MADISON — As part of its mission to support the Bishop and priests of the diocese, the Madison Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (MDCCW) has sponsored and hosted the ordination reception at St. Maria Goretti Church for over ten years. This year’s event was for the ordination of Fr. Matthew Pearson.
The last several years, Coreen Marklein, MDCCW service commission chair and past president, has chaired the event, including planning the menu and soliciting funds and volunteers. Pre-Covid, Marklein chaired the event with Karen Villwock of Johnson Creek with her husband Dave.
Since Covid, Marklein has been the chair with assistance from her twin sister Kathy Loy and her husband Joe. This year and last, rather than asking for desserts to be donated, Marklein arranged for her sister to bake the many different bars and cupcakes for the reception. She purchased other food items with donations from CCWs and the Knights of Columbus, of which Joe Loy is an active member.
MDCCW started sponsoring the reception when Sandy Hull, formerly from Patch Grove in the Grant Vicariate, was president from 2008-10. Rosa Ropers, now from Waunakee, was from Lancaster then and helped Hull especially with providing fresh flowers and volunteering at the reception.
Ropers, a past MDCCW president, said, “I will always remember when I walked into the kitchen at St. Maria Goretti, looking at the amazing assortment of so many cookies and bars. What was also amazing was the number of women from all over the diocese who were present and seemed to know exactly what to do to set up a refreshment table for the families and friends and fellow priests after the ordination.”
Carol Brennan followed as MDCCW president in 2010 and continued the tradition. Brennan, who now lives in the Green Bay diocese, said, “A big challenge for those of us from a distance was we had to be there about 6 p.m. to start getting things ready. Ordination didn’t start until 7:30, and the reception didn’t start until close to 10. I wouldn’t get home until about 2 a.m. The last several years my husband, John, went with me and was one of the faithful men workers along with Karen Villwock’s husband Dave and Kathy Loy’s husband Joe.”
Marklein followed Brennan as president and has continued to chair the event. This year, Marklein was able to recruit volunteers from the Madison area, including members of the Madison Catholic Women’s Club which is now affiliated with MDCCW. Marklein is from Baraboo and her sister and husband are from Fennimore.