Diocesan Council of Catholic Women Springfield-Cape Girardeau
Prayer to Our Lady of Good Counsel
(Patroness of the National Council of Catholic Women)
God of Heavenly Wisdom. You have given us Mary, Mother of Jesus, to be our guide and counselor. Grant that we may always seek her motherly help in this life and so enjoy her blessed presence in the life to come. O, Mother of Good Counsel, Patroness of the National Council of Catholic Women, intercede for us that we may be wise, courageous, and loving leaders of the Church. Help us, Dear Mother, to know the mind of Jesus, your Son. May the Holy Spirit fill us with reverence for God’s creation, and compassion for all God’s children. May our labors of love on earth enhance the reign of God and may God’s gifts of faith and living hope prepare us for the fullness of the world to come. Amen.
MISSION & PURPOSE
Thank you so much for being interested in the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women Springfield – Cape Girardeau, MO. We are a vibrant group of Catholic women ages 18+ and part of a larger membership of over four million Catholic women across the country.
We are mothers, daughters, sisters, cousins, wives, widows, aunts, friends, nuns, doctors, lawyers, teachers, and homemakers from all levels of society. We are today’s women who are passionate about social justice, legislation, current events, spirituality, the plight of the poor, women’s issues, the dignity of the human being, and so much more.
The Council’s role is to support, empower and educate all Catholic women in spirituality, leadership, and service. Its programs respond with gospel values to the need of the Church and society in the modern world.
With its diocesan councils, the National Council is a member of the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations (WUCWO). The Holy See affirms WUCCWO as the “voice of women in the Church and as the voice of Church.” WUCCWO received from the Pontifical Council for the Laity the final decree of its canonical status as a public association of the faithful.
The objectives and purpose of DCCW shall be to unite the Catholic women’s organizations and individual Catholic women of this Diocese, develop their spiritual growth and leadership potential, and motivate and assist them to act upon current issues in the Church and society. DCCW shall be a medium through which the Catholic women of this Diocese may speak and act on matters of common interest. DCCW shall support, empower, and educate all Catholic women in Spirituality, Leadership, and Services. DCCW programs respond with Gospel values to the needs of the Church and society in the modern world. DCCW shall unite with the Church and its teachings.
We are an affiliate of the National Council of Catholic Women.
NCCW Mission Statement: The National Council of Catholic Women acts through its members to support, empower, and educate all Catholic women in spirituality, leadership, and service. NCCW programs respond with Gospel values to the needs of the Church and society in the modern world.
DCCW Photo Library
CLICK HERE to access the Google Drive link
DCCW Spring Assembly Video Archives
Find us at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKWqnr3QwarnJiXhMegw2Dw
Contact us
Find us on Facebook @DCCWSCGMO
The DCCWSCGMO is interested in your feedback. If you have any comments or questions regarding our organization, please contact us at [email protected], and we will get back to you in a timely fashion.
Spring Assembly 2023 Highlights
Welcome Letter from DCCW President Elva Weber
We are here for you! Your families are a small church as you congregate and pray for a peaceful world, a peaceful country, and a peaceful town. The Diocesan Council of Catholic Women is made up of women just like you, who pray together and offer the women of this diocese, from East to West, a place to learn from each other as we serve one another with faith, hope, love, and charity.
Our theme for the 2025 Catholic Women’s Spring Assembly is “LEAD ME, O LORD,” from Psalm 5:8, following the 2024 theme “Here I Am Lord,” answering the question in Isaiah 6:8 “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” If we don’t stand up and obey the call of the Lord, then who will? If we don’t listen with our hearts to the call to service from above, who will? We are now asking our Lord, Jesus Christ to lead us in this path, to follow Him.
The 66th Catholic Women’s Spring Assembly, sponsored by the DCCW, will be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Springfield, April 25-26, 2025; mark your calendars, plan to attend, and bring your friends with you. It’s always more enjoyable to surround ourselves with people who love us and share ideas and events together. It will also be an opportunity to meet other women from across the diocese, who will welcome you with open arms.
May Our Lady of Good Counsel bless you and your family as you plan your ministry at your parish or mission, your deanery, or our diocese.
Thank you for your interest in the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau.
May God bless you always.
—Elva Weber, DCCW President
Board of Directors (2023-2025)
Bishop & Spiritual Advisors
The Most Rev. Edward Rice, Episcopal Chair
Fr. Joseph Kelly, Spiritual Advisor
Officers
Elva Weber, President
Polly Mungle, President-Elect
Ruth Ann Hester, Secretary
Pam Conner, Treasurer
Deb Bader, Director-at-Large
Deb Bader, Province Director, Province of St. Louis
Commissions & Standing Committees
Mary Rowley, Spirituality Commission Chair
Waynita Cahoj, Service Commission Chair
Nancy Slezak, Leadership Commission Chair
Mary Poage, Parliamentarian
Lydia Fellwock, Connections Editor, Website & Social Media Coordinator (ex-officio)
Deanery Members
Deanery 1 President –
Patty Wheeler
Deanery 2 President –
Kitty Hammen
Deanery 3 & 4 President –
Mary Williams
Deanery 5 President –
Andrea Ferguson
Deanery 6 President –
Anita Essner
Deanery 7 President –
Cassie Willey
Commissions
Learn about the SPIRITUALITY & LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION
Learn about the SERVICE COMMISSION
Learn about the LEADERSHIP COMMISSION
THE DIOCESAN COUNCIL OF CATHOLIC WOMEN SPRINGFIELD – CAPE GIRARDEAU, as a member of the National Council of Catholic Women, acts through its membership to support, empower, and educate all Catholic women in spirituality, leadership, and service. NCCW programs respond with Gospel values to the needs of the Church and society in the modern world.
