Catholic Daughters of Americas (CDA) celebrate century of service

By Sue Getz Correspondent

WOODBRIDGE – From throughout the diocese, members of the Catholic Daughters of Americas (CDA), Court Mercedes #769, gathered at St. James Parish, Oct. 9, to celebrate their 100th anniversary. CDA members of Sister Courts and state leaders joined in the celebration.

Ninety women established Court Mercedes #769, Oct. 8, 1922. Today the court has 70 members in the Diocese of Metuchen’s four counties, Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren.

One of the oldest and largest organizations of Catholic women in the Americas, the CDA was formed in 1903 and now has 63,000 dues paying members in 1,150 local chapters called Courts in 45 states and in Guam, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. In New Jersey, the CDA has 36 courts.

Court Mercedes #769 marked its milestone with a Mass of Thanksgiving, honoring its living and deceased member. Father Thomas Naduviledathu, SDV, Court #796 chaplain and pastor of St. James, presided at the Mass. Msgr. Charles W. Cicerale, who served as the Court’s chaplain for the 18 years he was pastor of St. James, concelebrated the Mass. Deacon Roel Mercado delivered the homily.

Following the Mass a luncheon was held at Lou Cas, Edison. Bishop James F. Checchio, took time from his busy schedule to stop by the gathering. Audrey Spenard presented Court Mercedes with a plaque from the National CDA commemorating its 100th Anniversary. Spenard has belonged to the CDA for 39 years. She is a member of St. John the Evangelist Parish, Dunellen and its CDA Court Regina Coeli #940.

At the luncheon, the CDA New Jersey State Board presented Court Mercedes #769 with a Perpetual Mass card from the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. Thirty-seven members received pins for their years of service with the CDA, including Lucille McCann who was recognized for her 65 years as a CDA member.

CDA Courts help those in need in their local communities, their state, the nation and beyond like the Knights of Columbus. Both organizations use Unity and Charity as their mottos. The local charities that Court Mercedes supports are St. James Parish Food Pantry, St. Joseph’s Parish Life Care Center in Carteret and the Veteran’s Hospital and Home in Menlo Park.

There are times when Court Mercedes and Our Lady of Peace Parish, of Fords Columbiettes will join in a local project such as with the Child Life Resource Center to do a baby shower.

Court Mercedes # 769’s current Court Officers include: Andrea Smykia, Grand Regent, Debra Kozub, Vice Regent, Julie Haklar, Secretary, Mickey Brady, Financial Secretary, and Kathleen Dalton, Treasurer.

Members of the CDA pray together, donate to charities, administer scholarships programs, and strive “to be help- principle of faith working though love in the promotion of justice, equality and the advancement of human rights and human dignity for all.

Loretta Zimmer joined the CDA when her aunt needed her to drive her to the Court meetings and some of her cousins were already members. She has been a member of Court Mercedes for 43 years and is a lifetime parishioner of St. James Parish. A past Grand Regent of Court Mercedes, currently, Zimmer is the CDA Second State Regent and District Deputy of Court Fulgens Corona #1684. She says that being a member of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas has been for her a very worthwhile experience. To encourage other women to join the CDA Zimmer would like to distribute CDA flyers to women in the diocese’s parishes.

Andrea Smykie, the Court’s Grand Regent is a member of St. James Parish for the past eight years and a member of the parish’s Rosary Altar Society. She be part of CDA,” Smykie asserted. “I believe that if we want to be true disciples of Christ, we must follow in his footstep. Above all it is our charitable work and being in unity as sisters in doing this charitable work that brings me closer to Christ.”

The Blessed Mother is the patroness of CDA members who are united by their faith in Jesus Christ, in their devotion to the church and the Holy See.

Below, After the Mass celebrating their 100th Anniversary, CDA Court Mercedes members, CDA state board members and visiting CDA members pose for a photo with Msgr. Charles Cicerale and Father Thomas Naduviledathu, SDV. On bottom left, Deacon Roel Mercado delivers the homily at the Mass. In center, Father Naduviledathu and Msgr. Cicerale pray during Mass. Bottom right, Bishop James F. Checchio talks with CDA members Mary Ellen O’Connor and Loretta Zimmer, seated.

