By MaryAnn Kromer, mkromer@advertiser-tribune.com
MANSFIELD - Seneca County was well represented at the annual conference of the Toledo Diocesan Council of Catholic Women earlier this month. The newly installed president and vice president are from Tiffin and Bascom, respectively, and the keynote speaker is a Columbian High School graduate.
More than 100 women from parishes all over the Diocese of Toledo attended the conference that took place in Mansfield. Giving the keynote address was Tiffin native, the Rev. Michael Dandurand, who now is assigned to the Catholic parish at Bowling Green State University. He followed the conference theme, "Moments of Faith." The event concluded Sept. 9 with the installation of new officers and the commissioning of a new moderator, the Very Rev. Mark Herzog.
The officers are to serve two-year terms. Oddo is following in the footsteps of her mother, Wanda Mills of Tiffin, who served as president five years ago. Her term was extended to three years when another woman resigned from the council. The mother-daughter pair are members of St. Mary Parish in Tiffin.
Now, Oddo is preparing to attend the National Council of Catholic Women conference in Florida.
"I am looking forward to the next two years as an exciting opportunity," Oddo said.
At the parish level, council members form the core of the Altar Rosary Society. The women conduct fundraisers for charitable projects, host parish gatherings, present faith-based programs and serve on committees, such as pro-life and social justice, to research and educate parishioners about the Catholic church's stance of contemporary issues.
