Care for our neighbors
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In conjunction with the annual Madison Diocesan Council of Catholic Women’s (MDCCW) Convention, the council is encouraging women to collect personal care products to be distributed to those in need. The following is a list of suggested items; all should be full-sized and unopened: Toothpaste/toothbrushes, mouthwash, bath soap/body wash, shampoo/conditioner, deodorant, razors/shaving cream, hand and body lotion, feminine hygiene products, and toilet paper. These items will be collected at the Day of Celebration on Wednesday, May 21, at the Clarion Inn and Convention Center, Baraboo. More information can be found at www.mdccw.com The MDCCW wants is to help as many people as possible, so women are encouraged to donate 75 percent of what they collect to their local food pantry and then bring the remaining 25 percent to the Day of Celebration. These items will be donated to the Baraboo Food Pantry (located at St. Vincent de Paul) and to Hope House. For more information, contact Sandra Hull, MDCCW Service Commission chair, at 608-994-2129 or rsghull@tds.net |
BARABOO — With the theme of “Finding Grace through Faith, Trust, and Patience,” the Madison Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (MDCCW) will celebrate its 60th birthday at its annual gathering Tuesday and Wednesday, May 20 and 21, at the Clarion Hotel here.
MDCCW calls women of the diocese together to share their faith through service, leadership, learning, prayer, and socializing.
Hosted by the Sauk Vicariate, its president, Lynn Geitz, chaired the planning committee. Geitz is a member of Holy Family Parish in La Valle. In the invitation to the convention, she wrote, “I strongly encourage and challenge all of you to get involved in your home parish. Through our activities, involvement, and faith, each of us can make a difference in our community and parish!”
‘A Prayer, a Story, and a Glass of Wine’
MDCCW President Coreen Marklein will preside over the two-day celebration.
The first day of the convention starts in the afternoon with a board meeting, followed by prayer, including recitation of the Rosary.
The celebration banquet is at 5:30 p.m. The evening entertainment combines prayer and celebration with Fr. Domenic “Dom” Roscioli, Milwaukee, presenting “A Prayer, a Story, and a Glass of Wine.”
The spiritual advisor to the Milwaukee Archdiocese CCW, Father Dom, as he is known, retired from active priesthood after a bout with cancer. Since then, he has taken on projects to help his community as well as cancer patients and survivors.
With the help of a businessman, Father Dom came up with the idea of selling wine to support his work. Each bottle depicts the life of a saint as a way to bring the saints marching back into people’s homes and lives. In addition to wines, the product line includes an assortment of seasoning mixes.
Keynote address
On Wednesday following the business meeting and election of officers, Fr. Don Everts, Green Bay, will give the keynote address at 10 a.m. Aware that women lead lives balancing family, career, and other responsibilities, Father Everts will advise them and the council on how they “can reclaim the voice of the Catholic women.”
He is pastor of four parishes in Green Bay and spiritual advisor of the DCCW there.
Mass and officer installation
Following the keynote, the women will attend Mass at St. Joseph Church, a short distance from the hotel meeting site.
Fr. Jay Poster, pastor, and Fr. Garrett Kau, parochial vicar, will concelebrate the Mass with MDCCW spiritual advisors: Msgr. Duane Moellenberndt, pastor of Sacred Hearts, Sun Prairie, and Fr. Lorin Bowens, pastor of Holy Family, LaValle; St. Boniface, Lime Ridge; and St. Patrick, Loreto. Fellow priests of the Sauk Vicariate will join them.
Following Mass, newly elected officers will be installed for two-year terms. Milwaukee Province Director Jean Kelly will speak at the lunch. Calling for more women to serve, Kelly is promoting the leadership program of the National CCW called, “Follow Me: Called to Serve, Chosen to Lead.”
Shareshops
Two shareshops will be offered in the afternoon. Chris “Topher” Aderhold, assistant director of Camp Gray, will speak on “Leadership in Service.” Sue Palm from Catholic Charities will provide information on the Mobile Food Pantry Program in the diocese for the service shareshop.
Palm will tell how parishes can participate in the “Caring for Their Neighbors in Need” program, a service project of MDCCW. Service Commission Chair Sandra Hull, Patch Grove, had asked members to collect personal care items, 75 percent of which were to be distributed locally with the rest to be brought to the convention.
To help support its service projects, the MDCCW is sponsoring a raffle for which tickets can be purchased prior to the convention from council members. Prizes include a queen-sized hand-tied quilt, a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, cash, and a set of Milwaukee Brewers tickets with a preferred parking pass. Winners do not need to be present to win.
Another raffle on May 21 only will have assorted gift baskets donated by each vicariate as prizes.
Registration, membership
Registration deadline is May 5. Cost is $35 per day. Tuesday includes the banquet and entertainment. Wednesday includes lunch and full-day program. Registration form and full agenda are on the website www.mdccw.com or contact Lynn Geitz at 608-354-2213 or lynn.geitz@hotmail.com
Women of the diocese are invited to join MDCCW and attend the convention. If their parish does not have a council, they can join as individual members for $10 annually. Membership information is available on the website.
Rooms at the hotel are available at a special rate of $79.17 for double occupancy. Persons are responsible for making their own reservations by May 5 and indicate they are with the MDCCW convention. Contact the Clarion Hotel 626 Hwy. 12 Baraboo, phone 608-356-6422.