Happy New Year!

 

This past year has been difficult for everyone.  We pray 2021 brings new blessings and renewed faith.

Merry Christmas!

 

Glory to God in the highest!  Jesus Christ our Savior is born this day!

We hope you and your family have a joy-filled Christmas season!

Happy Thanksgiving!

From all of us on the Peoria Diocesan Council of Catholic Women Board of Directors, we pray you have a very Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!!

Ways to Help During the Holidays

As we approach the end of 2020, many people are looking for ways to live out our call to be generous to the needy.  Here are ideas from our Immigration & International Chairs, Barb & Nympha.

The Immigration Commission continues assisting Catholic Charities with items for the St. Nicholas Van.  This outreach will help immigrants as well as families in hard circumstances in the Diocese of Peoria.  Gift cards and financial donations are the most needed at this time. You can go to the following link to make an on-line donation or see a wish list. https://cdop.org/catholic-charities/ccdonate/

If you have any items to donate, please call Sr. Michelle Fernandez, SCTJM at 309- 409-5092 to inform her that you are coming. As of the writing of this newsletter, the Spalding Pastoral Center is closed, and all staff are working from home.  Sister can let you know when and how tangible gifts can be received. Here is the Catholic Charities Wish List, which includes food, household items, and more:

• Bath & Kitchen Towels, Wash Cloths, Shower Curtains, Toothpaste & Brushes, Shampoo/Conditioner, Bar Soap, Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, Cleaning Supplies, Hand Sanitizer, Rosaries, Prayer Cards, Blankets (All Sizes), Baby Blankets, Sheets (Twin & Queen), Pillows, Canes, Diapers size 5 & 6, Baby Wipes, Winter Hats, Gloves, Scarves, Socks, Canned Fruit, Vegetables & Soups, Fruit Snacks, Breakfast & Protein Bars, Pop Tarts, Individual Oatmeal packs, Jerky, Crackers, Ramen Noodles, Chips, Packaged Nuts, Trail Mix, Peanut Butter, Pasta, Macaroni & Cheese box, Rice

 

Please consider making a financial donation to one of the charities our Council supports.  The Water for Life fund through Catholic Relief Services helps communities around the world access clean drinking water.  The Mother Teresa fund goes to the Missionaries of Charity to support their efforts in our diocese and beyond.  Parishes can take up special collections at Mass, or you can encourage donations by using a phone tree with your women’s organization.  The Peoria DCCW sends a lump sum donation to theses charities in January.  Please prayerfully consider sending a year-end gift to:

PDCCW, Spalding Pastoral Center, Attn: Jane Harris, Treasurer, 419 NE Madison Avenue Peoria IL  61603

Congrats to our NEW Officers!

 On October 10, 2020, we held our first ever Zoom event: our  Biennial Convention!

We had several new people participate (yay!) a fabulous keynote speaker (Judy Hehr) and lots of updates on commission projects.  But we also installed new officers to serve for the 2020-2022 term.

Mary Ann Hughes:  President.

Mary Ann has been VP for 2 terms and also Secretary for 1 term.  She attends St. Mary Church in Westville.

Carolyn Cauwels: Vice-President.

This is Carolyn's first time as an officer.  She has a strong passion for the work of the Church, especially in protecting the lives of unborn babies.  She attends St. Anthony Church in Atkinson. 

Barbara Harzman: Secretary

Barb has filled in as Secretary when Mary Ann was absent, so we decided to give it to her full time!  She attends St. Paul Church in Macomb.

Jane Harris:  Treasurer

Long-time DCCW friends know Jane well.  She has served as treasurer in the past.  Jane would really like to retire.  She is willing to work with a new person to equip her for this important, but not impossible, role!  Jane attends St. Jude Church in Peoria. 

Call to Convention! 100 Years and Counting!

 

You are Invited!

Peoria Diocesan Council of

Catholic Women 

Biennial Convention

NCCW:  100 Years and Counting! 

Saturday, October 10, 2020

We are excited to invite all Catholic women of our diocese to participate in our first ever Virtual Convention!  Because of social distancing concerns, we are hosting 3 separate Zoom video sessions.  For security reasons, Zoom invitations will only be sent to people who register by requesting via email at peoriadccw@gmail.com or calling PDCCW President Kim Padan.  

SCHEDULE:

Each session will have its own Zoom login.  When you request Zoom invitations, you will receive one for each session.

10:30 – 12:00 Welcome; Opening Prayer, introductions

        Commission projects

        Business Meeting: Bylaws, Installation of Officers***

        Special Project:  Women Connect with April Adams, PDCCW 

                                Chair of Evangelization

 BREAK

1:00 – 2:00 Keynote Speaker:  Judy Hehr

Judy is a dynamic Catholic speaker, podcast host, author, and development coach. She believes in the godliness and grace that lies with each of us. She dispels lies and uncovers TRUTH while empowering listeners to get past the past and receive the love and mercy God has in abundance for all of us. She wants for all to believe in the resurrection power of Jesus. Her style has been described as enlightening, engaging, entertaining, edifying and heartbreaking. She uses her sense of humor and real struggles from her personal life to connect theology to daily reality. The power behind her life journey will expand your self-awareness, remind you of Gods infinite love for you, helping her audiences rekindle their love for Christ and his mother while encouraging a personal relationship with God.  Judy was a Keynote Speaker at the 2016 NCCW National Convention in Indianapolis.

