Women’s Conference to be held Saturday

Hundreds of women will gather on Oct. 7 for the Worcester Catholic Women’s Conference with the theme, “Male and Female He Created Them.”
The conference is being held at St. Joseph School, 47 Whitcomb St., Webster, in the Richard A. Novak Gymnasium. Registration begins at 7 a.m. and the first talk starts at 9 a.m. Prior to the talk, Bishop McManus will lead adoration and the rosary. He will also celebrate the vigil Mass at 5 p.m. in St. Joseph Basilica.
Speaking at the conference will be Father Colin Blatchford, Christopher Klofft, Father Derek Mobilio, Patricia Sandoval and Deborah Savage. In addition to the speakers’ program, the sacrament of reconciliation will be available during the lunch break.
Details and registration information can be found online at www.wcwconference.com, or by calling Corinn Dahm at 508-277-3969.

PATRICIA SANDOVAL

Patricia Sandoval is a wife, mother, author and well-known pro-life and chastity Catholic speaker.  The theme of her talk is “Transfigured  – The Long Path to God’s Mercy.” After experiencing the divorce of her parents, promiscuity, three abortions, drug addiction, and homelessness, she brings a message of healing and hope through the love and mercy of God.
Ms. Sandoval was born in Mexico into a loving family who eventually emigrated to the United States. Her idyllic childhood started to deteriorate when her mother became involved in the New Age Movement, the antithesis to Christianity, and her daughter enthusiastically followed suit. For Ms. Sandoval, the “highway to hell” began with the breakup of her family.  Her parents divorced and her mother left the home.  
She had been living with her father, but left home at the age of 19 when she found herself pregnant, fearing that her father would kick her out of the house. Although her boyfriend wanted to have the baby, she lied to him and had the first of three abortions.  
Later, Ms. Sandoval worked at Planned Parenthood. When she was working at the facility where abortions are performed, she began to see the reality of the abortion industry. She became aware of their deceptive practices, such as never using the term “baby” or “mother,” preferring terms that dehumanize both. “Time is money” was a phrase she heard often when she would question the amount of time that would be scheduled for each client. All of this began to weigh on her, and she became horrified at what she was witnessing, eventually quitting her job.
Her life began spiraling out of control. She tried to dull the pain she was feeling by using drugs. Eventually she lost everything and lived on the street for three years, homeless and addicted. At her lowest point, by the grace of God, she remembered her relationship with God as a child and prayed. She thanked God for his gifts and repented of her sins. The consolation she received gave her the courage to go on.  
God sent a compassionate individual to her who noticed her plight and literally picked her up off the street. She brought her back to her father’s house. She still faced times of struggle and one relapse but began to turn her life around. She found the grace and healing that she needed by returning to the sacrament of reconciliation. She began sharing her testimony at prayer meetings.  
Attending a Rachel’s Vineyard leadership conference, Ms. Sandoval met people who were involved in programming at EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network). They immediately knew her compelling witness could bring help and hope to thousands of men and woman hurt by abortion, thus beginning what would become her worldwide speaking apostolate.
Ms. Sandoval is married and the mother of one child. She is the author of the bestselling book Transformed as well as the host of the show De Dos en Dos on EWTN Espanol.

FATHER DEREK MOBILIO

Father Derek A. Mobilio is the associate pastor of Our Lady of Hope Parish in Grafton. His talk is titled “My Immaculate Heart Will Triumph.”
After attending Our Lady of the Angels Elementary School and graduating from St. Peter-Marian Central Catholic Senior High School, he earned his bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and meteorology from State University of New York at Oswego. He received a master’s degree in statistics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a master’s degree in education from Providence College. After teaching mathematics and religion at St. Mary’s High School in Worcester, he entered St. John’s Seminary in Brighton.
Father Mobilio’s local parish assignments were at Blessed Sacrament, Worcester; Our Lady of Providence, Worcester; Good Shepherd, Linwood, and St. Augustine, Millville; and St. Mary, Shrewsbury. He was ordained to the priesthood at St. Paul Cathedral in Worcester in June 2022.
Growing up during the end of the papacy of Pope John Paul II, Father Mobilio was deeply influenced by this saint. St. John Paul offered a beautiful model of priesthood in our modern era, showing how the life of a priest is abundantly rich and whose intellectual and spiritual formation never stops. All of this was accompanied by a robust intellectual life. St. John Paul was a man of great holiness with a strong Marian devotion. Right up to his last breath, the now saint, heroically continued his ministry as a priest and shared this with the world.
Another key component was the study of mathematics; understanding the principles of statistics is another way to recognize what leads people to certain decisions. Thus, it was his interest in the human person that motivated him to explore this field.
Father Mobilio has a firm devotion to the Blessed Mother. Completing St. Louis de Montfort’s Consecration to Mary in March 2014 was very memorable, he says. It radically changed his awareness of how to pray. He is the chaplain for the Assumption University men’s hockey team and a co-chaplain for campus ministry at Worcester State University.