HOLDREGE (SNR) – The 63rd biennial convention of the Lincoln Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (LDCCW) was held April 22-23 in Holdrege, themed “Mercy is Love’s Response to Suffering.”
The LDCCW is an organization of all Catholic women in the Diocese of Lincoln which aims to enrich the lives of Catholic women by pursuing projects designed to further spiritual and family life. Organized in 1932, the LDCCW has undertaken dozens of projects which fulfill the corporal and spiritual works of mercy as outlined by the Church.
The executive board, full board and past presidents met at the Nebraska Prairie Museum Friday, April 22 and the convention banquet was held at The Balcony that evening. The speaker, Father Dale Allder of St. Patrick Parish in McCook, was unable to attend due to diminishing road conditions caused by wildfires in the region, but he connected remotely.
The convention continued Saturday at All Saints Church in Holdrege. Kathy Rowell, president, presided over the biennial convention which members attended despite high winds and wildfires across 12 counties.
Judy Weston said women from the local areas left to provide meals to fire departments, returning for the concluding convention.
The women represented 12 of the 13 deaneries in the Diocese of Lincoln, and Weston said they enjoyed the opportunity to connect in person after two years of Zoom meetings.
“Serving during the two years of the pandemic was challenging but not impossible,” Rowell said. “Together we found ways to carry out the Works of Mercy to those around us.
“We, in the Diocese of Lincoln, are so fortunate to have women – and men – who hear the call to assist those less fortunate and reach out to assist them,” she continued. “There are many needs that are above and beyond our personal ability or knowledge as a group or individually. Financial help may be the only avenue open to us to show our support.”
She explained that the LDCCW collects dues and donations in order to contribute financially to the projects and programs. Contributions are announced at the convention and disbursed shortly thereafter.
“The pandemic did not hold us back from being generous with the blessing God has bestowed upon us,” Rowell said.
Each term, the president and the bishop choose a specific project. This term, President Rowell chose Catholic Social Services of Hastings and St. Gianna’s West, the Hispanic Ministry West and Our Lady of Good Counsel Retreat House. The bishop’s project was providing displays for the diocesan archives.
The theme “Mercy is Love’s Response to Suffering” continued with the LDCCW voting to provide funding to We Think We Pray, The Madonna-St. Benedict Fund, and the CSS Resettlement Fund. Among other LDCCW charitable projects are: the annual pro-life diaper drive, Funds for Nuns, Apostles for Life, Spirit Catholic Radio, the bishop’s burse fund, Pi Alpha Chi and Msgr. Riordan scholarships. The total donations for the 2020-22 tenure are $67,682.77.
After reviewing some of the accomplishments of the past two years, Rowell said, they “turned over the leadership of LDCCW to Trudy Burenheide of Falls City” and her officers.
“They will lead the group for the next two years on a new path of discovering the ways to live our faith,” Rowell said.
Officers for the 2022-2024 term were installed. They are Trudy Burenheide, president; Judy Weston, president elect; Val Able, first vice president; Barb Janda, second vice president; Diane Synek, third vice president; Karen Dey, financial secretary; Donna Havlat, recording secretary; Shirley Huss, auditor. President Burenheide’s theme for the 2022-2024 term is “Together, sharing our Faith as Catholic women so the power of the Gospel shines forth in our families.”
What About the Money?
by Kathy Rowell
What do we do with the money we collect as “dues” from the parishes? This will give you an idea as to why we ask for yearly dues and what we are able to do with what we receive. These are two-year totals during my presidency 2020-2022, and presented at the recent convention.
Burse Fund for seminarians: $12,168.95
Bishop’s Project – Displaying Diocesan Archives: $11,755.00
President’s Project – Catholic Social Services of Hastings and St. Gianna’s West:
CSS Hastings operates a food pantry, social service office, thrift store, and a clothing recycling operation. The St. Gianna Women’s Homes West provides financial assistance and case management services to women escaping domestic violence, coerced abortion, and other forms of abuse and control. (LDCCW budgeted $1,000 plus deanery contributions total over $8,000)
Raffle – Two statues, a wall decoration and beatitude quilt were raffled. Proceeds will be donated to Our Lady of Good Counsel Retreat House in Waverly and used to help cover part or all of the cost of retreats when a participant is in need of assistance: donations are being finalized: approximately $1,036
Silent Auction Baskets – from deaneries and several donated by Majestic Treasurers Gift Store in Grand Island – proceeds will be donated to the Hispanic Ministry West and used to minister to the community, purchase Bibles, copies of the Catechism and other resources: approximately $1,565
The amount of charitable funds distributed at the convention was approximately $34,524.95
Special Projects
The LDCCW also maintains a few special project accounts and disburses funds as the need arises. Funds come from members who make a direct contribution to specific accounts.
Apostles for Life – Donations to Apostles for Life ($12 per year) are combined with the LDCCW budgeted amount ($4,400) and disbursed periodically to five pregnancy centers across the diocese. The two-year total sent to the pregnancy centers: $10,992.00
Diaper Drive – In addition to diapers and wipes, many make a monetary contribution and that enables us to purchase diapers in specific sizes as the need arises. Expenses this term: $5,415.82
Funds for Nuns – made a contribution for educational materials: $2,800.00
Donations from Special Projects for 2020-2022: $19,207.82
Additional Donations:
This year we had the opportunity to make a few larger donations at the convention. Over the years, our carry-over balance has increased and this year the LDCCW Full Board voted to make three charitable contributions from our “surplus.” So, contributions were made to:
WeTeachThink: The mission of WeTeachThink is to encourage factual sharing of information to positively impact public perception of what it means to be human and to instill a desire of the general public to protect human life. It takes a unique approach to changing hearts, minds, and souls on this very divisive subject by using logic, ethics, and emotion to influence the thinking structure of the target audience. The LDCCW made a donation of $2,500 to promote the “Human from Day One” message.
Madonna – St. Benedict Fund: Many people are just one accident or illness away from financial crisis. The St. Benedict Fund was established as an emergency fund to assist Madonna patients who need help to emerge from a crisis. Financial gifts provide immediate relief, assisting with the purchase of medical equipment not covered by insurance, transportation, utilities, rent, gas and very basic needs such as shoes, so a patient can participate in therapy. What a blessing it is to be able to donate $2,500 to help alleviate some of the suffering of patients and families.
CSS Refugee Resettlement Fund: As of right now, there are no Ukrainian refugees arriving through the traditional refugee process. However, there are about 30 Ukrainians who have arrived in Lincoln through Mexico and are seeking temporary protected status (asylum). They are currently staying with families but CSS is assisting with food pantries and gift cards to St. Louise Gift and Thrift Store. The Ukrainian refugees are suffering in ways we cannot even imagine. We are blessed and they need our help. The LDCCW voted to donate $5,000 to help refugees from the Ukraine. We were able to donate an extra $10,000 to show our love for the suffering. These were the ones that spoke to my heart.
Thank you for your donations, your dues and for working tirelessly to show mercy with love. You are the “Women in the Pews” and you are wonderful. You do make a difference.
In 2020-2022, the LDCCW donated $63,732.77 to support the projects listed here.
Photos courtesy LDCCW