Kathleen Poracky, Ct. Fulgens Corona #1684, and Sue Getz, Ct. Mercedes #769 photos

By Tara Smith

SOMERVILLE — Admired by generations and lauded as the “saint of the gutters” during her life, St. Teresa of Kolkata, better known as Mother Teresa, was “wonderfully, beautifully human,” according to Jim Towey, who came to know her as a friend.

Towey, an attorney by trade who has also worked in government and education, first met Mother Teresa, or Mother as he affectionately refers to her, during a trip to India in 1985.

His book, “To Love and Be Loved — A Personal Portrait of Mother Teresa,” released Sept. 6 last year, just one day after the 25th anniversary of Mother Teresa’s death in 1997, documents his friendship with the saint. On Dec. 9, he served as the headline speaker of a diocesan event by the same name.

“It’s a mistake for us when we think that saints are superhumans that are made a different stuff than us,” he said to those gathered in the theater of Immaculata High School. “Saints aren’t perfect. They are perfected in holiness through the grace of the Holy Spirit.”

Talking about his time with Mother Teresa, he recounted her heart for others, her infectious laughter, her joyous sense of humor, and her love of chocolate. “But she also wasn’t perfect,” he said point- edly. “She was famously stubborn and impatient, but those weaknesses of hers, the Lord used for his purposes.

Right, author Jim Towey, who gave a talk on St. Teresa of Kolkata at Immaculata High School, Somerville, signs one of his books (at far right) on the life of the founder of the Missionaries of Charity order. In his talk, Towey shared stories of his 12-year friendship/advisership with St. Teresa, who died in 1997. She was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje, Macedonia, in 1910.

“God called her to leave the confines of the cloister and go out into the streets, into the slums, to serve the poorest of the poor,” the author continued. “Think about what kind of courage, tough-mindedness, and perseverance she needed. Well, this was fueled by that Albanian grit and stubbornness that she had, and God used it for his purposes,” adding she often held her ground when confronted by those who opposed her missionary work.

“In the midst of our own humanness, God approaches us and invites us to new life, to greater life, to become better, and Mother answered that call.” It was the qualities she held, those human qualities, that made her loveable, human, and real, he said.

Sharing stories of his 12-year-long friendship and advisership with Mother Teresa, Towey recalled his everyday inter- actions with her and his favorite memories of her, including the time she hurriedly ran to his car to give him a peanut butter and banana sandwich since he had not eaten breakfast before leaving, or how, in her motherly way, she would reach her hand into her purse and pull out candy to give to those accompanying her on her travels.

“She didn’t have children biologically, but what she did throughout her life was teach us how important it is to grow, to move from being self-centered to otherminded,” he said.

His years of working alongside the now-saint, who was canonized in 2016, just 19 years after her death, taught him lessons about human life and dignity, service to others, the plague of loneliness, and aging. Equipped with those lessons, and with Mother Teresa’s prompting and encouragement, Towey started Aging with Dignity in 1996, a nonprofit dedicated to advocacy for senior citizens, where he serves as chief executive officer.

“Mother truly teaches us about aging, and at the heart of it is prayer,” said Towey. “It doesn’t have to be fancy prayer; it has to be a disposition. There has to be an awareness of God’s presence and a willingness to be with God and to experience that same voice you heard at your baptism in your soul: ‘You are my beloved and in you I am well pleased.’”

Before concluding his talk, which preceded a showing of “Mother Teresa: No Greater Love,” a documentary film produced by the Knights of Columbus on the life and legacy of Mother Teresa, Towey encouraged those present to make a change.

“We may not get the Nobel Peace Prize or change the world like Mother did, but we can change the world around us. ‘What you are doing I cannot do, what I’m doing you cannot do, but together we are doing something beautiful for God,’” he said, invoking the famous quote by Mother Teresa. “That’s the invitation for us tonight.”

Smith is Director of Marketing and Communications for Immaculata High School