St. Augustine Diocesan Council of Catholic Women at 6501 Waltho Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32277 US - 2008 - 2009 Annual St. Augustine DCCW President's Report

“Love God.  Serve God.”

As I have traveled around the diocese this past year I have been amazed at the variety of ways our members have demonstrated their love of God by serving God through service to His family in our world.  They have given of their time, talent and treasure and their response has been AWESOME!  Members of affiliations have given an unbelievable number of volunteer hours to our churches, communities and the world beyond in the past year.

Our members served God by giving to their Community in many different ways.  We held our 27^th annual “I Am Special” Fashion Show and Luncheon to benefit DOSA Camps.  We collected food for community food banks and supported St. Vincent de Paul Societies.  We delivered meals on wheels, provided Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets to the needy, delivered coffee and donuts to migrant workers in the fields and gave gifts to hospitalized children and the elderly at Christmas.  We collected school supplies for needy public schools and our Diocesan Guardian of Dreams Schools, St. Pius and Holy Rosary.  We cooked meals for the campers and buddies at Camp I Am Special during the summer.    Thrift shops raised money to help the Community.  Affiliations collected food and other items for parish and community food bank clients.  Several parishes participated with other faith communities in the ICARE (Interfaith Coalition for Action Reconciliation and Empowerment) program to bring awareness to officials on matters related to education and crime in our community.  Parish nurses sponsored health screenings and health fairs.  We collected items and wrote cards for residents of nursing homes so they would not be forgotten at Christmas.  We also collected everything from brown bags for Catholic Charities to pop tops for Ronald McDonald House to toiletries for the homeless.  One deanery cooked dinner for residents at L’Arche Harbor House.  Fashion shows were held around the diocese to support All Saints Nursing Home, school scholarships and outreach programs.  Lunches, parties, Thanksgiving dinners, card parties and dances were held for the elderly.  Members served as volunteer bell ringers for Salvation Army during the Christmas season.

We enriched ours and others love of God in many ways.  The theme of our annual day of reflection was “A Woman’s Prayer Sampler”.  This event was attended by almost 100 women.  We have expanded our monthly priests’ prayer calendar to include the monthly intentions of the Pope and the birthday/ordination dates of our priests and seminarians.    We sponsored the annual dinner for seminarians and the bishop for the first time.  Several affiliations also held days of reflection.  Affiliations include scriptural readings and prayer services in monthly meetings.  Several affiliations had programs centered on the rosary including having a living rosary.  We also reached out to enrich the spiritual lives of others.   We collected of rosaries for missions and hospital patients.   We served as Eucharistic ministers, lectors, CCD teachers, RCIA instructors and sponsors, choir members, CRHP facilitators and participants to name a few.  Our affiliations sponsored receptions for First Communicants and Confirmation candidates. 

Our members responded to God’s call to social justice by participating in a variety of Legislative events.  Members participated in the annual March for Life on January 22, 2009 at the Jacksonville Federal Court House by prayerfully walking.  Members stood vigil at location abortion clinics during the 40 Days for Life praying for the unborn.  We attended Catholic Days at the Capital and Red Mass in March.  We also sponsored 10 students from Bishop Kenny High School so they could see our government in action.  We coordinated the “Fight FOCA” postcard campaigns in our parishes.

We loved God by providing for the needs of our International brothers and sisters.  We sent over $1,200 to Dominga Bocca, a girls’ orphanage in Ecuador.  Affiliations also supported other orphanages around the world.  Several affiliations celebrated Epiphany with International Masses and luncheons/dinners.  Members of several affiliations supported the South Jacksonville Deanery’s annual Epiphany Party for the farm workers in Live Oak. We continued to collect funds for the NCCW/CRS Works of Peace programs.  Our members supported our service men and women in a variety of ways.

We served God by serving our families and the families of others.  We donated $8,300 in support of the Bishop’s Born Free program.  Baby showers were held for Pro-life organizations around the diocese.  Affiliations made prayer blankets for seriously ill members of their parishes.  We sponsored or assisted with parish picnics, parish carnivals, senior citizens luncheons, Bunco parties, children’s Halloween parties, father-daughter dances, father-son breakfasts, pot luck dinners, parish nurse ministries and health fairs, family movie nights, soup and fish dinners during lent, father-son breakfasts, hosted funeral lunches to name a few.  We sent volunteers and participants to the annual Diocesan Anniversary Mass.

Lastly, we responded to Council.  We held our annual Leadership Workshop in Gainesville.  Our theme this year was “Shopping at the Council of Catholic Women Mall”.  Members came from around the diocese.  We increased communications among members via email, printed material and telephone trees.  One affiliation used “auto-dialer” technology to send out broadcast phone messages.  One affiliation president was interviewed on Queen of Peace radio to tell the story of CCW while other affiliations had events announced on the station.  When possible we sent out communications using email to save time and money but we also remembered the importance of the personal touch by calling members and distributing information by mail to those who did not have access to the internet.  Affiliations created Image Brochures to hand out to potential members.  One affiliation added a Hispanic circle to its membership.  Affiliations participated in ministry fairs to educate other parishioners on the activities of Council to attract new members.  One affiliation had “open-mic” sessions at meetings to allow member to have more input.  We celebrated Council Sunday with masses, brunches and luncheons.  We fed each other at potluck dinners, brunches and teas.  Affiliations used name tags, aprons and “sponsored by CCW” signs to become more visible in their parishes.  One affiliation started an “angel” program where active members “adopted” older members by keeping touch with them and driving them to meetings.

Last but not least we are enthusiastically preparing to host the NCCW 2009 Convention.  Our convention co-chairs have been busy coordinating plans with NCCW for several months now.  September will be here before we know it and we will be sharing our love of God through service to members of council from around the country.

As President of St. Augustine DCCW, I am in awe of the works done by the many beautiful women of DCCW.  We touch lives in our parishes, schools, the local community and those around the world.  It has been a privilege to serve as your President this past year and I look forward to serving you in the coming year.  God bless each of you for all that you do.

Respectfully submitted,

Pam Dewey, President, St. Augustine Diocesan Council of Catholic Women