Christ is Born!

The Peoria Diocesan Council of Catholic Women offers prayers for a blessed and holy Christmas Season!

Call to Convention!

We are excited to invite all Catholic women of the Peoria Diocese to our Biennial Convention!  This year’s event will be held at St Matthew Church in Champaign, Illinois on Saturday, October 27^th.  Our theme comes from Peoria’s own Venerable Fulton J. Sheen and promises to be a day filled with numerous blessings, including inspiring messages from these two guest speakers:

Bonnie Engstrom is a writer, baker, speaker, and homemaker. She, her husband, and six children live in central Illinois, and her son’s alleged miraculous healing through the intercession of Venerable Fulton Sheen was submitted to the Vatican for Sheen’s beatification. Bonnie enjoys chai tea, baking, and putzing about her yard.

She is a devotion writer and contributor for Blessed Is She (blessedisshe.net), blogs at A Knotted Life and you can find her on Instagram at @BonnieEngstrom

 Joann Hillebrand is a past President of the National Council of Catholic Women.  She served as Treasurer General of the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations (WUCWO.) She has been an active leader on all rings of Council, serving as parish president, deanery president, Joliet Diocesan President, and Chicago Province Director.  At the end of her term as NCCW President, Joann was awarded the Papal Medal, Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice (for Church and Pope.) This is the highest honor given to lay people for their work in the Church.  In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, cooking for company, and traveling. Joann is a widow, mother, and grandmother.  One of her joys is spending time with family.  

Here is a schedule for the day:

9:00 – 9:30                  Sign-In; coffee, tea, donuts, Ice-Breaker, 

                                      Tickets for Prize Baskets.  
                                      Bring cash if you would like to enter drawings for some fun prizes!

9:30 – 10:00                Opening Prayer & Welcome

10:00 – 10:30              Speaker – Joann Hillebrand, Past NCCW President                

10:30 – 11:00              Business Meeting:  Installation of Officers, Bylaws   (See info below)

11:00                           Holy Mass
                                     Father Rayson, Celebrant
                                     Pastor of St Matthew Church                   

12:00                           Angelus, Grace led by Msgr. Dale Wellman, PDCCW Spiritual Advisor
                                     Lunch  (details TBA)

12:45 – 1:45                How to get involved, Commission “Round-Up” 2019 Goals

1:45                             Break

2:00                             Keynote Speaker – Bonnie Engstrom
                        Learn about the miraculous connection the Engstrom family has with Ven. Sheen

3:00                             Rosary and  Chaplet of Divine Mercy 

3:45                             Announcements and Fun Prizes

4:00                             Closing Comments & Final Blessing: Msgr. Wellman

To register, download THIS form and mail $25 to our Treasurer by October 17th.  (Extended deadline!)
(Registration at the bottom of the form.)

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BUSINESS MEETING INFO:

Proposed Bylaw Amendment

Article 1  -Board Meetings

Peoria DCCW board meetings shall be subject to the call of the president. Each member of the board has one 1 (0) vote.

Add the phrase: The board shall meet at least quarterly.

Reason: To be sure that the board does meet regularly.

Proposed Bylaw Amendment

Article VI – Duties of Officers, under Treasurer

All funds received shall be deposited in a bank approved by the board and shall be in the name of the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women. All the checks and withdrawals shall be signed by the treasurer OR the president. All distributions shall be made by check only. The treasurer shall present the financial records for audit so that a report can be presented at the biennial convention.

Change: Strike the word OR and insert the word AND.

Reason: This is the practice at the present time and is a requirement of the Peoria Diocese. This is an added protection for all involved and brings our bylaws up to date.

Proposed Slate of Officers to be installed for the 2018-2020 term.  Nominations will also be accepted from the floor.  (Note: the Peoria DCCW President is approved and appointed by the Bishop based on recommendations from the Board, so floor nominations cannot be accepted for this role.)

President:  Kim Padan, Danville

Vice President and Secretary:  MaryAnn Hughes, Westville

Treasurer:  Melissa Appell, Dunlap                            

Auditor:  Jane Harris, Peoria

Special Night for Married Couples

I am excited to announce our first Marriage Enrichment Date Night! We've planned a relaxing and enriching evening for you and your spouse which includes a buffet meal and a speaker with 20+ years in family counseling. It all happens Saturday, September 29th, at Spalding Pastoral Center in Peoria. See the flyer below for more information and click on the link below that to print the registration form. Register early to reserve your seats!

Date Night Registration Form

Your PDCCW Marriage and Family Chair

Bert

Call to Convention!

We are busy working on our convention, to be held in October, but we want you to mark your calendars NOW!  Bonnie Engstrom, who has a remarkable connection to Venerable Fulton J Sheen and his cause for beatification, will be our Keynote Speaker!

Registration forms, along with other information will be snail-mailed by August 20th.  These materials will be emailed by August 13th.  So keep your eyes open!

Summer Small Group Ideas!

Hello Sisters!  It's Kim here; Peoria DCCW President and Evangelization Chairperson.  This post is a copy of my "Called to Witness" column which will be published in The Catholic Post later this month.  