The Mission of the Council is carried out through the work of three commissions that reflect the mission statement: SPIRITUALITY, LEADERSHIP, and SERVICE. Each Commission works to support and enhance the activity of the Council, educates about issues of concern to Catholic women, and empowers women to respond in faith with justice and compassion.
Commission Structure
Commission Structure:
Since 1995 NCCW’s program and advocacy initiatives have clustered around one or more of its six commissions. In 2009, the commission system was reorganized into three commissions to align more consistently with the mission statement of NCCW. The new commissions encompass the previous six. The following illustrates how the previous commissions “match up” with the current commissions:
SPIRITUALITY = Church and legislation
SERVICE = Family, Community, and international
LEADERSHIP = Organization
Commission Chairs are women knowledgeable in the specific program area of their particular Commission. Regardless of whether her commission position is in the national ring of Council, the arch/diocesan, or the local affiliate, each commission chair has the same general responsibilities:
- To provide leadership in her specific commission focus
- To continue to educate herself about the issues under her Commission
- To monitor parish, community, state, or national developments that relate to her Commission’s focus
- To stay informed about program activities on her ring of Council
- To share information with others, including new resources.
- Informational Resources for Commissions:
- Information for commission chairs comes from three important NCCW sources:
Written materials from the national office, including Catholic Woman and Bulletin Board
Ideas are generated during special meetings convened by the DCCW chairs and vice-chairs with their deanery/district chairs.
Resolutions adopted at previous DCCW Assemblies and the NCCW National Conventions.
Communication through the Rings of Council. The National Chair sends materials – inspiration, “how-to” descriptions, and current media coverage – to the DCCW chairs, who send them to deanery/district chairs and local chairs. Each chair at each ring uses the materials appropriate to her organization: for information, programs, project development, for publicity.
Local chairs report to the deanery/district what materials were used, how and with what results, and if not, why.
Deanery/District chairs report likewise to their DCCW chairs.
DCCW chair report to the national chair of her Commission annually using the Annual Report Form sent from the National Office.
National chairs report to the national president and board of directors about implementing their program suggestions and the results and significant programs developed by the affiliates. They also recommend future action.
Resources
Upcoming Events
DCCW 65th Annual Spring Assembly 2024
A link to the regisration form is available here.
When: April 19-20, 2024
Where: Cape Girardeau, MO
Drury Plaza Hotel & Conference Center
3351 Percy Drive
Cape Girardeau, MO
NCCW National Convention 2024 – Called to an Encounter with Jesus
Registration opens April, 01, 2024
When: August 13-17, 2024
Where: Salt Lake City, Utah
Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City
170 South West Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Prayers for Vocations
DCCW Dues
DCCW 2023 DIOCESAN DUES AFFILIATION NOTICE – Download PDF 2023 letter
NCCW Membership
NCCW Membership
How can I join the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women as an individual member?
Log in to nccw.org, click Join Us, and complete the registration form to become an individual member.
The $50.00 registration fee for an individual of 12- months makes you a member of the National Council of Catholic Women and an affiliate of the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organization (WUCWO). Membership helps you: Download: The membership Brochure
- Grow spiritually
- Understand Catholic Social Teaching
- Advocate for a culture of life
- Promote moral solutions to societal ills
- Nurture family, faith, and values
- Receive a copy of the bi/monthly magazine Catholic Woman
By-Laws and Standing Rules
History
On a September evening in 1957, in the Sacred Heart parish hall, Willow Springs, at the organizational meeting, Msgr. Walter J. McGrane was appointed Diocesan Moderator to the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women by the Rt. Msgr. Clarence D. White, Moderator of the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women of St. Louis.
The Most Reverend Charles H. Helming, first Bishop of Springfield – Cape Girardeau, addressed the delegates, giving an outline of the work of the diocesan Federation patterned after the National Council of Catholic Women and dedicated the fledgling organization to Our Lady of Good Counsel. Mrs. Gorman Greeman of Mansfield was appointed temporary chairman to preside over the election of officers. Officers elected were Mrs. Henery Meeth of Springfield; Vice President, Mrs. George Dorr, of Dexter; Secretary, Mrs. Gorman Freeman, of Mansfield; Treasurer, Mrs. Con Eldringhoff, of Springfield, Pomane and Mrs. Leo Franken, of Springfield, Publicity Chairman.
Click here to continue reading about the History of DCCW in our diocese.