Maryland Catholic Women’s Conference

Scheduled Speakers

Keynote Speaker: Kelly Wahlquist

Kelly Wahlquist is the founder of the national women’s ministry WINE: Women In the New Evangelization, the Director for the Archbishop Flynn Catechetical Institute in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and a contributing writer for Catholicmom.com.

Kelly is the author of Created to Relate: God’s Design for Peace & Joy, which encourages and inspires women to live fully their beautiful God-given gifts for building relationships, and editor of Walk in Her Sandals: Experiencing the Passion of Christ through the Eyes of Women and Gaze Upon Jesus: Experiencing Christ’s Childhood through the Eyes of Women, which are innovative collaborative works that allow women to enter into their relationship with Jesus in the way in which they were created to—as women.

Kelly travels the country speaking at Catholic conferences and retreats and leads women’s pilgrimages (WINE & Shrine) through Italy. She resides with her husband Andy and their three children in Minnesota. (KellyWahlquist.com) (CatholicVineyard.com)

Local Speaker: Jeanne Link

Jeanne Link was born and raised on a dairy farm in Hampstead, Maryland, the oldest of four girls. She was raised as an evangelical Methodist and a Youth for Christ Bible quizzer. In 1973, thanks to her husband Bill and his faith, she came home to the Eucharist and the Mass, becoming a devoted Christ- centered Catholic. She and Bill raised five sons in the faith. In addition to their sons and daughters-in-law, Jeanne enjoys focusing on her thirteen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Bill and Jeanne are entrepreneurs who have founded multiple companies. Jeanne started the Maryland Catholic Women’s Conference, chairing the organization and annual event for nine years. She volunteers between two parishes, St. John Westminster and Holy Savior in Ocean City, Maryland.  She is an avid hiker and loves to travel, sew, and cook. She also writes and does public speaking, having co-written nine productions and an original musical called ‘Three Mary’s’. Several of her articles are about God vs Satan in our lives.

Local Speaker: Annie McHugh

Annie McHugh’s love for Christ and the Catholic faith has led her to work for the Church as a parish youth minister and for the Domestic Church as a homeschooling mother of five.  She studied Theology, Pastoral Ministry, and Media Studies at The Catholic University of America where she met her husband, Mike, and graduated in 2008.  Now, Annie and Mike work in youth ministry at two parishes, run the Rockville Catholic Summer Program, and give talks about life and love through their family ministry, “Mike and Annie Talk.”  Annie also enjoys blogging for The Holy Ruckus, a Catholic evangelization website.

Recorded Talk: Sr. Marie Veritas, SV

Sr. Marie Veritas, SV was born and raised in Alberta, Canada. Deeply moved by the beauty of the truth of God’s love for the human person, and experiencing a profound call to consecration, she entered the Sisters of Life in 2010 after graduating from the University of Alberta. She professed her final vows in 2018, and currently serves as the community’s director of evangelization, residing at St. Frances de Chantal Convent in the Bronx, NY.

The Sisters of Life are a religious community of women founded in 1991 by John Cardinal O’Connor who take a fourth vow to protect and enhance the sacredness of human life. Immersed in Eucharistic prayer within a vibrant community life, their missions include caring for vulnerable pregnant women and their unborn children; inviting those wounded by abortion into the healing mercy of Jesus; fostering a Culture of Life through evangelization; retreat works; spiritual accompaniment of college students; and upholding the beauty of marriage and family life.

Recorded Talk: Dr. Heidi Schrieber-Pan

Dr. Heidi Schreiber-Pan is the clinical director at the Chesapeake Mental Health Collaborative, former affiliate professor of pastoral counseling at Loyola University, Maryland and author of the book Taming the Anxious Mind.

Heidi specializes in the integration of faith and clinical counseling. As an educator, she offers a unique blend of faith-based practices and psychosocial theories of well-being. Her research in the field of resilience and psychological well-being has informed her clinical work extensively. Dr. Schreiber-Pan has worked with numerous area faith communities to increase well-being by equipping individuals with tools for living a resilient life.

Heidi lives with her husband of 20+ years, two teenage boys and her loveable dog, Koda, in northern Baltimore county. The family spends most of their free time enjoying the outdoors, hiking and camping throughout the U.S.