CCW - a treasure to be discovered

by Joanne Pohland

The authentic life is a lifestyle that orients us toward the goal of the Christian life. We are called to holiness, every man and every woman without exception-regardless of our age, color, socioeconomic background, or state in life. Holiness is the goal of the Christian life and our essential purpose.

-Matthew Kelly, Rediscovering Catholicism, p. 63

When one hears this, the first reaction is often “I could never be holy.” However, holiness is not unattainable-it is relatively simple and straightforward. As Matthew Kelly goes on to say, “The surest signs of holiness are an insatiable desire to improve oneself and an unquenchable concern for unholy people,” (p. 66).

The Council of Catholic Women (CCW) is a means for attaining holiness. Through CCW, women have the opportunity to improve themselves spiritually, as leaders, and to increase their knowledge of their faith. Through the many projects of CCW, women can act on their concern for unholy people.

This year, the theme for the New Ulm Diocesan Council of Catholic Women is “CCW: A Treasure to be Discovered.” I believe that women have the opportunity, through the Council of Catholic Women, and the treasure that it is, to truly become holy, attaining the goal of Christian life. There are so many projects and activities that the Council sponsors. Did you know that in your parish, it is probably the Council of Catholic Women that are responsible for serving the funeral meals, for sponsoring food drives for your local food shelves, for sending valentines to the Mission of Love Project in San Lucas, for raising awareness about the evils of abortion and working to end abortion, for encouraging more prayer for vocations? This is just a short list of activities and projects that are sponsored by the Council of Catholic Women.

With that in mind, why would you not want to become involved? The truth is, holiness is attractive and inspiring. Having the Council of Catholic Women as an active group throughout our diocese is truly a treasure for each of us-for those who are striving to be holy, and for those who benefit from the acts of holiness done by these women.

One means for finding out what the Council of Catholic Women does in our diocese is to attend the annual Diocesan Council of Catholic Women Convention. This year’s convention will be Saturday, April 23 at the Church of the Holy Rosary in North Mankato. Our keynote speaker will be Matthew Kelly. He will, undoubtedly, give us ideas for attaining holiness. I wish to encourage each of you to plan now to attend the convention. We will have a special drawing for first time attendees, and the whole day looks like it will be well worth your time. I hope to see all of you in North Mankato on Saturday, April 23.

Joanne Pohland is from Glencoe, MN, and is the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women President.