NCCW AFFILIATE HAPPENINGS

Holy Spirit Council of Catholic Women in Macon, GA contributed $500 to the Sisters of Mercy Memorial Marker Restoration Project. The Sisters of Mercy started the first school in Bibb County, Georgia. They also started Mount de Sales Academy that currently serves students grades 6 to 12. 58 Sisters of Mercy are buried in Riverside Cemetery. The money that the CCW donated was used by Jackson Springs Garden Club and 10th grade students from Mount de Sales to clean the markers and place a cement rose on each stone.    

Our Lady of Fatima Council of Catholic Women in Alcoa, TN celebrated Diversity and Love at our General Meeting on February 12, 2024. Several women from our parish with different cultural backgrounds shared their story and their faith. From left to right we had women from Haiti, Sudan, Mexico, Philippines and Algeria talk about their lives and their journeys to the U.S. Along with establishing new friendships in Christ, we celebrated St. Valentine’s Day.

Chicago Archdiocese CCW Vicariate I Golden Rose Award recipients presented by Bishop Jeffrey Grob.

Members of the local CCW hosted our first “Advent by Candlelight” on the evening of Saturday, December 9th, 2023 in order to prepare our hearts and minds for the Feast of the Incarnation, as well as for Christ’s Second Coming.  CCW hostesses designed beautifully set tables and luscious desserts to create an elegant atmosphere for our faith filled guests to enjoy.  This meaningful gathering included time for learning, reflection, sharing and singing with a focus on Four Holy Habits – frequent confession, reclaiming Sundays, regular mortification, and daily prayer.

On January 8, Our Lady of Fatima Council of Catholic Women in Alcoa, TN began a Heart Healthy New Year with guest speaker, Cheryl Smith from CPR Choice. She taught us hands only CPR with an AED, offered heart healthy tips and recipes.

St. Joseph’s CCW in Grand Rapids, Minnesota led their parish collection of items for the Second Harvest Food Bank. Parishioners were asked to bring one specific item each Sunday during Advent. Requested items included cereal, PB&J, canned meat, and personal care/paper products. The parishioners responded generously, and over the 4 weeks of Advent, CCW donated more than 500 items to the Food Bank. Buying one box of cereal, one jar of jelly, bottle of shampoo, or a can of tuna was easy and doable for everyone. It started a wave of charity and the giving spirit. God bless everyone who participated.

Christ the King Council of Catholic Women in Jacksonville, Florida held their annual Bake Sale and Raffle on December 17, 2023.  Lots of goodies were donated and purchased by members of the congregation, including homemade ornaments.  Over $1,800 was raised to donate to charity.

Our Kansas City/St. Joseph Diocesan Council of Catholic Women has been on hiatus since the Covid pandemic began. However, we have good news!  We are happy to announce our Council is beginning an exciting new journey with revised bylaws, a new vision, a new mission statement, and a full slate of enthusiastic officers. We realize we have a lot of work ahead of us as we bring our council back on its feet and so we ask for your prayers of support for success in meeting our upcoming challenges and goals.

The St. Mary Magdalen Council of Catholic Women hosted their Annual Communion Mass and Breakfast on September 17, 2023.  They had more than 100 ladies attend and their own Knights of Columbus prepare and serve breakfast. At the breakfast, they hosted a shower for Life Choices Medical Clinic to benefit the mothers who choose to keep their babies instead of having an abortion. Some diocesan representatives spoke about the ministry of the Culture of Life Office and some representatives from Life Choices Medical Clinic spoke about the life-saving ministry of the clinic. This annual event serves as their membership drive to gain new members to the Council of Catholic Women.