Happy New Year from the W-RDCCW

By SHELLY HOLT

Happy New Year! The church liturgical year began with Advent, and, by the time you read this, the Christmas season may have turned over to Ordinary Time. The color of Ordinary Time is green, which to me signifies growth! How are you growing in your faith? How is your Council of Catholic Women organization growing? Now is the time to set goals for the year. Maybe your church does not yet have a Council of Catholic Women’s group, or perhaps your group has grown stagnant or dwindled. By virtue of being a woman in the Catholic Church, you belong!

This month I will focus on the National Council of Catholic Women Leadership Commission. On the national level, the chair is Laurie Ulseth. Our Diocesan Leadership Commission chair is Vice President Jeanette Fortier. On all levels, we are focusing on building and retaining membership, both individual and affiliates.

The National Council of Catholic Women has developed many resources to help individuals and affiliates grow, including Regain, Retain, and Grow Your Council (nccw.org/wp-content/ uploads/2023/01/Membership-Brochure-2021-23. pdf).

The National Council provides a Leadership Development Team who will come to your parish, area, or our diocese to provide training on a multitude of topics. Look for more information as the Diocesan Council plans to engage the team to help us grow.

To quote Laurie Ulseth from her article in the Catholic Woman magazine:

Leadership is like a handful of water; Lord, let us be the people to share it with those who thirst. Leadership is not about watching and correcting; Lord, let us remember it is about listening and connecting. Leadership is not about telling other beings what to do; Lord, let us find out what people want.

As Catholic women, we are called to serve the Lord with our entire life. We are women on a journey, and we want to share our stories. Each of us is a leader in some capacity, whether we want to believe it or not.

Our Winona-Rochester Council of Catholic Women board is looking for a Spirituality Commission Chair. If your passion is spiritual growth, please consider coming aboard.

You can call or email me at 507-3812842 or shellyholttotalwelless@gmail.com

Our next Diocesan Council of Catholic Women member meeting will be on Saturday, January 13, at St. Joseph Church, 103 N Mill Street in Rushford, beginning at 8:30 a.m. with the Rosary, followed by the meeting. Breakfast and lunch are offered. Mass is at 11 a.m. The in-depth speakers will be from the Leadership and Legislative Commissions. Hope to see you there!

Shelly Holt is the president of the Winona-Rochester Diocesan Council of Catholic Women.