Service
CCW Organization Notebook provided by the Joliet Diocesan CCW
Service – especially ‘hands-on’ service – has been a hallmark of the Council of Catholic
Women since its founding. It distinguishes a CCW from other women’s clubs – many
of which do wonderful work by fund-raising for important causes but very few do the
‘hands-on’ service so typical of CCWs.
The CCW was founded to serve the bishops of the US, and this still continues. Locally,
CCWs serve the goals of their pastor. It is a good idea for a Parish CCW board to
periodically ask their pastor if there are any special things they could do for him
in ministering to the parishioners.
Your council, like most, probably has many charities they support with fund-raisers.
In addition however, your council may have regular service projects/programs: clothing
drive for the needy, ‘Undy Sunday’, parish Blood Drive, Healing Blanket Ministry,
Prison Ministry; hospitality or other assistance for the parish Mass of the Anointing,
regular assistance at a homeless shelter or nursing home, sanctuary care, visiting
or calling homebound or hospitalized parishioners or providing respite for a caretaker,
care for your parish library… Are all these things your current membership supports,
or are you doing them “because we’ve always done them”? And is your membership getting
‘burned-out’ because they feel obligated to continue doing things they are no longer
interested in doing? Every council needs to continually evaluate what they are doing
and set new goals as needed.
When planning your programs and projects each year, be sure to include some short
term service opportunities. Many women today have the same urge to ‘help’, as their
mothers and grandmothers. However, they may work outside the home (often with long
commutes, and many positions today are anything but family-friendly), have young
or school-age children and no or rare alternate care for them, are single parents,
or have elderly relatives or other obligations or family requirements. Thus, their
‘service’ must be limited to one-time only or other short term services. Many of
these volunteers may or may not be regular attendees at your general membership meetings;
some women don’t feel that they can take time to attend a ‘social’ event or even
a ‘spiritual’ or ‘educational’ event, but would still like to ‘serve’ in some way.
Here are some ideas:
1. Most councils probably ask for volunteers to provide refreshments at their
meetings; instead of just asking for or having a sign-up sheet at a prior meeting,
why not have a sign-up sheet for all your events for the year after all Masses one
weekend early in your program year? Have two or more lines for refreshment providers
for each event, so no one is burdened. Then have a means of contacting them to remind
them.
2. What about a flyer or page in your weekend bulletin listing all the things
your parishioners could volunteer to do on a limited basis? Bake for your Bakery
Booth? Take care of the beverage service at one of your Hospitality Sundays? Sell
tickets after a weekend Mass to one of your fund-raisers? Come one or more evenings
to work on your Healing Blankets? Help with a mailing? Woman your Bake Sale or
Raffle booth for an hour or two? Solicit a local business for a raffle prize at
your Fashion Show? Bake an occasional meal for a funeral, your Gabriel Project or
Elizabeth Ministry? Pray outside an abortion clinic? Have them turn this flyer
in with their name and phone # to be contacted at an appropriate time.
3. Could you feature professional women or women with special interests in your
parish in a program in their area, e.g., health, family counseling, time management,
etc.? After becoming acquainted with (your) council’s aims and programs, they may
be willing to participate in other of your programs/events.
Women are natural ‘nurturers’, and service to others is a logical outgrowth of that
instinct. Councils of Catholic Women, enlightened as they are by their faith, are
among the best ‘service delivery systems’ to be found.