Summer is a fun and interesting time of the year.  Many of us are balancing road trips and ball games with a look ahead to planning fall and the back-to school season.  As one who strives to grow spiritually, I want to tell you about some resources for your parish women’s organization, small group, or even just for you as an individual.  Joyful Catholics never take a summer vacation from our prayer life and faith formation!

Over 60 women attended our Leadership Training Development program on June 23^rd and became excited about what the National Council of Catholic Women offers. Here are a couple of options that would be wonderful to use in small groups.

1.       A study resource on Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel,) the first Apostolic Exhortation from Pope Francis is now available at nccw.org  Please don’t let the idea of a papal document scare you away.  In it, you will find a beautiful message, and this downloadable tool can help you and your friends explore it in a very approachable way.  Go to nccw.org and find Faith Formation under the Get Involved tab.

2.       A resource available to individuals and parishes with paid NCCW membership is the “Rosary Meditations on the Dignity of Women.”  Filled with passages from Scripture and Vatican documents, this resource can enhance your private and group prayer time.  Contact us at peoriadccw@gmail.com to learn how you can become a member.

Many people love summer book clubs, and now several are offered with online interactive materials.   W.I.N.E. (Women in the New Evangelization) is featuring The Friendship Project:  The Catholic Woman’s Guide to Making and Keeping Fabulous, Faith Filled Friends” by Michele Faehnle and Emily Jaminet.  The book and its companion journal explore the theological and cardinal virtues along with great women Saints all in light of building meaningful friendships.  While the online discussions are starting in early July, you can participate any time that works for your small group.  Go to catholicvineyard.org to learn more.  I enjoy participating in WINE book clubs via their Facebook live discussions.  In other words, you can access it in so many ways!

Maybe you’re not a big reader, but you prefer audio and visual learning.  Here is a resource from Blessed is She that you can enjoy from the comfort of your home, or while looking at your smart phone at the park.  The “Summer Gathering” webcasts are free and viewable live, as well as uploaded to their website for later viewing.  The first one was June 19; the other webcasts will be July 24 and August 21.  Additional web-based workshops are available throughout the year for a nominal cost.  Go to blessedisshe.net to learn more.

I realize that I usually write about how we can share our faith with others, but we cannot share what we do not have.  Let’s all take advantage of the wisdom of the Church and the testimony of our brothers and sisters in faith to grow in our love of the Lord!

Mark Your Calendars!!

Be sure to mark your calendars and plan on attending our next events!  More details will be posted soon!

Deadline Extended! Sign up TODAY!

Great news!!  We still have room for YOU to join us for the LTD event:  "Will You Come & Follow Me?"  Our national trainers are excited to be heading our way, and they don't want you to miss out!

Our new FINAL deadline is June 15.

Download the form, grab some church friends, and join us on June 23rd!

Women's Leadership Training & Development

Time is Running Out!

The Early Bird Deadline for the Leadership Training Development program is just around the corner!!  Register by Tuesday May 15th for $25.00...after that it will be $30.00.  Download your forms below and send them in today!

LTD Registration: Will You Come and Follow Me?

See you in June!

Looking Ahead!

So many exciting things happening this year!  Be sure to check back for updates.  You can always go to the Upcoming Events page, but here are some specific links to individual events:

Volunteer Appreciation

Special Resource for the Month of May:  Spending time with our Mother Mary

Leadership Training: Will You Come and Follow Me?

Marriage Enrichment Date Night...more info soon!

Biennial Diocesan Convention...at St. Matthew's Church in Champaign... more info coming soon!

Calling All Catholic Women of Illinois!

Catholic women from across the entire state of Illinois will be participating in a special Leadership Training event, "Will You Come and Follow Me?"  The Peoria Diocesan Council of Catholic Women is excited to be hosting the event in our neck of the woods at the beautiful Spalding Pastoral Center.  Two trainers from the National Council of Catholic Women will lead us in discussion and activities to help us grow as leaders in our local parishes, as well as on a diocesan or state level for those who feel called.

The cost is just $30 for the day; $25 with an Early Bird registration.  A block of rooms has been reserved for our group (limited availability) to help anyone who is traveling longer distances.  Click on the link below for registration and hotel details.  (Forms need to be printed; we do not have online registration available.)

Information & Registration Form

We Appreciate You!!

It's that time of year again!  Time to gather in the center of our diocese to honor women from across the diocese!  Our Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon is NEXT month...Tuesday April 24th at the Spalding Pastoral Center.  We truly hope you can join us.

Talk with your fellow parishioners and pray about who you can honor this year for her years of service to Christ and His Church.  We know that many volunteers do not want the recognition, but we see this as a way of giving witness to the beautiful roles that women have in the Church!

Download these forms, and send them in as soon as you can.  We give certificates to each of our honorees, and we want to have plenty of time to get them complete.

Outstanding Volunteer Form

Parish Reservation Form

Registration will open at 9:15 a.m.  Rosary is at 10:00, and Mass in the Cathedral with Bishop Jenky is at 10:30.  The afternoon is complete with a delicious lunch, awards and fun prizes!!  Be sure to join us!!

Volunteer Appreciation Agenda

Celebrate!

On behalf of the entire board of the Peoria Diocesan Council of Catholic Women and all of our affiliates, Happy Birthday, Bishop Jenky!!