Internationally acclaimed Catholic singer-songwriter Annie Karto is the leading voice at this year’s Dynamic Women of Faith Conference on March 22.

A resident of Treasure Island in Florida, she says that being welcomed as a speaker for the conference's 16th iteration is a blessing and one she simply wouldn’t miss.

“ I knew it was a call from God because when I  see that a ministry is a faith partner or a lay association of an archdiocese, that is a green light for me,” she said. “ To be invited by such a prestigious group is a huge blessing for me and then also to have Bishop (Robert) Kasun celebrate Holy Mass with us, you can't go wrong.”

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Through her keynote talk, Karto intends to inspire women of all ages and backgrounds through stories of her personal life, professional career and ever-evolving ministry.

The conference is the brainchild of Dorothy Pilarski who heads a mother’s group known as Catholic Moms Group, a lay association and faith partner of the Archdiocese of Toronto. Each year, women gather to connect in their shared Catholic faith and gain inspiration and education from one another on their vocations from God.

The tagline of this year’s conference is "Get Inspired, Meet Like-Minded Women, Discover Your Mission," a theme Karto resonates with deeply, and hopes other attendees soon will too.

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“ To be with other women of all ages and all scopes of life, I hope personally to encourage them to see their own beauty, their unique mission and their unrepeatable life through the eyes of God and to embrace that,” she said.

“I believe that it’s not until we fully believe that we are loved by God, and know our identity in Him, that we fully take what we've received to others. Whether we've received mercy, forgiveness or love, we have to be those vessels first to receive — we were made to receive, but then we must be able to pour out on others as well.”

Pouring out has been the forefront of Karto’s musical ministry through her personal belonging to the Eucharistic Apostles of the Divine Mercy and through her singer-songwriter career. For 25 years, she has traveled extensively across the U.S. and abroad sharing the word of God through song and testimony.

Now as a mother of four and grandmother of 10, Karto recalls the experience that led her to sharing her faith through music many years ago.

“ I felt interiorly the Lord calling me saying: ‘I want you to stir the flame in my Church’ and I realized He was calling me to sing and even write music about the sacraments of the Church, the Holy Eucharist, the priesthood,” she said. “From then on, the music just started flowing out.”

Her intimate, often acoustic, Catholic-driven sound has allowed Karto to share the word of God in various countries with various people. For her, moments such as performing for Rwandan genocide survivor Immaculée Ilibagiza and singing for a then-ill Pope John Paul II stand out as particularly incredible.

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Karto will join speakers Dr. Stephanie Kafie, Lisa Canning and Pilarski at the event set to take place at the Old Mill in Toronto, where she hopes to inspire every woman to recognize their profound worth and unique purpose in spreading hope and love.

“ I want every woman to leave knowing without a doubt how loved they are. I want them to know how unique their mission is and that God wants to live again through them to help the world. As pilgrims of hope, especially in this Jubilee year, we are vessels of hope, mercy and love and now we have to give that hope to others,” she said.