National Council of Catholic Women dedicated to the work of the Church

Soon, I will come to the end of my term of working with the National Council of Catholic Women as the Chair of Spiritual Advisors. It has been a great blessing to meet women from throughout the country, even the world, who have dedicated themselves wholeheartedly to the work of the church and are helping to spread the Gospel message in the unique way that only a woman can.

We have laughed, cried, stressed, discussed and even disagreed on how we should continue as the National Council, but one thing has been very clear: we are determined to continue the vision that the bishops of the United States gave us many years ago to come together and form a united voice for Catholic women in the United States. We are all doing our best to unite as a board of directors so that, not only are we in the same book, but we are all on the same page.

And things are happening that are very positive.

The bishops were very edified by the hard work that the women’s organizations throughout the country did to help the troops and the country during World War I. The bishops felt, however, that rather than having a bunch of individual women’s organizations doing their own thing, it would be more effective if all these women’s organizations came together under a National Council to unite their efforts and give a common voice for Catholic women.

Certainly, this is a Gospel value, namely, uniting together. The Gospel is rather clear on this point. Jesus prayed “…for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me” (Jn 17: 20-21).

It was apparent that the women’s organizations were doing fine work. Why not bring them together under a united national council so that they could join their good work and provide a common voice? In other words, each organization would continue to do its work, but together, as the National Council of Catholic Women, each organization could unite in areas that would be important to evangelize the Gospel message.

Father James Stembler with National Council of Catholic Women board of directors. Contributed photo

And what work has been accomplished through the National Council? Due to the efforts of the National Council through its affiliated organizations and individual members, much has been done. In the area of Respect Life, for example, they have made calls to elected officials and participated in marches for life. The National Council has done much in the area of religious liberty and freedom by supporting the bishops’ “Fortnight for Freedom” and hosting presentations and talks on the importance of religious liberty.

Much work has been done to raise awareness on and how to stop domestic violence. Relationships have been established with Catholic Relief Services to help raise awareness on the needs in third-world countries. Perhaps the greatest need in which the National Council has helped is in the Water for Life program, which has been able to help build water wells and give access to potable water in various regions of Africa.

Relationships have been established with Cross Catholic Outreach, and greater awareness is underway to reach out to our neighbors in Haiti and other underdeveloped areas of the Caribbean. Several women’s organizations have united through the National Council and are all engaged in making “little dresses for Haiti” and “little dresses for Africa” in order to send clothing for those in need. A vision trip has been planned to Haiti with Cross Catholic Outreach, so that even greater awareness can be raised on the needs in Haiti. Similar trips have been made to Central American countries.

Through all of this and more, the bishops really started something. I guess there is truth in the old adage, “The best man for the job is a woman.” That all of this is being accomplished is due to the fact that all who are a part of this National Council of Catholic Women focus on spirituality. It is because we are developing our relationship with God as individuals and as a Council, that we are able to accomplish the work that we do. And because of the work that we do, we are desirous to develop our relationship with God and with one another.

A common myth that somehow has developed over the years is that the National Council of Catholic Women is in competition with Catholic Daughters, Daughters of Isabella or other Catholic women’s organizations. Only in the minds of those who do not understand what the bishops were hoping to accomplish by forming the National Council of Catholic Women is their competition, if this the case.

These organizations are fine Catholic organizations and provide a great service to the church. The National Council of Catholic Women enables these various organizations to come together as a community and unite efforts to support, empower and educate all Catholic women in spirituality, leadership and service so that—as a united voice—Catholic women can respond with Gospel values to the needs of the church and society in the modern world.

To all the individual and affiliated members here and throughout the country, many thanks for all that you do. To all the women in the Diocese of Corpus Christi, many thanks for the unique role you play in the church; as the namesake of our diocese is a constant reminder to everyone that we are called to form the “Body of Christ.”