WELCOME to the Omaha Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women web site. We hope this site will be able to answer some of your questions of what the Council is all about.
WHO WE ARE: OACCW was founded ini May, 1920 by Mrs. Arthur (Mary) Mullen and Mrs. Louis Nash under the direction of Archbishop J.J. Harty. We are composed of seven deaneries, with about 100 parish affiliations. We are affiliated with the National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW) whose mission statement is:
“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.”
Every Catholic woman in the Archdiocese of Omaha, through her parish affiliation, is a member. We are all ages, coming together to pray, sing, do charitable works, inform and support our members throughout the archdiocese.
WHAT WE DO: The work of the OACCW is performed through a Commission system. The commissions are: Church, Family, Community & Rural Life, Legislative, Organization, and International. – Let’s talk about YOU. You do many things every day to help others in your family and community. First of all, do you pray – about anything? Do you teach CCD? Do you serve as an officer of the Altar Society, or are you on the Parish Council? You are involved in the Church Commission. Do you do any volunteer work? You are involved in the Community Commission. Do you help at funeral dinners? You are involved in the bereavement ministry. Are you active in Pro-life meetings? Family and Legislative Commissions. Do you make quilts for AIDS babies,, or lap robes for nursing homes? International and Community Commissions. What about volunteering at the nursing home? YOU are already doing much of the work of Council, and yes, the real work of Council goes on right in our own parishes – right where we live.
WHY BELONG? Why not belong? We’ve established you are already doing much of the work. Membership connects you and your parish with hundreds, even thousands of women across our great country. We share ideas, concerns, and developments that are critical to our lives and our work. If we are to be the hands and feet of Christ, why not join together to speak and act upon matters of mutual interest with Catholic values and Catholic social teaching?? NCCW and OACCW provide the avenue to do just that. Individual Membership is a means of getting information straight from the top. It costs $20.00 per year, but for your money you receive “Catholic Woman” magazine, “Bulletin Board,” and “Legislative Update” – all excellent resources for the Catholic women in your home. And for those of you who do not want to go to “another meeting,” this is an excellent way to keep informed and still be involved with Council, through your prayers and support – both of which we need very much.
OACCW also publishes a newsletter to help keep affiliated members abreast of information on the national and local levels. This letter is published at least twice yearly, and is sent to all parish priests, board members and parish presidents. We are also using e-mail to keep membership informed. If you want your name added to our
e-mail list, please send e-mail to BobBarbVaughn@aol.com.
The OACCW Board meets every other month in the odd numbered months, rotating the meeting site throughout the archdiocese. September is the month for the OACCW Convention. We are busily planning the 84th Annual Convention. We hope to see YOU there. Please join us in continuing Christ’s work on earth.
Again, WELCOME…
Your Sister in Christ,
Helen Kunz, President
87888 470th Avenue
Stuart, NE 68780
helmaxkunz@yahoo.com
