Catch the Spirit with the Council of Catholic Women

by Ellen Nester

The 51st bi-annual National Council of Catholic Women Convention (NCCW) is history. More than 100 women from the New Ulm diocese joined with 1400 other women to share Eucharist, prayer, education, and fun.

Our local CCW organizations gladly accept the challenge from Archbishop Harry Flynn to be "in love with His mission, in love with His message, and in love with His ministry."

The theme, Catch the Spirit with NCCW, was evident from start to finish. Jim Towey, Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, drew on his experiences with Mother Teresa to remind us that social work becomes sacred work when it is done for God. Rev. Dr. Alfred Cioffi filled us with information on the biology of human cloning.

Convention enrichment sessions and workshops included topics such as mentoring to build bridges, conscience rights in Catholic health care, a grassroots campaign to promote Sunday as the Lord’s Day, the pastoral needs of incarcerated women, the Eucharist as "food for the journey," the challenge of remarriage, ways and means of collaboration, globalizing solidarity and building peace, and how to create a legislative advocacy network.

Bishop Schrembs, in 1920 when encouraging the birth of our organization, envisioned CCW to be a "Catholic powerhouse" of thought and action. With the addition of prayer, our parish groups can realize the presence of the Holy Spirit and work to energize that "powerhouse".