St. Ignatius CCW at 715 East Orange Street, Tarpon Springs, FL 34689 US - Our Council's History
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Our Council's History
Author: Ceil Dziura |
The St. Ignatius Guild was organized over fifty years ago under the direction of Father William DuBois, the first pastor of St. Ignatius, making it the oldest organization in the parish. In 2001, at the request of the National Council of Catholic Women, its name was changed from Women's Guild to Women's Council. At the present time there are 128 members, with approximately thirty of them active in various programs in our parish. Each parish council or affiliation follows individual by-laws and, by vote, selects the fundraisers it wishes to hold and the charities it wishes to assist. These affiliations, in turn, belong to other Councils at the deanery, state, national and international levels. St. Ignatius also belongs to the Upper Pinellas Deanery, a group of nine chuches located in Clearwater, Dunedin, Palm Harbor, Tarpon Springs and Safety Harbor. The Pieta statue in the chapel and the statue of Mary on the grounds were donations from the women in previous years. The Council, then called the Guild, also provided the round tables and chairs in the Parish Life Center, along with rubber mats in the kitchen. They donated to the air conditioning installation in the Life Center, and towards fencing and playground equiptment for the Early Childhood Center (ECC). In recent years the Council gave monetary gifts to the ECC’s building fund. In 2004 they provided funds for bus transportation costs for the youth choir to enable them to travel to Alabama to sing at the ordination to Deacon of Fr. Mike Morris, a recently ordained priest who spent a year as a seminarian at St. Ignatius Church. The women also embraced a Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (DCCW) program called Adopt a Seminarian. By prayer and financial contributions, they have supported several seminarians preparing to serve as priests in the Diocese of St. Petersburg. Each year donations are also made to parish organizations, including the Caritas Ministry, Scout troops, Life Teen Ministry and the Religious Education program. On the community level, yearly donations are made to such organizations as the Ronald McDonald House of Tampa, the Upper Pinellas Pregnancy Center, Hospice of the Florida Suncoast, and Goodwill Industries. On the international level, the Women’s Council takes part in National CCW projects such as Heifer International, the Madonna Plan, and Water for Life. All of these charities benefit from the work done at the fundraisers where women sell crafts or run a flea market with goods donated by parishioners. The yearly card party adds to the treasury while providing entertainment to parish members and friends. Every first Saturday of the month, the 4:00 p.m. Mass is said for the intentions of the Women’s Council with members reciting the rosary prior to the start of Mass. Several women respond to requests of family members to visit funeral homes to recite the rosary or to attend funeral masses. The Council holds an annual Day of Recollection and takes an active part in Pontifax, a day of ecumenical prayer for unity which brings together Catholics, Lutherans and Episcopalians. The Upper Pinellas Deanery holds two conferences each year. The nine member churches and their members meet to show their unity and share their accomplishments. The first week of May is set aside by the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women for its annual Convention. Daily Mass, meetings, workshops, motivational speakers, and social affairs fill the schedule. The Bishop’s mass and Bishop’s banquet are the highlights of the convention. All women of the parish are invited to join the Council regardless of age. Meetings are usually held on the third Thursday of each month in the Parish Life Center.