Leadership is not a position or a title, it is action and example.
Your Leadership Chair has kept the www.gidccw.org website updated with current events as well as published a Newsletter three times a year, with the help of Christine Lousias, Co Chair. The Grand Island Facebook page has been pivotal in getting the publicity to all the parishes in our diocese about the Lenten Retreats an other pertinent information as it funnels through from the Commission Chairs and Omaha Province and National Council of Catholic Women.
Relationships: Building Relationships is crucial-It has been proven that building a strong relationship with your members is the key to building a strong organization. Sharing information about yourself can help your team to get to know you on a different level and assist the team in bonding. Making your meetings or gatherings FUN is imperative to gaining new members & retaining the old.
Communication is KEY: Every Parish Representative needs to work on getting a complete email or phone # listing of ALL women in your parish. Create a phone calling chain, or E-Secretary in your Parishes that can blast an email out on upcoming events or activities. If women don’t know what or why the Council Sisters are involved in one or more projects, they will (or won’t) want to be involved or sacrifice their time by attending.
Parish Representatives: You are the ones in the local parishes; implementing the programs, raising money, collecting items, etc. You are the most important member of the organization. Many ideas begin right here. Your local parish’s Council of Catholic Women or CCW should have a representative, president or contact person that is invited to attend Deanery meetings.
The Deaneries are the step above the local CCW. The president of these groups gathers information from the local CCW and makes her report to the Diocesan Presidents. Within the United States there are 32 Archdioceses and 146 Dioceses. There also is the Archdiocese of Military Services for the USA and Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter.
The Diocesan President gathers all that information and makes her report to her Province Director. Our Province Meeting is coming up July 15th at Blessed Sacrament in Grand Island. You are all encouraged to attend!
The Province Director compiles her reports into a single document to be presented at the National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW) Board meetings – two times in Washington, DC, one at the annual convention and at monthly phone conference calls. Information gathered at the NCCW board meetings filters down the steps, just as the information progressed up the steps. NCCW has a voice in matters in Washington, with the USCCB (United States Council of Catholic Bishops) and a representative at the United Nations. The president of NCCW has a vote at WUCWO (World Union of Catholic Women Organisation). WUCWO president is a representative to Rome.
It would be a good idea if all Parish Representatives ask their CCW groups to offer to pay a $30/yr subscription to the Catholic Women magazine so their Pastor/Spiritual Advisor can be informed as to all the good works the Councils do around the world.
BE PROUD OF THE EFFORTS OF ALL THE WOMEN in collecting the Seminarian Funds and Water for Life and other good works we do together!
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes through which he looks with
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes; you are his body.
-Saint Teresa of Avila.
NCCW IS YOUR PLATFORM TO GIVE DIRECTION AND NATIONAL REACH TO YOUR GOOD WORKS; TO UNITE YOUR VOICE WITH YOUR NCCW SISTERS FOR THOSE WITH NO VOICE.
TO UNITE YOU IN PRAYER AND SERVICE PROJECTS WITH YOUR SISTERS ACROSS THE NATION SO THAT YOU ARE THE HANDS, FEET, EYES, AND BODY OF CHRIST ON EARTH.
GOD BLESS YOU, YOUR FAMILIES, AND OUR GRAND ISLAND DIOCESAN COUNCIL OF CATHOLIC WOMEN!
Sherry Weatherly, Leadership Chairwoman, sherry.weatherly@gmail.com 308-530-1474
Christine Lousias, Co-Chairwoman, clousias@hotmail.com 319-850-0846