Catholic women of the year

BY JOANNA BOGLE
FOUR WOMEN who have made an outstanding contribution to the life of the Church in Britain are to be honoured later this year.
The 2005 Catholic Women of the Year, chosen as a result of nominations sent in by parishes and Catholic organisations across Britain, are Nicole Syed, who runs the London Fertility Care Centre based at St Patrick’s, Soho Square; Clare McCullough, who with her husband runs the Good Counsel Network, a crisis pregnancy care centre; Dominica Roberts, described by her fellow-parishioners in Bracknell, Berkshire, as the “angel” of the parish for her good works, and Kay Connor, a nurse who is active with the Catholic Women’s League and who runs a women’s group, fund-raising events, and initiatives for elderly people.
The Catholic Women of the Year Luncheon has been running for over 30 years and annually brings together Catholic women from across Britain to honour the “unsung heroines” who serve the Church and the community.
Mrs Roberts has stood as a pro-life candidate at an election and for many years ran a Life counselling service from her own home. Nicola, a young Australian, studied at the Paul VI Institute in America and then launched an initiative to teach natural family planning in London.
Mrs McCullough launched the Good Counsel Network alone, to help with facing crisis pregnancies.