A place for women

By Marlene Quaroni - Florida Catholic

PLANTATION | To mark their 55th anniversary, the ladies of St. Gregory Women’s Guild decided to do some dancing � both country-western and Latin-style.

“Come on, now, cowboy up,” said Lisa Spangler, line-dancing leader, who was wearing a cowboy hat, blue jeans and a western blouse. “Step to the right, step to the left, and turn.”

After 15 minutes of that, Zumba instructor Courtney Stewart took over. She led the women in the fitness dance that incorporates aerobic and dance elements. The choreography includes hip-hop, soca, samba, salsa, merengue and mambo and involves squats and lunges.

Stewart proudly proclaims that the exercise helped her lose 224 pounds. “It doesn’t feel like a workout, it feels like a party,” she said.

It’s all part of the women’s guild’s effort to reach out to all the women in the parish, according to Karen Wadowicz, the group’s president, who has been involved with the group for eight years.

“We are trying to connect more women in the parish to each other, to parish activities and to the surrounding community,” she said.

“We take a survey at our meetings and find out what the women are interested in doing,” she continued. “In November we had a self-defense workshop. An instructor showed the women how to escape from an assailant, and how not to look vulnerable and open to attack.”

But meetings are not all fun and games.

Before the dancing at their January meeting, guild members installed new members with a candlelight ceremony. Everyone formed two circles and lit their candles from one another. Older members placed their hands on the shoulders of the new members, who recited a pledge. They promised to be true Christians united in a single purpose, to love God more, to do his work, and to foster spiritual growth and prosperity at St. Gregory Parish.

The guild members also reach out to the community. In November, members helped feed the homeless at a Broward soup kitchen. In December, they visited a local nursing home.

“It felt good to visit with the people there and make them happy to see us,” said new guild member Marie Laurat.

At every meeting, buckets are passed around for donations to the Alzheimer’s Foundation and The Heifer Foundation International, a charitable organization working to end hunger and poverty around the world by providing livestock and training to struggling communities.

Another innovation that has brought more young women into the group is a program called Mommy and Me. Mothers with children five years old and younger can bring their kids to child-friendly events, like an outing to Flamingo Gardens in Davie.

“It’s a good way for young women to connect,” said Wadowicz, who is founder and president of her own marketing firm. “They have a place to come and relax. Many women are juggling work and caring for children. Retired women look forward to visiting with friends at meetings.”

Four mothers of small children sat together at one of the tables in the parish hall during the anniversary celebration. They all agreed that the program was a good way to meet other new mothers.

“I saw the notice about Mommy and Me in the church bulletin and my mother-in-law already was a member of the guild,” said Nina Bowden, mother of a six-month old boy who recently moved to Plantation from Fairfax, Virginia.

Guild members range in age from 27 to 92, and some have been involved since the group’s earliest days. The women are passionate about the organization and church leadership is very supportive, said Wadowicz.

“We used to be the only fund-raising group for the church and school,” said Eileen Llewellyn, 81, who has been a member since 1969.

St. Gregory Church was established in 1959. The parish now serves 5,000 families, has about 60 ministries and St. Gregory School has 900 students.

YOU'RE  INVITED

The St. Gregory Women’s Guild will be hosting its annual Lenten morning of reflection Saturday, March 14, from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Guest speaker will be Mary Carter Waren, associate professor at the School of Theology and Ministry of St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens. The topic will be: "Living Like Martha, Listening Like Mary." All women are welcome. Admission is free.