolanda Kopasky, a community educator from My Sister’s House, Inc., which provides assistance for victims and their children in the Charleston area.
For their convention project, the women raised more than $6,000 to assist domestic violence organizations around the state.
Keynote speakers during the convention drew on Scriptural themes to help inspire the women to increase their commitment to evangelism. Elena Ziegler, director of religious education for St. Anne Church in Rock Hill, spoke during the convention banquet. She used the convention’s theme and the story of Philip and Nathaniel as the basis of her talk.
“Philip went out to find Nathaniel and bring him to see Jesus, and you can do that in your own lives,” Ziegler said. “Make a friend and invite her to seek Christ. Be persistent, be patient and be gentle, because sometimes ‘seeing’ takes time. God is the one who changes hearts — we are the instrument.”
On March 11, Sisters Susan Schorsten and Gay Rowzie of the Sisters of Humility of Mary gave a talk on the figures of Mary and Martha in the Gospels. Scripture shows Martha as a woman dedicated to work and service, while Mary is the one who takes the time to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn from him. The sisters told the women the key to successful lives as Christian women is to learn how to find a balance in life between service to others and building a personal relationship with Christ.
Top photo, Miscellany/Christina Lee Knauss: From left, Chris Segars and Martha Becht, both of St. Joseph Church in Columbia, and Jessie Bowens of St. Anthony of Padua Church in Greenville, stand during an initiation ceremony for officers of the South Carolina Council of Catholic Women.
