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2025 Columbus Catholic Women’s Conference
February 15 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
The mission of the Columbus Catholic Women’s Conference (CCWC) is to provide opportunities for women to deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ, to grow in their realization of their dignity as Catholic women and to strengthen their commitment to be a disciple of Christ. The CCWC includes Speakers, Reconciliation, Vendors & Organizations to visit, Music, Eucharistic Adoration and Holy Mass.
2025 Speakers
Fr. John Riccardo
Fr. John Riccardo, missionary and ACTS XXIX Executive Director. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1996. In 2019, after 23 years in parish ministry, he founded Acts XXIX to proclaim the gospel in an attractive and compelling way and to equip clergy and lay leaders for the age in which God has chosen us to live. Fr. John is a graduate of the University of Michigan, the Gregorian University, and the Pope John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family.
Mary Guilfoyle
Mary Guilfoyle is a wife, mother and happy-as-can-be grandmother of twin boys. After a life-changing encounter with Jesus while in college, Mary served Him in parish ministry most of her adult life. Upon returning to Sacred Heart Major Seminary to complete earlier studies, a cancer diagnosis enrolled her in far more advanced courses than she could have imagined. After a miraculous healing, Mary returned to parish ministry, serving as a Director of Evangelization and Discipleship. Currently, Mary is a missionary with ACTS XXIX, co-host of the You Were Born for This Podcastwith Fr. John Riccardo, serves on the leadership team and is the lead for The RescueProject.
Sr. Mercedes Torres
Sr. Mercedes Torres was raised in Brooklyn, NY in a Dominican immigrant family. She studied International Relations and Spanish at the University of Southern California. Sr. Mercedes has always had a great love of travel and personal encounter, leading her to work for a Manhattan-based non-profit, planning trips and bringing medical supplies and doctors to Cuba and Nicaragua prior to entering religious life. Sr. Mercedes entered the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor in 2011 and professed her Final Vows in 2019. Sister has taught Spanish and Humanities at a high school in Phoenix, was a librarian at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, and currently serves as the Vocations Director for her community.
Carrie Daunt
Carrie Daunt is a speaker for the John Paul II Healing Center, devoted to the center’s mission of Transformation in the Heart of the Church. She is the main presenter and content developer for their women’s conference (Undone). She also presents alongside her father, Dr. Bob Schuchts, for the center’s marriage conference (Unveiled). Daunt is the author of Undone: Freeing your Feminine Heart from the Knots of Fear and Shame, co-author of Man Your Post: Learning to Lead like St. Joseph with her husband, Duane, and author of the children’s book Beloved Daughter. Carrie, her husband Duane, and nine kids reside in Tallahassee, Florida.
Sarah Swafford
Sarah Swafford is the founder of Emotional Virtue Ministries. She speaks internationally on a variety of topics including faith, relationships, and interior confidence. Engaging audiences of all ages, Sarah shares her message at school assemblies, retreats, rallies, parishes, and conferences around the world including FOCUS and Steubenville Conferences in the United States and Canada. She is the co-author of Gift and Grit: How Heroic Virtue Can Change Your Life and Relationships and author of Emotional Virtue: A Guide to Drama-Free Relationships. She is cohost of Ascension’s What We Believe: The Beauty of the Catholic Faith, filmed in Rome, as well as EWTN’s At the Heart of Relationships. Sarah is also a contributor to Ascension’s Chosen. She resides in Atchison, Kansas with her wonderful husband, Dr. Andrew Swafford, and their children: Thomas, Fulton, Cate, Kolbe, John Paul and Avila. You can find more information and connect with Sarah at theswaffords.com.
Music by:
Andrea Thomas and The Vigil Project
Our Mission: We’re helping to restore devotional prayer in the Catholic Church that deepens participation in the Sacraments and liturgical seasons.
How? By helping Catholics learn to pray with music once again.
Learn more about the vigil project at thevigilproject.com
Emcee:
Jennifer Rice
Jennifer Rice is the Director of Missionary Discipleship at St. Brendan the Navigator in Hilliard, facilitating a vision for prayer and formation, community, and service in the parish. Originally trained as a clinical social worker, she obtained a masters in theology to blend the two disciplines into a ministry of presence and pastoral support in which she continues to serve. Jennifer is also a writer, speaker, and coordinator and emcee of women’s events. She shares this life adventure with her husband Grant and their triplet high school seniors, fueled by a whole lot of trust and prayer.
8AM TO 5 PM
All tickets include breakfast and lunch from Panera Bread.
Panera boxed lunch choices (all salads are Gluten Conscious):
#1 Bacon Turkey Bravo Sandwich
#2 Deli Ham Sandwich
#3 Panera Turkey Sandwich
#4 Panera Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich
#5 Panera Italiano Sandwich
#6 Panera Greek Salad (Vegan, dairy free, nut free)
#7 Panera Fuji Apple Salad with Chicken
#8 Panera Mediterranean Chicken with Greens Salad
If you need a scholarship, we offer partial and full.
Please visit the Scholarship Page on our website to apply.
Tickets are non-refundable.