Michelle Schmidt to speak at conference

Michelle Schmidt, a revert to Catholicism and an ardent pro-life supporter, will speak at the upcoming Worcester Catholic Women’s Conference Nov. 23. The title of her talk is “Divine Life: The Profound Connection Between the Eucharist and Abortion.”
Michelle Schmidt experienced an abortion at the age of 18, but since her reversion to the Catholic faith, more than 30 years ago, she has been passionately pro-life. She has been a speaker for the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, an organization dedicated to promoting the truth about abortion through the testimony of women and men who have themselves participated in abortions.
She became a sidewalk counselor outside of a local abortion clinic and has been active with the 40 Days for Life campaigns. She considered herself blessed to serve 12 years as the director of client services at Mother and Unborn Baby Care, a thriving crisis pregnancy center located in Southfield, Michigan. The counselors at Mother and Unborn Care strive to meet women exactly where they are as they face a crisis pregnancy, offering them hope and support and showing them the vision God has for them. She resigned that position in 2016 in order to devote more time to Catholic apologetics and evangelization. She continues to speak on the radio, at colleges, high schools, churches and retreats all over the state of Michigan on topics relating to both abortion and the Catholic Faith.      
She and her husband, Paul, live in the Detroit Metro area along with their three grown sons Nick, Sam and Max.
Michelle Schmidt has been passionately Catholic since her reversion to the faith. She has a particular devotion to the Eucharist, the love of which she believes is the antidote to sin, especially that of abortion. She explains that the Eucharist provides everything needed to escape the darkness of sin. The total acceptance of the truths of the Eucharist is the utter rejection of sin, while conversely, sin is the utter rejection of the truth and beauty of the Eucharist. It is no wonder why Satan uses Christ’s own words at the Last Supper to justify the heinous act of abortion: “This is my body.” While Jesus was offering his body in sacrifice for the sake of others, abortion is the express unwillingness to temporarily sacrifice one’s body for the sake of one. Not only are we rejecting sin when we receive the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ when we receive Communion, we are imitating Mary’s fiat by accepting Christ into our body to then nurture and bring him to the world around us.
The conference is on the campus of Assumption College in the Tsotsis Family Academic Center. The theme is, “The Eucharist: The Source and Summit of Our Faith.”
The conference begins with registration at 7:30 a.m., followed by Benediction and a music program.     Confessions will be available during the lunch break. Lunch is included. Bishop McManus will conclude the event with Mass in the college’s Chapel of the Holy Spirit at 4 p.m.
Featured speakers also include:
• Kathleen Beckman, president and co-founder of the Foundation of Prayer for Priests. The title of her talk is “Building a Eucharistic Heart and Home.”
• Mother Miriam of the Lamb of God, O.S.B, founder of the Daughters of Mary, Mother of Israel’s Hope, will speak on “The Holy Eucharist: the Passover Fulfilled.”
• Tim Francis, an evangelist and revert to the Catholic faith, who speaks about eucharistic miracles, will speak on “Signs From God: Miracles and Their Meaning.”
Tickets are $45 for adults and $25 for students, age 16-22, through Oct. 13. On Oct. 14, ticket prices increase to $60 for adults. Tickets can be purchased online at www.worcestercatholicwomensconference.com, or by sending a check payable to RCB Diocese of Worcester, to WCWC, 12 Maynard Road, Berlin, MA 01503. For questions call 508-277-3969.