Why?

Jeanette Fortier, President of the Winona-Rochester Diocesan Council of Catholic Women

When people talk about the National Council of Catholic Women, they will often talk about the conventions, held every year in different parts of the United States. This August 25-28, the NCCW Convention will be in Arlington, VA. It will be a one-year-delayed celebration of NCCW’s 100th anniversary. Women will talk about fantastic tours, wonderful meals (that they didn’t have to cook or clean up after), no responsibility to make the bed, and much laughter. The subject came up at the June 11-12 conference of the St. Paul & Minneapolis Province. When the afternoon speaker didn’t show up, members of the province board and National President Jean Kelly stood up and talked about the upcoming convention and the fact that Minnesota will host in November 2022. A woman stood up and said, “But why should I go? What value is it to me?” Here’s the why:

Speakers – NCCW has been on the cutting edge of providing informative and inspiring speakers. From St. Mother Teresa, to Dorothy Day, to Matthew Kelly (before he was MATTHEW KELLY), NCCW has been forward-looking in the programs they provide. I remember attending a meeting in Seattle, WA, and hearing a speaker from Paulist Press on Evangelization. It was three years later that the speaker presented in our diocese.

Liturgies – words cannot express how celebrating the Eucharist with 900 women feels. These women of faith, in full and active participation, join together with bishops and priests from across the country. There is the Meditation Room for quiet, individual prayer and the opportunities for the celebration of Reconciliation. It is the Church alive!

We are about the Father’s business – the election of officers, the updating of amendments and the passage of resolutions is serious business because NCCW is on the national stage. We have a delegate to the UN, and our NCCW president attends the meetings of the USCCB. NCCW, through its leadership and affiliates, brings direct resources to situations in today’s world from fighting for the right to life, to respite care for families; from providing resources to women (Madonna Plan) to providing wells in drought-stricken countries (Water For Life). Would you know what to do if your neighbor came to your door saying she was being beaten or you saw a woman or child being trafficked? NCCW has the resources to educate you!

You are changed – whether it be an area meeting, a province conference, or the NCCW Convention, once you witness the spirit and fire of these women and events, you are compelled to share with other women what you have gained. You are strengthened by the power of the women you have connected with and your heart is opened to the possibilities of God’s love flooding the world through you. In turn, you change your parish. I challenge you to go to nccw.org and learn about the National Convention. I challenge you and your parish to sponsor two women to attend. Why? Because you’ll never be the same!

The women pictured below attended the province conference in St. Augusta, MN. They provided hospitality over the two days. Their graciousness and generosity was overwhelming and I, as W-RDCCW president, am very proud of them!

L to R: (front row) Eleanore Jones, Jeanette Fortier, Kathy Wilmes, Joan Betzinger, (back row) Dianne Vangness, Bev McCarvel, Cindy Meling, Cindy Heimer. Not pictured: Jackie Mickow