                            

BREAK

2:30 – 3:30 NCCW Centennial Prayer Service

                Closing announcements, Final Blessing

*** Each parish should select 2 delegates before October 10 to vote on officers and bylaws.  When registering, be sure to indicate if you are an assigned delegate.  Women who are paid individual members of NCCW also have voting privileges.  Voting will be done via the Chat feature on Zoom so we have an official record.  

Non-voting members are still encouraged to attend.  The more, the merrier!

Download Convention Flyer: HERE

2010 Bylaws Amended October 2018

Proposed Revised Bylaws

2018 Convention Minutes

Treasurer Report As of 6/30/2020

Special Donations for Missions 2016-2018

Centennial Prayer Service for 3rd session

Our New Province Director!

 Congratulations to Nympha White, longtime PDCCW board member, Past President, member of various national committees and commissions, current diocesan Chair of International Concerns and Prison ministry, AND 2018 winner of the "Our Lady of Good Counsel Award," who was installed as Province Director this morning! Province Directors make up most of the National Board of Directors. Nympha will serve a two year term for the Chicago Province, which is all 6 dioceses of Illinois.

 

                    

The National Council of Catholic Women mourns the death of George Floyd and the long list of victims that have gone before him. Racism takes many forms and can happen in many places. It includes prejudice, discrimination or hatred directed at someone because of their color, ethnicity, or national origin.

We ask our members to read the USCCB pastoral letter against racism "Open Wide Our Hearts: the Enduring Call to Love," (please click here) and engage each other in dialogue and reflection during this time of unrest and sadness. This could be a daunting task, one that will bring a feeling of discomfort and anxiety and because of this we are suggesting several tools that may assist you. The pastoral letter above as well as a study guide to this letter is available by clicking here. In addition, the National Museum of African American History and Culture has created a web portal “Talking About Race” with many free resources and reflections for you to use in this process of discernment and reflection. It can be easily accessed by clicking here.

Racism is alive in our country, although many would like to think that it is a thing of the past, events of this past month have proved it is not. We are all created in the image and likeness of God bringing to light that no one person regardless of race, ethnicity, or national origin is better than another.

We remain in prayer for the victims of racism and violence and continue to reflect on aspects of peace and justice.

Jean Kelly

NCCW President

Volunteer Appreciation Event CANCELED

 Hello Sisters & Brothers in Christ,

It is with sadness that I announce formally the cancellation of the annual DCCW Volunteer Appreciation Mass & Luncheon that had been scheduled for April 30th.  Our board of directors convened via conference call last night to discuss this issue at length.  While the idea of postponing the event also came up, there is simply too much uncertainty as to when activities in our parishes and diocese will return to normal.  Any parish that has already sent in registration will have their payments returned, when we can access the mail at Spalding Pastoral Center.  We plan to hold our regular event in April of NEXT year, and we hope to make up for lost time! 

My heart breaks, because this is the Centennial year of the National Council of Catholic Women.  Please know that we are exploring ways to still commemorate this special year.  We will put out a spring newsletter in early May, and our Biennial Diocesan Convention is still on the calendar for Saturday October 10th, at St. Louis Church in Princeton.  More details will come out in the coming months.

As members of the Body of Christ, we remain connected in spirit.  Our prayers are with everyone across the Diocese of Peoria in these final days of Lent, and we will be rejoicing with you throughout the Easter season.

Our Lady of Good Counsel, pray for us.

Kim Padan, President

and all members of the Peoria Diocesan Council of Catholic Women

Board of Directors

An Important Update from Bishop Jenky

Message from our Bishop

Happy 100 Years, NCCW!

 Together with sisters of faith across the country, we celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the National Council of Catholic Women!!  We will be commemorating this special occasion at our Volunteer Appreciation event, at our Biennial Convention, and throughout the year.

Centennial Anniversary Prayer

Heavenly Father, we give You thanks and praise

for the National Council of Catholic Women’s

100 years of service to the Universal Church.

We are thankful for the Bishops who founded NCCW in 1920

and for the beautiful and inspiring legacy

provided by our leaders, Spiritual Advisors, and NCCW sisters

who have preceded us.

We give thanks to Our Lady of Good Counsel

for guiding us to be loving and courageous leaders

in building the Kingdom of God.

Lord, we pray that You stir the hearts of all Catholic women

to realize the value of serving Your Church and society

through membership in the NCCW.

Bless us with many more workers in the vineyard

as we embark on our next century of 

Spirituality, Leadership, and Service.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, forever and ever.  Amen.

Holy Mary, Mother of God...

 Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us!

Today, we thank our Lord Jesus Christ for giving us His Mother as our Spiritual Mother.