By Judy Weston
President, Lincoln Council of Catholic Women
We have been blessed with a beautiful autumn; it is still summer, but at the same time, cool enough to keep some mosquitoes at bay. We are in the month of the Holy Rosary and are now looking ahead to All Saints and All Souls Day.
The rosary continues to be my favorite prayer. I try to journey outside to my deck, bundled with a fuzzy robe, lap blanket, coffee and rosary. This early morning rosary is wonderful. In my small town of Juniata, I often pray with the multitude of sounds. The roosters and chickens are busy. I often pray with St. Peter in my meditation. The doves help me think of our Blessed Mother, and in the morning breeze I meditate on the Holy Spirit.
There is an occasional rogue sound: trains, dogs, or a rooster somewhere in Juniata that is in desperate need of a cough drop. All in all, these sounds of early morning in Juniata are like that of an orchestra, each playing its part of a beautiful song. It is during that morning the Holy Spirit stirs and give me a chance to meditate on the beauty of council.
The Lincoln Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, like other diocesan councils, is unique, made up of many moving parts and individuals, each with her own role. We are all a part of the great orchestra of nature. We might not sound cohesive at first—there can be some irritating squawking!—but when put together, the music is beautiful.
Like an orchestra, we have many ways to be involved in the council. You might find yourself being drawn in ways you didn’t expect. I came in under an invitation. When leadership was calling, I couldn’t find an excuse to say no! This also happened when I accepted the invitation to become president.
The women of the council are always happy to mentor. While I was a baby in the council, I had a question over a meeting protocol. I reached out to a mentor and she directed me to Marilyn Maney, a long-standing parliamentarian. She shared how a meeting should be conducted. Marilyn mentored me in such a loving way that I was able to gain confidence and begin to accept a stronger role as a leader. The situation I described was more than 25 years ago and I still call her with questions.
This term, my theme is John 15:16, “You did not choose me but I chose you…” In all the years I have been involved, I am amazed and in awe as to how God chooses people for a particular role in our council. I think about the presidents I have worked under; each president has brought her own unique gifts and talents that have pushed the council to a greater level of prayer and service. For myself, my gift is public speaking—and maybe being a cheerleader. I will cheer you on and try to encourage you into taking on a position that I feel you can do. You will not know or understand a council member’s talent until you know her personally.
There are so many women who, through various ideas and actions, make our council unique and wonderful. We have three commission chairs, each one focusing on a particular need of the Church. Our Spirituality Commission’s focus is prayer. Priests are prayed for throughout the year, week by week.
The Service Commission is known for the massive and impactful diaper drive held each October; a tradition of 10 years began as a simple idea now grown to encompass other dioceses in our state. Kay Wessel, our diaper drive chair, has collected more than a million diapers through the years. Every diaper is a representation of how we are “Walking with Moms in Need,” as the United States Council of Catholic Bishops encouraged all Catholics to do.
And finally, our Leadership Commission is not a commission of “doing” but one focusing on mentoring and developing women in leadership roles. This was a commission I was involved in prior to taking the role as president. I believe it helped me grow in my role as a professional woman. Dorothy Moravec, a past president of the LDCCW guided me into the path of leadership. She saw the future as being one of electronic communication. Today, we reach out to our women through email newsletters and keep them updated frequently with the current news of our world and Church.
This summer, we finished a study of the book, “Foundations for Discipleship,” by Edward Sri and Curtis Martin. In this book, there is a chapter on “Fellowship: Virtuous Friendship.” This chapter shared three friendships: Friendships of Utility, Friendship of Pleasure and Virtuous Friendship. We have friends in all these categories, but a Virtuous Friendship is one that becomes Christ-centered. These friendships challenge us to become better followers of Christ. I often say these friendships are the women who will pray for you behind your back. Read Sirach 6: 5-17, it is a beautiful insight into friendships with Christ as the center.
All women involved in the LDCCW come because of the beautiful sisterhood we share. Prayer is the center of who we are in our work for the Church. Being involved in council is not limited to just a Sunday worship, it is about living our faith every day 24/7. We pray with every breath we take. We grow closer to Christ through others and having our sisters walk their journey with each of us.
We, as women of the council, are considered the “Marys and Marthas” of the Church. There are times this phrase is turned around and we become the Marthas first. As women, we have a need to “do.” It is in our DNA to be serving, which is important. But it is also very important we spend time sitting at the feet of Jesus and being with him.
Think about where you see yourself as a sister in Christ. As I mentioned in the first paragraph, we, as members of the LDCCW, are all a part of the beautiful sounds and stirrings of the Holy Spirit, and they are all praise to our Heavenly Father. What part of the LDCCW’s mission – Spirituality, Service, or Leadership – do you find yourself most drawn to in your daily life?
